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BADGE OF HONOUR
The Vauxhall Vectra was a stalwart of the fleet sector but Vauxhall wants more from its Insignia replacement. Steve Walker reports

More striking to look at than the Vectra but also more spacious and with an improved engine range, the Vauxhall Insignia looks like a winner. The optional four-wheel-drive system should go down well at the top end of the range helping the Insignia to extend its appeal to more private buyers.

The people that made the Vauxhall Vectra the success that it was would ultimately have a big part to play in its downfall. The car was popular through all its various versions but popular with the wrong people. Fleet managers loved the dependable style of this low cost family car but private buyers were less enamoured. Too many of them found its prosaic qualities a little, well, boring. The Vectra prospered as the favourite conveyance of world-weary sales execs and carriageway slogging area managers but that wasn’t enough for Vauxhall. The Vectra’s replacement has arrived and with its new name comes a new focus. Say hello to the Insignia. The Insignia is offered with five engines initially. For petrol buyers, there’s an entry-level 1.8-litre 140PS ECOTEC unit, then a rather large gap to a 220PS 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, sitting below a 2.8-litre V6 260PS range-topper. If you want a CDTi diesel, there are a couple of fresh 2.0-litre ones, developing either 130 or 160PS. The Insignia is offered in two or four-wheel-drive guise with the 4x4 model benefiting from the clever adaptive all-wheel-drive system pioneered by Saab. It adapts the distribution of torque between all four wheels instantaneously to enhance traction and handling. This should give the Insignia a key advantage over its predominately 2WD rivals. A clever adjustable damping ‘FlexRide’ system has been developed for this car, enabling drivers to choose a chassis setup that matches their own particular driving style. In addition to the Standard ride setting, FlexRide enables the driver to select a relaxed (Tour) setting or a firmer suspension set-up (Sport) by pressing one of two buttons on the instrument panel. In Sport mode, FlexRide not only provides stiffer damping, but also swifter throttle response and sharper steering, plus it raises the shift-points of the automatic transmission to a higher rpm and adjusts the Adaptive 4X4 system for more rear-wheel drive. The lighting on the instrument panel even changes from white to red to add to the driving experience.

"The Insignia marks the start of a new era for the brand…"

Offered as a five-door, a four-door or an estate, this car tries for a dynamic, head-turning appearance and isn’t unsuccessful. The five-door hatch and four-door saloon versions are nigh-on impossible to distinguish at a glance. Both have the same bowed roofline which drops dramatically towards the rear and, perhaps the Insignia’s signature stylistic device, the "blade" feature that’s cutaway behind the front wheelarches. At the front, all Insignia models feature a bold chrome grille with the latest Vauxhall badge at the centre. It sits on a raised centre section which runs down through the bumper and up to merge with the lines of the Insignia’s fluted bonnet. The result is as easy on the air as it is on the eye with Vauxhall claiming the sector’s best aerodynamics at 0.27Cd, which is one of the most slippery shapes of any car full stop. The Insignia’s styling has to be deemed a success in the context of the often mundane medium range sector but the designers were also intent on delivering practicality. The car is 21mm longer than the old Vectra at 4,820mm, and 50mm wider. The Vectra wasn’t a cramped offering itself but the Insignia improves passenger space partly through these larger exterior dimensions and partly through a wheelbase that’s extended by 35mm. The cabin has been set out to be as eye-catching as the exterior. The Vectra was always worthy but dull and the Insignia has a number of features with the potential to set tongues wagging. The dashboard top wraps around at the sides in a steady curve that melts into the door linings. The effect is that the driver feels cocooned inside the car. The mood is helped by adaptive ambient lighting and a massive amount of attention has also been paid to the seats which have been specially designed to set new standards for ergonomics, comfort and safety. The Insignia must pick-up where the Vectra left off in meeting the needs of Vauxhall’s core fleet customers but it’s also being tasked with striking out up-market and tempting private buyers as well as company car user-choosers. The range theoretically starts at ‘S’ level, but that’s really a fleet-orientated model. For most private buyers, the entry-level point to Insignia motoring will be at Exclusiv level where there’s a decent level of standard equipment that runs to ABS brakes and ESP stability control, automatic headlamps, electric adjustment of the driver’s seat height and lumber support, single-zone air conditioned climate control front, side and curtain airbags and even cruise control. Above this level sit SE, Elite and sporty SRi variants. If you want four wheel drive, then it’s an option on the 2.0-litre petrol or diesel models and standard on the 2.8-litre petrol V6. The Insignia has daytime running lamps, the must-have automotive feature of the moment and uses an improved version of AFL, Vauxhall’s Adaptive Forward Lighting system that allows the headlamps to swivel with the car. A clever Front Camera System is also offered with a Traffic Sign Recognition function that reads speed limit and no-passing signs and displays them on the instrument panel. There’s also Lane Departure Warning which alerts dozy drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane. All Insignia’s will be fitted with a SmartBeam High-beam Headlamp Assist Technology, which automatically switches the full beam on and off depending on light and traffic conditions. Running costs are a major concern in the Insignia’s target market and the diesel models in particular should deliver the goods. Thanks to the large 70-litre tank, the CDTi variants boast a range of approximately 750 miles, based on their fuel consumption figures – expect 48.7mpg on the combined cycle. If you really want to get on top of running costs, the 160PS version of the 2.0-litre diesel is offered in ‘greener’ ecoFLEX guise, promising lower fuel consumptions and CO2 emissions. All versions come with a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter as standard and as you’d expect, meet Euro 5 emission levels. Go for a petrol model and you can expect an OK 36.2mpg on the combined cycle from the 1.8-litre ECOTEC but the 2.0 and 2.8V6 models manage very average returns of 31.7 and 29.4mpg. Go for 4WD and you can expect it to have a small negative impact on both fuel consumption and performance but it’s nothing really to worry about. The Vauxhall Insignia marks the start of a new era for the brand and there’s plenty of reasons for optimism. Vauxhall has worked hard to broaden the appeal of the Insignia beyond that of the fleet-favourite Vectra and it appears to have been successful. Efforts to inject extra style and flair to the look of the car should go down well, the front camera system is neat and the optional four-wheel-drive system is an interesting addition to the medium range sector. Is this car as sharp to drive as its Mondeo rival? Perhaps not, but there’s not much in it and the clever FlexRide system gives it a technological edge. There’s not very much on the debit side, unless you count the big gap between the two four cylinder petrol engines’ output and their unremarkable fuel economy. Overall, what’s crucial is that the basics seem to work. The Insignia looks a desirable, cleverly designed package that will give rivals something to think about.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Vauxhall Insignia range PRICES: £15,935-£28,885 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-18 [est] CO2 EMISSIONS: 154-272g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.8 ECOTEC] 0-60mph 10.9s / Max Speed 128mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 CDTi 120] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 58.9mpg / (combined) 48.7mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin front, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4830/1856/1498mm

SIGN OF THE TIMES
Vauxhall has done a thorough job of converting its Insignia to Sports Tourer estate form. Steve Walker reports.

Families now have a wealth of choice at their disposal when choosing a new car but the estate models that used to be a default choice shouldn’t be overlooked. Vauxhall’s Insignia Sports Tourer has the quality, the looks and the practicality to prove a great addition to the household.

Many predicted that MPVs and 4x4s would be the death of the estate car. There’s no doubt that they dragged it into an alleyway and roughed it up a bit but they failed to finish the job and the estate has come out fighting. With a smaller section of the market to compete over, the top estate products got their acts together. They’re now more keenly differentiated from the saloons and hatchbacks that spawned them with sleeker styling and more innovative and practical load areas. If you’d written the estate off as an outmoded product, now might be the time to give the modern take on the genre another chance and there’s no better place to start that Vauxhall’s Insignia Sports Tourer. Making a medium range estate car used to be comparatively easy. Take the medium range hatch or saloon you’ve already got and foist an extended rear end upon it, much as you would a conservatory on a suburban semi. Back then, estates were bought by people wanting a medium range family car but who had a dog. Today, buyers with similar requirements have a whole host of MPVs and Compact 4x4s to mull over as well. It’s forced the estate manufacturers into a rethink. Vauxhall’s Insignia Sports Tourer has a series of tricks up its sleeves designed to give it an edge with a certain sort of customer but are these tweaks convincing enough? The Insignia is available with a good spread of engines and Sports Tourer customers have the full range at their disposal. The line-up spans from a modest 138bhp 1.8-litre petrol unit to the mighty 2.8-litre V6 turbo engine which has 256bhp of punch. The most exciting engines sit between these extremes. Units like the 178bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol unit that offers a fine compromise between pace and efficiency. Then there’s the 2.0-litre CDTi diesel options with outputs of 128bhp, 158bhp or 187bhp, the latter achieved with the aid of twin turbochargers.

"Style is a significant weapon in the estate car’s armoury…."

The way a particular Insignia drives will be determined by more than merely the engine plumbed into its nose. Vauxhall offer customers the options of upgrading from front-wheel-drive to All-wheel-drive courtesy of the adaptive 4x4 system and of specifying the FlexRide chassis that features electronically controlled damping. A FlexRide-equipped Sports Tourer can be placed in Sport or Tour modes. In the Sport setting, steering and throttle response are sharpened, as are the suspension settings for a more dynamic driving experience. Style is a significant weapon in the estate car’s armoury. In the war against chunky compact 4x4s and frumpy MPVs, the sleek, road-hugging lines of a well-conceived estate can have a major impact on its fortunes. The Insignia Sports Tourer definitely looks the part. Taking the core styling features of the Insignia such as the raised grille and the cutaway sections down the flanks, the designers have expertly integrated the extended rear end. With its long roofline falling away towards the rear and the tailgate wrapping around the car’s corners, the Sports Tourer is a classy visual proposition. The elegant lines don’t come at the expense of space inside either. A 540-litre load compartment can be extended to 1,510 litres with the seats properly folded. That’s significantly down on the 1,850 litres of the old Vectra estate, but then that car sat on its own extended platform, something GM couldn’t afford to do again with this Insignia. Mere space isn’t enough anyway in this kind of car: it’s got to be usable. Vauxhall set out to ensure that the Sports Tourer fits the bill by introducing a series of features unique to this estate version. Self levelling rear suspension is standard on all models dropping the loading height to a more convenient level. Then there’s Vauxhall’s FlexOrganizer system that can be used to secure cargo in a series of rail-mounted nets and dividers. There’s even an optional powered tailgate that opens to a programmed height to avoid clouting the ceiling of your garage or the local multi-storey car park. General build quality in the Insignia follows the exterior’s premium themes and really is a massive leap forward for Vauxhall. The materials and design in the cabin are amongst the best in the medium range segment. For most private buyers, the entry-level point to Insignia Sport Tourer motoring will be at Exclusiv level where there’s a decent quota of standard equipment that runs to ABS brakes and ESP stability control, automatic headlamps, electric adjustment of the driver’s seat height and lumber support, single-zone air conditioned climate control front, side and curtain airbags and even cruise control. Above this level sit SE, Elite and sporty SRi variants. The Insignia has daytime running lamps, the must-have automotive feature of the moment, and uses an improved version of AFL, Vauxhall’s Adaptive Forward Lighting system that allows the headlamps to swivel with the car, better illuminating corners. A clever Front Camera System is also offered with a Traffic Sign Recognition function that reads speed limit and no-passing signs and displays them on the instrument panel. There’s also Lane Departure Warning which alerts dozy drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane. All Insignia’s will be fitted with a SmartBeam High-beam Headlamp Assist Technology, which automatically switches the full beam on and off depending on light and traffic conditions. Vauxhall is proud to point out that the Insignia Sport Tourer is the most aerodynamic estate car it has ever made. The modest drag coefficient of 0.30 has a big positive impact on efficiency. Buyers intent on minimising their running costs will warm to the ecoFLEX model which brings together a number of special features designed to deliver the lowest possible emissions and fuel consumption. Running costs are a major concern in the Insignia’s target market and the diesel models in particular should deliver the goods. Thanks to the large 70-litre tank, the CDTi variants boast a range of approximately 750 miles, based on their fuel consumption figures – expect 48.7mpg on the combined cycle. All versions come with a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter as standard and as you’d expect, meet Euro 5 emission levels. Go for a petrol model and you can expect an OK 36.2mpg on the combined cycle from the 1.8-litre ECOTEC but the 2.0 and 2.8V6 models manage very average returns of 31.7 and 29.4mpg. Go for 4WD and you can expect it to have a small negative impact on both fuel consumption and performance but it’s nothing really to worry about. The estate car’s task has never been a tougher one with the sector of the market it once had to itself now swarming with compact 4x4 and MPV rivals. The solution, as employed by Vauxhall with its Insignia Sports Tourer, is to concentrate on sleek styling, a polished driving experience and a premium feel. The Insignia Sports Tourer is a desirable product. The question is whether enough people will desire it over the numerous alternatives available to the family with this kind of money to spend. If you’re after a genuine all-rounder that’s comfortable and entertaining on the road, has a decent carrying capacity and looks that can turn heads, it should make a sound choice.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Vauxhall Insignia Sport Tourer range PRICES: £17,185-£29,485 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-15 CO2 EMISSIONS: 154-272g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.8] 0-60mph 10.9s / Max Speed 128mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 CDTi 120] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 58.9mpg / (combined) 48.7mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin front, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4830/1856/1498mm

BADGE OF HONOUR
The Vauxhall Vectra was a stalwart of the fleet sector but Vauxhall wants more from its Insignia replacement. Steve Walker reports

More striking to look at than the Vectra but also more spacious and with an improved engine range, the Vauxhall Insignia looks like a winner. The optional four-wheel-drive system should go down well at the top end of the range helping the Insignia to extend its appeal to more private buyers.

The people that made the Vauxhall Vectra the success that it was would ultimately have a big part to play in its downfall. The car was popular through all its various versions but popular with the wrong people. Fleet managers loved the dependable style of this low cost family car but private buyers were less enamoured. Too many of them found its prosaic qualities a little, well, boring. The Vectra prospered as the favourite conveyance of world-weary sales execs and carriageway slogging area managers but that wasn’t enough for Vauxhall. The Vectra’s replacement has arrived and with its new name comes a new focus. Say hello to the Insignia. The Insignia is offered with five engines initially. For petrol buyers, there’s an entry-level 1.8-litre 140PS ECOTEC unit, then a rather large gap to a 220PS 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, sitting below a 2.8-litre V6 260PS range-topper. If you want a CDTi diesel, there are a couple of fresh 2.0-litre ones, developing either 130 or 160PS. The Insignia is offered in two or four-wheel-drive guise with the 4x4 model benefiting from the clever adaptive all-wheel-drive system pioneered by Saab. It adapts the distribution of torque between all four wheels instantaneously to enhance traction and handling. This should give the Insignia a key advantage over its predominately 2WD rivals. A clever adjustable damping ‘FlexRide’ system has been developed for this car, enabling drivers to choose a chassis setup that matches their own particular driving style. In addition to the Standard ride setting, FlexRide enables the driver to select a relaxed (Tour) setting or a firmer suspension set-up (Sport) by pressing one of two buttons on the instrument panel. In Sport mode, FlexRide not only provides stiffer damping, but also swifter throttle response and sharper steering, plus it raises the shift-points of the automatic transmission to a higher rpm and adjusts the Adaptive 4X4 system for more rear-wheel drive. The lighting on the instrument panel even changes from white to red to add to the driving experience.

"The Insignia marks the start of a new era for the brand…"

Offered as a five-door, a four-door or an estate, this car tries for a dynamic, head-turning appearance and isn’t unsuccessful. The five-door hatch and four-door saloon versions are nigh-on impossible to distinguish at a glance. Both have the same bowed roofline which drops dramatically towards the rear and, perhaps the Insignia’s signature stylistic device, the "blade" feature that’s cutaway behind the front wheelarches. At the front, all Insignia models feature a bold chrome grille with the latest Vauxhall badge at the centre. It sits on a raised centre section which runs down through the bumper and up to merge with the lines of the Insignia’s fluted bonnet. The result is as easy on the air as it is on the eye with Vauxhall claiming the sector’s best aerodynamics at 0.27Cd, which is one of the most slippery shapes of any car full stop. The Insignia’s styling has to be deemed a success in the context of the often mundane medium range sector but the designers were also intent on delivering practicality. The car is 21mm longer than the old Vectra at 4,820mm, and 50mm wider. The Vectra wasn’t a cramped offering itself but the Insignia improves passenger space partly through these larger exterior dimensions and partly through a wheelbase that’s extended by 35mm. The cabin has been set out to be as eye-catching as the exterior. The Vectra was always worthy but dull and the Insignia has a number of features with the potential to set tongues wagging. The dashboard top wraps around at the sides in a steady curve that melts into the door linings. The effect is that the driver feels cocooned inside the car. The mood is helped by adaptive ambient lighting and a massive amount of attention has also been paid to the seats which have been specially designed to set new standards for ergonomics, comfort and safety. The Insignia must pick-up where the Vectra left off in meeting the needs of Vauxhall’s core fleet customers but it’s also being tasked with striking out up-market and tempting private buyers as well as company car user-choosers. The range theoretically starts at ‘S’ level, but that’s really a fleet-orientated model. For most private buyers, the entry-level point to Insignia motoring will be at Exclusiv level where there’s a decent level of standard equipment that runs to ABS brakes and ESP stability control, automatic headlamps, electric adjustment of the driver’s seat height and lumber support, single-zone air conditioned climate control front, side and curtain airbags and even cruise control. Above this level sit SE, Elite and sporty SRi variants. If you want four wheel drive, then it’s an option on the 2.0-litre petrol or diesel models and standard on the 2.8-litre petrol V6. The Insignia has daytime running lamps, the must-have automotive feature of the moment and uses an improved version of AFL, Vauxhall’s Adaptive Forward Lighting system that allows the headlamps to swivel with the car. A clever Front Camera System is also offered with a Traffic Sign Recognition function that reads speed limit and no-passing signs and displays them on the instrument panel. There’s also Lane Departure Warning which alerts dozy drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane. All Insignia’s will be fitted with a SmartBeam High-beam Headlamp Assist Technology, which automatically switches the full beam on and off depending on light and traffic conditions. Running costs are a major concern in the Insignia’s target market and the diesel models in particular should deliver the goods. Thanks to the large 70-litre tank, the CDTi variants boast a range of approximately 750 miles, based on their fuel consumption figures – expect 48.7mpg on the combined cycle. If you really want to get on top of running costs, the 160PS version of the 2.0-litre diesel is offered in ‘greener’ ecoFLEX guise, promising lower fuel consumptions and CO2 emissions. All versions come with a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter as standard and as you’d expect, meet Euro 5 emission levels. Go for a petrol model and you can expect an OK 36.2mpg on the combined cycle from the 1.8-litre ECOTEC but the 2.0 and 2.8V6 models manage very average returns of 31.7 and 29.4mpg. Go for 4WD and you can expect it to have a small negative impact on both fuel consumption and performance but it’s nothing really to worry about. The Vauxhall Insignia marks the start of a new era for the brand and there’s plenty of reasons for optimism. Vauxhall has worked hard to broaden the appeal of the Insignia beyond that of the fleet-favourite Vectra and it appears to have been successful. Efforts to inject extra style and flair to the look of the car should go down well, the front camera system is neat and the optional four-wheel-drive system is an interesting addition to the medium range sector. Is this car as sharp to drive as its Mondeo rival? Perhaps not, but there’s not much in it and the clever FlexRide system gives it a technological edge. There’s not very much on the debit side, unless you count the big gap between the two four cylinder petrol engines’ output and their unremarkable fuel economy. Overall, what’s crucial is that the basics seem to work. The Insignia looks a desirable, cleverly designed package that will give rivals something to think about.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Vauxhall Insignia range PRICES: £15,935-£29,485 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-15 CO2 EMISSIONS: 154-272g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.8 ECOTEC] 0-60mph 10.9s / Max Speed 128mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 CDTi 120] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 58.9mpg / (combined) 48.7mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin front, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4830/1856/1498mm

UNCOMPROMISING ECONOMY
Vauxhall gets in on the environmentally-friendly act with its Insignia ecoFLEX. Steve Walker reports

With 158bhp and up to 380Nm from its 2.0-litre CDTi diesel engine, the Vauxhall Insignia ecoFLEX is a little more inspiring on paper than the majority of these eco-special family cars. It looks good as well with its lowered ride height and sleek lines, giving buyers the option of doing their little bit for the planet without feeling like they’ve sold their soul to Bill Oddie.

We’d all like to drive a car that runs on grass clippings and puffs nothing but atomised Channel No5 from its exhaust but until the world’s car manufacturers get their acts together on that one, the work of saving the planet will need to be done by more prosaic means. The growing glut of cars like Vauxhall’s Insignia ecoFLEX might not be the last word in environmental-friendliness but they do offer real-world improvements and you can go out and buy one today. That’s got to count for something. There’s no bigger issue facing the automotive industry today than the great big green issue. It wasn’t that long ago, however, when many manufacturers were still content to pay lip service to it and hope it would go away. Legislation has changed all that and today, waiting for hydrogen fuel cell cars to arrive and save the planet at a stroke is not an option. Manufacturers have been forced into looking at short term ways of reducing emissions and saving fuel by a combination of new legal requirements and public demand. Cars like the Insignia ecoFLEX from Vauxhall are the result. Relying on simple engineering ingenuity rather than major technological advances, they might not be planetary saviours but they are a step in the right direction. The Insignia ecoFLEX is based around the 2.0-litre CDTi ECOTEC diesel engine which generates158bhp. That’s a lot of power for one of these eco-special models which are usually focused far more intently on emissions and economy. The Insignia, with a 9.5s 0-60mph time, a 135mph top speed and 350Nm of torque from 1,750rpm, sets out to marry efficiency with lively performance. That torque figure can actually be increased to 380Nm via the engine’s temporary overboost function, which means you get more pulling power than you would in a 3.2-litre V6 Audi TT.

"Going green doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel or the internal combustion engine…"

The Insignia’s 2.0-litre diesel engine is an advanced piece of kit. It uses Vauxhall’s Clean-Tech process to control emissions consistently through the different stages of its lifecycle. The combustion process in the cylinders is monitored up to one million times per minute so the engine management computer can adapt the volume and timing of the fuel injections to optimise efficiency. It’s all clever stuff but it’s common to all 2.0-litre CDTi Insignias, so what makes the ecoFLEX special? Aerodynamics play the major role in the improved environmental performance of the Insignia ecoFLEX. The car is 10mm lower than a standard model which has the happy side effect of giving the car a more purposeful ground-hugging stance. There’s also a number of modifications out of sight underneath the car which improve air-flow and lower drag while the radiator grille is partially closed off to send more air down the flanks of the car. The ecoFLEX also runs on Michelin’s special low rolling resistance Primacy HP tyres. The standard Insignia’s sleek shape has a drag coefficient on 0.27 CD but the ecoFLEX model lowers that to 0.26. It sounds a trivial amount but the laws of physics reveal otherwise. When you double the speed of a car, the amount of engine power necessary to overcome the aerodynamic drag increases by a factor of eight. That means that even the tiniest improvements in aerodynamic performance can significantly reduce the amount of work the engine needs to do at a given speed, reducing fuel consumption. These aerodynamic enhancements have the additional benefit of reducing wind noise in the cabin and making the Insignia a more comfortable place to sit out long journeys. The Insignia’s styling has to be deemed a success in the context of the often mundane medium range sector but the designers were also intent on delivering practicality. The car is 21mm longer than the old Vectra at 4,820mm, and 50mm wider. The Vectra wasn’t a cramped offering itself but the Insignia improves passenger space partly through these larger exterior dimensions and partly through a wheelbase that’s extended by 35mm. The cabin has set out to be as eye-catching as the exterior. The Vectra was always worthily dull but the Insignia has a number of features with the potential to set tongues wagging. The dashboard top wraps around at the sides of the interior in a steady curve that melts into the door linings. The effect is that the driver feels cocooned inside the car. The mood is helped by adaptive ambient lighting and a massive amount of attention has also been paid to the seats which have been specially designed to set new standards for ergonomics, comfort and safety. The Insignia ecoFLEX goes up against a raft of eco-friendly rivals in the medium range sector and the battle for sales is likely to be anything but friendly. Vauxhall is obviously hoping that its offering will gain an edge by virtue of its hefty performance as most of the alternatives utilise relatively weedy powerplants to make their efficiency savings. Of course, the Insignia’s additional pace will be reflected in the price. Thanks to their streamlined design, sporty roofline and finely-tuned details, the regular Insignia variants feature an exemplary drag factor of 0.27. The Insignia ecoFLEX undercuts this figure still further. Its drag co-efficient of CD 0.26 makes it one of the most aerodynamic production saloons in the world and in this respect, the best Vauxhall saloon ever. As such, it requires less engine power to overcome air resistance than considerably smaller cars. This is key, because when doubling speed, the engine power necessary to overcome aerodynamic drag increases by a factor of eight. So if 13PS is necessary to overcome aerodynamic drag at 50mph, 107PS is needed at 100mph. This is just one reason why running costs will be suitably low for the ecoFlex model and all Insignia versions come with a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter as standard. As you’d expect, it meets Euro 5 emission standards. Thanks to the large 70-litre tank, you can expect a range of just under 800 miles, based on averaging around 50mpg on the combined cycle. Going green doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel or the internal combustion engine for that matter. Vauxhall’s Insignia ecoFLEX shows how much can be achieved with a slippery shape, an advanced diesel engine and some skinny tyres. Better yet, it achieves its efficiency gains without making the compromises that some of its rivals force on their owners. Styling, performance and comfort don’t suffer in the Insignia ecoFLEX and that can only help persuade buyers to take the greener option. That and the significant fuel economy and tax savings they stand to make.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Vauxhall Insignia ecoFLEX PRICES: £17,200-£18,500 – on the road [est] INSURANCE GROUP: 11 CO2 EMISSIONS: 165g/km [est] PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.5s / Max Speed 135mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 53mpg [est] STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin front, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4830/1856/1498mm