A GRANDER INSIGNIA (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 101

The Grand Sport was a very different kind of Vauxhall Insignia. In second generation form, hatch versions of this car gained 'Grand Sport' billing but more importantly, they also got a much more up-market demeanour, with greater class, refinement and sophistication. Handling was more agile too, thanks in large part to the considerable weight reductions this MK2 Insignia model could offer, savings made all the more impressive bearing in mind how much bigger this car was than its predecessor. Add in extremely competitive pricing and there were all the ingredients for a rejuvenated product - and a strong used market buy.

Modelsword count: 15

Models Covered: (5-door hatch) 1.5, 1.6 petrol / 2.0 CDTi diesel [Design, SRi, Elite, GSi])

Historyword count: 193

Think of a staple set of wheels for middle management buyers and you tend to think of a Vauxhall. For older folk, Cavaliers and Vectras will come to mind, but more recently, the brand has campaigned in this part of the market with its Insignia model. Originally, this was a somewhat forgettable class contender. In second generation form, things got a lot better with this car, the Insignia Grand Sport, launched in 2017. To understand this car, you really do need to understand its market - what the industry calls its 'D-segment', the volume part of which included cars like Ford's Mondeo, Volkswagen's Passat and Skoda's Superb, all of them traditionally representing Vauxhall's main opposition. An enormous investment was poured into making this second generation Insignia almost unrecognisably better than its predecessor. Think of virtually any feature you might want in a premium model from this era and the chances are that this Vauxhall offers it with classy packaging at a vast list price saving. The MK2 Insignia Grand Sport sold in this form until mid-2020, when a far-reaching update revitalised the engine range. It's the pre-facelift MK2 models we look at here.

What You Getword count: 374

You might not previously have perceived the idea of running a large Vauxhall from the 2017 to 2020 period as being in any way aspirational. Perhaps you need to think again. This MK2 Insignia might have still campaigned in much the same market segment as its predecessor, but it moved up a class in almost any way you care to name, most particularly in style and size. In profile, you better appreciate the changes that were made to the size of this car, a 55mm increase in length enough to take this Vauxhall from being one of the smaller offerings in the D-segment to being one of the very largest cars of this kind from its era. Inside, if you owned a MK1 Insignia, you'll find an enormous improvement over what was served up by that old car. Fit and finish is almost a match for the premium brands and in the instrument binnacle, most models got a smart and configurable 4.2-inch colour screen. Anything that can't tell you will almost certainly be found on the centre-dash Intellilink infotainment monitor, 7 or 8-inches in size (according to trim) and equipped with the usual DAB stereo, Bluetooth 'phone and 'Apple CarPlay' or 'Android Auto' 'phone connectivity features. At the back, you really notice the benefits of this second generation model's extra 92mm of wheelbase. As you'd expect from a car that's now nearly 5-metres in length (so nearly as long as an enormous Audi Q7 SUV), there's plenty of room for one really tall adult to sit behind another. As for the boot, well capacity here dropped a little over the previous generation model, but the 490-litre total is still more than you'd get in a premium-branded model in this segment from this era and Vauxhall claimed - correctly - that the space provided was more usable thanks to a squarer opening aperture and a lower loading sill. Push forward the rear bench - which could be had further up the range with a useful 40:20:40-split - and 1,450-litres of fresh air can be freed up. If you need that kind of flexibility on a regular basis, the alternative 'Sports Tourer' estate body style will appeal, that variant offering a 560-litre boot extendable to 1,665-litres.

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