I remember (see, people DO remember this car!) renting a 2L petrol Insignia many years ago, lovely car to drive and I thought handsome to boot. Nice bit of oomph when you put the foot down, as comfortable as a pair of old jeans to be in. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I like the sloping lines and curves. It does have a touch of the "sales rep" about it, cos it is a sales rep motorway muncher but it is also a great family car. I actually prefer the look of this to the many "crossover" SUV boxes on the road; given the choice I'd have this "traditional" family car all day long. Not for the first time after watching the review I felt compelled to check out a few for sale on the internet. Brilliant value for money, you can buy one that is practically new, incredibly well specced with impressive performance for less than £17K (Autotrader; 2019, 0-60 8.4s, tax £145, insurance group 17E, less than 3000 miles on the clock. Christ, what do you want??). I like 'em.
Went for a road trip in a 2015 one when it was new, have to say was actually impressed it with it! Spacious and comfortable. And your right the facelifted interior felt quality
I'm glad you didn't go the Jeremy Clarkson "bash-all-Vauxhaulls" route, because the Insignia deserves better than that. It's a good-looking, reasonably reliable, cheap and practical car. The pick of the bunch has got to be the 2.0l diesel estate.
@@stephenpeacock2627 If you don't like good looking, economical, reliable and quick cars maybe you're the one who needs help. Mine have lasted well over 100,000 miles with no major issues which I think takes them out of the "awful" category.
Think this is one of vauxhalls best efforts to date of recent times. Yes its a heavy big barge with drearyish engines if you are in the 140bhp ballpark of diesels think there was one with 168 ish it could be passable as a family car with acceptable midrange shove for those on a budget secondhand. Handsome thing the 5 door too as you hardly see the saloon variant. Even the interior had some sort of effort go into it and was reasonably made for the day if you compare it to wverything else excluding the passat. Made the mondeos, the non titaniums of the time the 07 shape on look awful inside and out even if they drove better. The new version of this is ghastly to look at especially with the rear wiper afterthought. It is just forgettable not handsome like this was. I run an astra k as a second car so have a bit of a vauxhall soft spot now I guess.
I had an Insignia for 4 years, put over 50k miles on it and it never let me down. Not exciting by any means but it was great value for money and I would buy another one without question.
Green Mills I wanted something a bit more entertaining again, so bought an Astra VXR. Unfortunately, while it’s quicker and nicer to look at, I do miss the Insignia for its practicality and low running costs.
I’ve had a 2012 for the last three years. Now has 134k on the clock and I’ve not had a single problem. 2.0l diesel eco flex. £30 a year tax. Reasonably quick and no problem getting 50+ MPG. Great, cheap family car. I honestly believe it’ll keep going for years.
I had a 14 plate SRI model before but kept having issues with DPF, always went into limp mode where you can't do speeds over 30 mph. I was now considering the newer shape vauxhall insignia grand sport but was wondering if the DPF issue is sorted in these newer models.
Enjoyed Thank you. I had a Vectra SRI Diesel for about 3 years. It never let me down, enjoyable to drive and I went everywhere in it. My dad at the time lived on the Isle of Lewis and my mother lives in Devon. I'll not forget mine. Cheers
I had 2 Insignias in the past a 2009 2.0T saloon and a 2011 2.0 cdti sports tourer. Both were great cars but you should be aware of some crucial issues when looking to buy them. The diesels are prone to the oil pickup seal hardening in the sump and there are numerous reports of them failing with time and causing the engine to then stop pumping oil properly which eventually causes bottom end failure. If you're buying a car over 100k miles or 6 years old I'd seriously consider having that seal done. Its a pricey job as the gear box has to be removed or modified to allow access to a sump bolt but there are garages who offer the work circa £300 last time I checked. On the 2.0T petrol engines the timing chains should not be considered for life, the tensioners can become brittle and snap causing eventual chain failure or the chains can stretch. The engines are great and pull very well but consider a timing chain replacement at 100k onwards. Generally speaking if you buy a car 4 years or younger with sub 50k then expect 50k/3-5 years of fairly trouble free miles then look to move on before the trouble starts (EGR, DPF, clutches, cambelts/chains, gearbox servicing). If you can do the work yourself though then they're cheap cars to maintain.
*"Nobody remembers Vauxhall Vectra"* - Says every single car guy on RUclips. *Vauxhall Vectra is more well-known than Bugatti Veyron thanks to you guys now!*
@@blogtodeath4736 damn sure. my 2004 88kw 1.9 diesel estate vectra is hitting 330k km in odometer. and still pretty sure will last for bloody years to come.
@@fuckthis81 Agreed. My dad had one, put 150k miles on it and sold it, still running and in good working condition for £500. Cars like the Vectra need to be appreciated for what they are. Talking about understeer or 0-60 times is irrelevant for 99% of owners.
@@arthuritchybollix5064 It's technically called a liftback, and it goes back to like the 1940s. Sportback is Audi's gimmicky word for it. Same way they call "quattro" to the AWD system loads of other manufacturers use too.
Mine is a 2.0lt diesel Elite (with ridiculous options, inc. a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, cream leather, all the stuff). I've had it for about 4 years and it's a 2015 car. *Zero issues with it at all* but I've only put 50k miles on it. For a car of it's type and size I'm always shocked at how good the handling is, and I throw it about in quite a spirited manner when I'm in the mood. Feedback through the steering is surprisingly good and it's never caught me out. Also, if you drive at 62 mph, you can get 50 mpg on the motorway.
I've got a 64 plate 1.4 Turbo petrol and had it for 5 years it's good on fuel and good performance too and will keep it for another 5 years, I've had two BMW's and they weren't great, with electrical problems amongst other issues too, I'd definitely have another one, I'm glad you didn't slate it cos they're good cars.
I bought one a few years ago as a stop gap really. It’s been faultless so far and I haven’t felt the need to get rid of it yet like I was never intending. It’s superb on long drives, very comfortable and very good on fuel. And in spite of the badge they look half decent as well. It does everything well really. I’ll run this one until it dies I think as it’s been cheap motoring so far. Maybe I was just lucky for once
Pass!! Had an Opel Senator 3.0L petrol with a digital instrument panel (80's). What a great car that was. 100,000 trouble free miles and brilliantly comfortable.
I had one as a company car & it was great. I had it when they could still b bought new & they were classes as very desirable. It never let me down & was extremely comfortable
I’ve just bought a 14 plate insignia 2.0 CDTi SRi VX line. 40k miles, heated leather seats, sat nav, reversing camera, etc... Cost just shy of 8K. Would love to see a review of one of these models, slightly sportier look, quicker 160bhp engine
I used to have one of these as a company car...……..I don't remember anything special or positive or negative about it other than you could "ride it like you stole it". It was a bit like a tool to be honest, neither liked it or loathed it, got me where I needed to be but didn't get my blood pumping. Keep them coming, I smile when I get notification of a new post, look forward to logging on whilst the Mrs watches her "soaps"
My friend bought one of similar year to yours couple years ago, except for that it was an ex-merseyside police car with 160,000 miles in white. It had full dealer service history, and it had new turbos (it was a twin turbo diesel), the clutch/flywheel replaced, and also a bunch of other smaller stuff done in the last 20k miles. It's a surprisingly quiet and comfortable car for £3000 to be honest, and it hasn't needed any major repairs. Though, it wasn't a particularly well spec'd car though it did have navigation.
I currently own a 1.6 diesel elite estate,manual. The car does what it says on the tin basically. It won’t win style awards and won’t set your hair on fire but it’s an all round good car. That’s my opinion obviously. It’s got sat nav,climate,heated seats. If anyone is looking to buy one then I’d say go for the 2 ltr automatic. The 1.6 is ok but lacks a bit of go for overtaking. But depends what kind of a driver you are.
Good engine once the oil pickup mod is done they are bulletproof, what's better bmw? They shit timing chains for a past time or if your lucky enough to have a older one with a m57 it'll be so rotten you can climb through the rust holes..
This was sold in the US as the Buick Regal. I think it may be one of the first General Motors cars designed under the leadership of Ed Welburn, one of my favorite designers of the last 10-15 years. I drove a diesel Insignia my last time in the UK. Driving mostly A and B roads (I hate the motorways - boring), we averaged a pretty unbelievable 55mpg.
Almost all four banger European cars will get 55mpg and more. Don’t forget American gallons are smaller than UK gallons. This means your comparison of mpg across the Atlantic is skewed.
@@rollovaughan Yes, I know. It converts to about 45 US MPG, which is still pretty good. Don't forget that we don't have many diesels here in the US, so a car that averages 45 MPG in mixed use is still pretty unbelievable. I will add, however, that my wife has a plug in hybrid Ford Fusion, and is currently averaging about 190 mpg.
Cheers mate, since 2002 went from Astra to Vectra, loved my Vectra... got to insignia and besides an issue with the torque converter nothing else really, now servicing her myself since garages are shut...
My dad used to have an 2009 (09-plate) Insignia Sports Tourer CDTi, and because it was the Elite Nav specification, it had all the bells & whistles - dual zone climate control, heated leather seats, powered tailgate, colour sat nav, the lot! He had it from March 2012 until May 2014.
i think the insignia is a very nice alternative to a 3 series or audi a4. especially if you go for a 4x4 model or opc line with over 200hp for both diesel and petrol engines. i also like that it offers heated and ventilated seats - it adds to a certain premium feel without the car being super expensive, i kinda like that alot.
I've had one for five years and I used to work at Vauxhall. Its amusing how he is showing off the basic version of the Insignia. Forget the petrol versions (aside from the V6) and just go with the Diesel Sri CDTi.
These are really nice drives, tge estates are even better. Whats really nice about these is that you can get them in a really good spec for the cost of higher badged standard spec'd cars. Really good bang for buck
I love the shape of the insignia estate (touring) but it's like a reverse TARDIS. It's big on the outside,but seems small on the inside (for it's outside size)
I hired a new turbo diesel face-lift model for a month when I went back to the UK in 2016. Was actually not a bad car. Fitted the 4 of us in and all our luggage from the airport and I drove all over Southern England. Fuel economy was superb, the interior was nice, built in sat nav worked very well and overall was a comfortable car. Don't know if I'd own one if I was back there but I wouldn't knock it at all.
Another straight to the point review Matt (eventually lol). I remember when Clarkson reviewed a Vectra on Top Gear, all he could think of to mention was something about the filler cap cover (Vauxhall were not happy bunnies). This may sound stupid, but sometimes when I see an Insignia at first glance, I often confuse it with a Mercedes believe it or not (I've already been to Specsavers)
I had a diesel Insignia Elite, and it was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned. Lots of toys and reasonably quick too. Only problem was reliability, every month there was a new problem. EGR cooler leaking, various sensors failing, turbo pipes splitting. Reliability was a big issue. In the end the engine had oil pressure issues when you first started it up in the morning (no other time, only when it had been sitting all night and all the oil was in the sump). Ended up trading it in quickly for a Mondeo before the engine failed completely!
It's true no one notices these but I got a 2009 insignia that's been really well looked after and every one who gets in it always compliments on what a nice car it is.
I’ve had my 2014 1.4T insignia now for 4 years. It had an issue with a leaking expansion bottle and a blocked valve in the cam cover but other than that it’s been great. I like the practicality of a spacious hatchback that can eat through miles especially when I’ve taken it abroad to France, Belgium and Spain. And it fits in my garage. Don’t want to go to a ‘lifestyle’ SUV would much rather have a mid sized hatchback.
Nail on the head with your description 😁 I do own a 2010 cdti went for the vx line in white. It's a little bit nice to look at does all the family man jobs perfect and 1000 miles from 1 tank of diesel is often and easily done. Has 78k on the clock with full main dealer history and has been trouble free motoring. It dosent set your pants on fire it's just.....nice lol. I do wish I went for the facelift elite now though just for a few more modern toys but it fits the family in does the tip runs and enough poke to keep some 320ds in check. Nice colour that one you have. Stay safe bud
I've had two...a '12 plate 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo Elite Tourer Auto with 100k miles on the clock bought at 6 years old and a 16 plate 1.6 CDTi SRI with only 6.5k miles bought at a year old. Both were very refined, and handled far better than I expected them to, they also had robust, rattle free interiors. The BiTurbo at just under 200hp plus loads of torque went pretty well, and had some interesting kit like 3 stage adaptive dampers (flex ride), adaptive forward lighting (swivelling headlamps), an electric tailgate, 20" alloys etc. Got rid of it when in cold weather I occasionally got a stop engine oil pressure low message which scared me!! Big negative was it struggled to get much more than 33mpg regularly. The SRi was a far lower spec but did have Bose speakers (which I thought never went loud enough but was probably the head unit) actually handled better than the Elite though I guess down to less weight, maybe the SRI suspension set up. The 1.6 CDTi I found reasonable but needing some additional punch so had it remapped from 136ps to around 160-165ish. Fuel economy was an OK 43mpg ish but would've liked more. This car had too many problems...the multi function display kept flickering and freezing and had to be replaced, the clutch started slipping at about 10k so was replaced under warranty, it needed a new egr valve again under warranty and a new battery under warranty due to cold start problems. All disappointing for a car at about 18 months old when all that happened!! So the Insignia....comfy, refined, handles better than you think, available with some cool options, good value for what you get, built well but not as economical as you'd expect and not too reliable! In my experience 😀
I had a few times an Insignia as a hire car. All the time the 2.0 CDTI with 160hp. It was quick, comfortable and economical and it is definitely a car I would buy. A friend of mine has the estate and clocked already down 350.000mls in it - it's a 2010, he got it as company car and then bought it off after the 5 years lease. The car gets serviced regularly and still looks and drives like new; drove it a few weeks ago. But maybe he's not the best person to point out here as he is an Opel fanboy; owning a Opel Calibra 4x4 Turbo
I have the vauxhall insignia 2.0 cdti sports tourer, I love it. The only problem with them is the turbo lag and lack of torque/power when needed. I had mine remapped from 138 bhp - 196bhp but you still don't get the 'oomph' when needed on motorways. It's a really reliable car and the only reliability issue I have had in 3 years is 1 glowplug go which was covered on the warranty. Apart from that it's been a great car.
I love mine. 2.0cdti gets 65mpg on the motorway and carrys the kids about in acres of space. I'd deffo get the brand new model, the new estates look spot on.
Better be quick then, they've just announced they're ditching estate production. www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/new-cars/2020-04/updated-vauxhall-insignia-faces-gbp3000-price-hike/
Yes, I was considering buying a big petrol engined estate - first up the Insignia, but they don't make them anymore. Then I thought maybe a Mondeo estate, but you can't buy them with petrol engines - only diesel or hybrid. Then an Avensis, but they don't make them now either. Then I thought about a Mazda 6, but you can't get them without privacy glass (which I hate). C-class, 3 series, Avant, Passat, all too expensive. Optima and i40 only available as deisels - I suppose I'm left with Skoda.
I work on a yard which takes part ex's etc and whenever ANY vauxhall of this era comes in, there is always something very obviously wrong with them. Blown exhausts, gearbox problems, loud knocks, destroyed trim, immobiliser issues. Imho these cars are junk, and people don't look after them. It's strange because when you first sit in them, they feel way more upmarket than you'd expect, but underneath the surface, they are crap. It feels like Vauxhall are masters of making something feel way higher quality than it actually is underneath. Which is a shame because the insignia is a reasonably nice design inside and out, for the price point.
I keep thinking of Ricky Gervais and his song "life on the road" when i watch this. And with your presenting of the car, it might have been David Brent doing this video 🙂
Onto my second insignia totally love these cars the one I have is the bi turbo loves to laugh at bmw and Audi i have never had one bit of bother with mine 😉
Gary Coussons I no what you mean I have 2.0cdti 160bhp when I am on the motorway 4/5gear it pulls like crazy I have chased off numerous cars that are newer and probably more powerful 👍👍 to the insigna
What a load of BS. Even my old E91 320d touring would destroy a diesel Insignia, especially on twisty country roads. There is no comparison, the BMW driver is laughing at you, because he is sitting in something with much better seats, much better driving position, much better quality interior, and driving a car which actually handles corners very well. You are rattling along in your shitbox, wobbling around corners, waiting for the next thing to go wrong, which will write your car off because it's not worth enough to warrant fixing.
@@DjNikGnashers total bollo! I have a 2016 vx line Ltd edition, everything in it and remapped, leaves 320/520, A6 for dead so your talking pure dirt there 😂
Exactly this car's been doing my head in what pile of shit. Issues 1. Intercooler hose pipe. 2.power steering pipe. 3 reconditioned gear box m32 4.sticking rear brakes due to a bad design 5. Dpf isues in winter if you do short journey. Keep taking mine for a motorway 20mile run every now and then. 6 Cd got stuck in the player never came out. I am definitely not getting another one stay well clear from Vauxhalls 🙄🤮
@@Ant-jh3tn had a few vauxhalls over the years never let me down once! Had 3 fords a focus and a mondeo biggest pieces of sbit I've ever had , steering was good though and handled well . But everything else was terrible electrical , bits falling off not starting ,heaters packing up ( on all 3) and those stupid bonnet catches broke on all 3 to . Would take a vauxhall over a Ford every single time .
I'm still driving one (My 2011, CDTI 2.0, 160 hp) and had lots of repairs with the steering gear beeing the most spectacular one. But the rest wasn't too bad with respect to time and cost. But you should definitely have the gasket between oil-pump and the collecting-tube in the sump exchanged every 150.000 km or ten years. It may go unnoticed for many more years and kill the crank-bearings the next day. And if it doesnt fail completely unsufficient lubrication may lead to high wear in the cylinders and increasing blowby aso. Just have it changed. And also have the oil-pump and oil-pressure switch exchanged once the sump is removed. I love driving this car and in fact the whole family does so it is well worth the effort of keeping it in good shape.
My first car was an Opel Kaddett (don't know the British equivalent) and I liked it :-). Opel/Vauxhall lost its way the last 20 years or so. Still, seeing this Insignia, it could be worse
Had astra from 2005 1.7 cdti , lovely car all rounder some minor problems but other than that sweet to drive and on fuel.. For me they lost the way after 2010..
Another informative, useful review. The insights of someone who buys and sells cars are definitely useful. It's the thing magazines don't/can't do and while Honest John does collate that stuff, it depends a lot on how popular the car is. One thing that would be interesting is why you'd pick the Passat over the Insignia (or any given car over it's competitors) because if you're looking at one car you're probably cross shopping it with other stuff.
Had 2 both petrol and a 2.0 cdti and both blew head gaskets at 88k and 98k worst engines there is had a vectra for years and never skipped a beat either but these are shockingly bad engines
I have a 64 plate Insignia elite 2.0 CDTI. The one with the free road tax. Had it for 2 years and put 40 k on its clock. No issues with it and all I've done is service it every 10k. Has all the bells and whistles that you could shake a stick at. It's even being every so slightly tweaked putting down 190bhp. Certainly a good feeling leaving a Audi behind in my o so boring insignia :)
I remember the days of the cavalier and the carlton they were good looking cars. Have to say that the Insignia is for people who don't care what they are driving, they just want a dependable car to take them from a to b. Looking forward to the review on the fence! 😊👍Take care.
I’ve had two as company cars both diesels but unfortunately I don’t agree they are uncomfortable on long journeys, the most unreliable sat nav I’ve ever come across. My first one did 75k and my current one 112k had a new turbo at 73k and a clutch at 106k, economical for a diesel 60 mpg would I buy one no!
Nice car caught my eye in a previous video...nice colour stands out a bit to me...the only thing i find with them is that they are good looking car but they are so common they disappear in to the back round on a street you all most expect one to be parked outside a shop etc.you have to buy a high spec and colour to stand out.
I had 1 of these as a company car for 3 years (2010) and there were 45 in our company fleet, they were comfy to drive, looked nice and had all the options a salesman would need but always had problems and my colleagues reported the same. I now have a company Astra and they have the same issues. My Astra has spent total 10 weeks in garage having repairs done in the last 2 years.
I had a 63 reg Insignia as a company car at my last job. I was a mobile engineer and I really cannot think of anything wrong with it. It just worked all the time and never missed a beat.
I see the firsts models had some problems, they've been fixed over the years. Apparently the CDTI engine is not so good, but not to bad neither so just need to be aware that depending of year and model you need to be ready to fix some issues.
"You don't usually see green cars nowadays. Everything's usually black or various shades of grey." You're right, and it's surprising to me that this change has gone totally unremarked upon. I remember when even Jaguars could be ordered in colours like limeflower green (interiors too!). Now it's black (or dark grey) or nothing.
I have 2 Vectras, still, and on e is 16 years old and love it. getting old now, so looking at a Skoda Octiva, though the Vectra is far bigger than the Insignia. Both cars do what they are supposed to .
That’s a great review. Got a 66 Reg, 1.6l diesel, and yes it’s not the most sexy car on the road. But for MPG, reliability, practicality and standard kit it has been fantastic. I have put on almost 80,000 miles in 2 and half years and it’s never missed a beat and drives as well, if not better than the day I bought it. Tax, and servicing costs are also cheap. Mind you I bought it for 13k and will be lucky to get 6k for it now, but as I intend to keep running it for at least another 12 months who cares. My only criticism is that the SRi ride is a bit firm so not as comfortable as I would have ideally liked, but certainly not a big issue. Really can’t fault it, but I have probably just jinxed it.
I am in a country in Southern Hemisphere in south east asia. They used to assemble Opel Vectra from 1992-1995. If I can recall correctly, that color is called “Neptune Turqoiuse”. If I’m right, I am amazed they still have this color!! Great video!
I remember heading to the car auctions with a mate who had diesel insignia in for stock. The choice was either take my trusty old 406 or his insignia. I wanted to take the 406 so jokingly said that insignia will just seize on the way there. Car mechanics magazine had a project insignia which had suffered oil starvation due to an issue with the oil pickup o ring seal going bad amongst a sleuth of other expensive issues, the oil pickup issue was also one that had already happened to an insignia my uncle had. Needless to say i may have tempted fate that night as the insignia seized its engine whilst overtaking another car. Given most of the diesels are fiat derived ive always been a bit wary of them.
That's true, I'm in ireland, recently two of these came up for sale not far from me 2010 and 2012 one with seized engine and the other engine trouble both 500 euro each
Had a 52 plate vectra petrol 1.8 bought at 12 months old with 8000 miles. Ran it up to 120000 with nothing more than cheap servicing at the dealer and tyres etc. It allowed me to save enough money to buy the beemer I really wanted when time to part ex.
Thank you for the review. I need a car to commute in motorway traffic from home to work. I have a small budget, and an Insignia has been a consideration. Thanks for your honesty!
@@lildrum78 I'm an ex vehicle technician, replaced plenty of broken gearboxes, engines and fixed weird electrical issues on these. All on cars mostly with good history and regularly serviced. So pretty inexcusable from the manufacturer really. Just poor mechanical build quality.
I own a 2015 Insignia SRI 2.0 cdti. Very good car, very happy with it. Spent a lot of time driving these over the years so buying one was a no brainer.
Very good car. Nice to drive. You feel that if you decide you wanted to drive from Manchester to Barcelona then you would get there no problem. I love mine well worth the money
Now that Vauxhall is owned by PSA, I imagine future Vauxhall owners looking back on the Insignia as the last decent car the brand built. Just wait for the build quality to plummet, interiors to melt in the sun, and the electrics to fail on a weekly basis.
Had a Vectra once was a limited addition model the 'Artic' aircon, tinted glass alloys quite liked it, just a good steady motor, no fuss no drama, sometimes "less is more"..........another cracking no nonsense review 👍👍
On the road the Insignia is not a bad car, easy to drive with predictable cornering and lots of front-end grip. Post-2013 cars benefit from suspension upgrades and improvements in body control in the corners, but the Insignia still lacks the reward and fun of the Ford Mondeo and Skoda Octavia.
Not the insignia but the Vectra 1.9sri cdti estate, I had it for 9 years and it was a good workhorse very spacious and I preferred it to the insignia, I got 55 mpg plus on the motorway and 38 plus in town and the wife loved it as it was quick and in the dry ok cornering but in the wet not so good, but as it’s a GM it was certainly starting to cost money to keep it on the road so it had to go, it’s still on the road
Late Vectras starting too look quite well designed,tend to find that with Vauxhall’s when they’re launched they look shit but grow older gracefully....so many buttons just thrown at the dash hoping to stick....
Ive had 3 diesel Insignias and each one has been better than the last. My current one is The Elite with leather upholstery, Automatic and great alloys. Troublefree motoring, spacious reliable, i cant say enough about them, but for me great value and a good car.
Good video, it says it all that you didn't show this car being driven. It says everything about Vauxhalls past and present, including the Belmont that I owned. Thank you.
I have sold two both low spec but sub £2500 its dull to drive but for a growing family on a budget it makes sense I would still have it over something French and cheap
The 1.8 engine in this car is only good when travelling empty. Put a load or passengers and fuel economy drops and as the car as little low down torque it needs a lot of patience. Put the 2 litre diesel - especially 160 bhp versions and they fly and only need small throttle openings to keep up with traffic.
I own Insignia Sports Tourer 2016 redesign with 8' inch display - android auto. It looks amazing - inside - out. Never had any problems with her. Regular oil change and service. I changed timing belt this year just because I got discount on it. She has 95 000 km now.
My first company car was a Vauxhall Cavalier. I liked it, but I had only unreliable bangers to compare it against! I had an Insignia recently as an insurance courtesy car, it was very good. Better to drive than to look at.
This car is porridge with no honey. It’s a ham sandwich. It’s your year eight maths text book. Do please replace the oil pump seal before your bottom end is shredded (£350 inc VAT). Apart from this: if you need "a car" to get you ~25-50 miles in any direction at 50mph or greater in 45-50mpg economy and comfort AND you only have 3-4k to spend. This is the one you want. Embrace the beige.
I hired one a few years ago, it was the first car I had driven with an electronic handbrake. I could not get off the forecourt, it kept stalling! I would lift the clutch and thud! It would stall! This happened about 4 times! The hire rep came out and showed me how to take off! Give it a bit of 'welly!' Off we went! It was a nice car to drive and to look at, and with it's 6th gear you had to keep your eye on the speedo!!! So, yes! I liked it!
I remember (see, people DO remember this car!) renting a 2L petrol Insignia many years ago, lovely car to drive and I thought handsome to boot. Nice bit of oomph when you put the foot down, as comfortable as a pair of old jeans to be in.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I like the sloping lines and curves. It does have a touch of the "sales rep" about it, cos it is a sales rep motorway muncher but it is also a great family car. I actually prefer the look of this to the many "crossover" SUV boxes on the road; given the choice I'd have this "traditional" family car all day long. Not for the first time after watching the review I felt compelled to check out a few for sale on the internet. Brilliant value for money, you can buy one that is practically new, incredibly well specced with impressive performance for less than £17K (Autotrader; 2019, 0-60 8.4s, tax £145, insurance group 17E, less than 3000 miles on the clock. Christ, what do you want??). I like 'em.
I had an insignia in 2013, it was memorable, never let me down. Loved it
you had the stock speakers ? how was the sound?
Every time I’m about to have a crisis over lockdown, HPA delivers the goods and restores the serenity in my life....beautiful stuff!
Went for a road trip in a 2015 one when it was new, have to say was actually impressed it with it! Spacious and comfortable. And your right the facelifted interior felt quality
I'm glad you didn't go the Jeremy Clarkson "bash-all-Vauxhaulls" route, because the Insignia deserves better than that. It's a good-looking, reasonably reliable, cheap and practical car. The pick of the bunch has got to be the 2.0l diesel estate.
Lol, you need help. They are awful cars.
@@stephenpeacock2627 If you don't like good looking, economical, reliable and quick cars maybe you're the one who needs help. Mine have lasted well over 100,000 miles with no major issues which I think takes them out of the "awful" category.
That will be the Fiat bits that made it last so well .
Think this is one of vauxhalls best efforts to date of recent times. Yes its a heavy big barge with drearyish engines if you are in the 140bhp ballpark of diesels think there was one with 168 ish it could be passable as a family car with acceptable midrange shove for those on a budget secondhand. Handsome thing the 5 door too as you hardly see the saloon variant. Even the interior had some sort of effort go into it and was reasonably made for the day if you compare it to wverything else excluding the passat. Made the mondeos, the non titaniums of the time the 07 shape on look awful inside and out even if they drove better. The new version of this is ghastly to look at especially with the rear wiper afterthought. It is just forgettable not handsome like this was. I run an astra k as a second car so have a bit of a vauxhall soft spot now I guess.
Stephen Peacock They’re good cars for people who don’t care about cars
I've had mine for 3 years from new, never missed a beat. Fast enough (2.0 diesel), comfortable and economical. A+, will keep it for years to come.
Darren Owen is it the one with the fiat engine ?
170?
I’ve got a 2016 2.0cdti 170...best car I’ve ever owned so far.
170hp model, sorry for the delay
I had an Insignia for 4 years, put over 50k miles on it and it never let me down.
Not exciting by any means but it was great value for money and I would buy another one without question.
Green Mills I wanted something a bit more entertaining again, so bought an Astra VXR.
Unfortunately, while it’s quicker and nicer to look at, I do miss the Insignia for its practicality and low running costs.
Did you have a manual or automatic?
@@parmeshmatharoo344 Mine was a manual.
I’ve had a 2012 for the last three years. Now has 134k on the clock and I’ve not had a single problem. 2.0l diesel eco flex. £30 a year tax. Reasonably quick and no problem getting 50+ MPG. Great, cheap family car. I honestly believe it’ll keep going for years.
I hope so. Ive just bought a 14 plate.
Any update? Thinking of buying one now, looking at the 2014-2016.
I had a 14 plate SRI model before but kept having issues with DPF, always went into limp mode where you can't do speeds over 30 mph. I was now considering the newer shape vauxhall insignia grand sport but was wondering if the DPF issue is sorted in these newer models.
@@OO7_OO7dont buy a diesel if you're not driving it fast and for over 10miles at a time. If you are in city traffic then modern diesel don't like it.
@@pictlandpickers1171i agree. The DPFs arent a problem as they regenrate on longer journeys.
Enjoyed Thank you. I had a Vectra SRI Diesel for about 3 years. It never let me down, enjoyable to drive and I went everywhere in it. My dad at the time lived on the Isle of Lewis and my mother lives in Devon. I'll not forget mine. Cheers
I had 2 Insignias in the past a 2009 2.0T saloon and a 2011 2.0 cdti sports tourer. Both were great cars but you should be aware of some crucial issues when looking to buy them.
The diesels are prone to the oil pickup seal hardening in the sump and there are numerous reports of them failing with time and causing the engine to then stop pumping oil properly which eventually causes bottom end failure. If you're buying a car over 100k miles or 6 years old I'd seriously consider having that seal done. Its a pricey job as the gear box has to be removed or modified to allow access to a sump bolt but there are garages who offer the work circa £300 last time I checked.
On the 2.0T petrol engines the timing chains should not be considered for life, the tensioners can become brittle and snap causing eventual chain failure or the chains can stretch. The engines are great and pull very well but consider a timing chain replacement at 100k onwards.
Generally speaking if you buy a car 4 years or younger with sub 50k then expect 50k/3-5 years of fairly trouble free miles then look to move on before the trouble starts (EGR, DPF, clutches, cambelts/chains, gearbox servicing). If you can do the work yourself though then they're cheap cars to maintain.
“You and your boxes of toner will be safe” haha brilliant.
he has a great subtle sense of humor
*"Nobody remembers Vauxhall Vectra"* - Says every single car guy on RUclips. *Vauxhall Vectra is more well-known than Bugatti Veyron thanks to you guys now!*
And a bloody sight more reliable.
@@blogtodeath4736 damn sure. my 2004 88kw 1.9 diesel estate vectra is hitting 330k km in odometer. and still pretty sure will last for bloody years to come.
I had a vectra can’t say anything wrong about it
@@royboy4743 same here. Have had a few. Even have one now which is a second car. Had it 10 years and its never let me down. Super reliable 1.8 petrol
@@fuckthis81 Agreed. My dad had one, put 150k miles on it and sold it, still running and in good working condition for £500.
Cars like the Vectra need to be appreciated for what they are.
Talking about understeer or 0-60 times is irrelevant for 99% of owners.
“Can’t think of anything to say about it... It’s a saloon car”... Well, Matt, it’s actually a hatchback 😂
@@BeHappy-n5c sport back stop making up words
@@arthuritchybollix5064 It's technically called a liftback, and it goes back to like the 1940s. Sportback is Audi's gimmicky word for it. Same way they call "quattro" to the AWD system loads of other manufacturers use too.
Mine is a 2.0lt diesel Elite (with ridiculous options, inc. a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, cream leather, all the stuff). I've had it for about 4 years and it's a 2015 car. *Zero issues with it at all* but I've only put 50k miles on it. For a car of it's type and size I'm always shocked at how good the handling is, and I throw it about in quite a spirited manner when I'm in the mood. Feedback through the steering is surprisingly good and it's never caught me out.
Also, if you drive at 62 mph, you can get 50 mpg on the motorway.
I've got a 64 plate 1.4 Turbo petrol and had it for 5 years it's good on fuel and good performance too and will keep it for another 5 years, I've had two BMW's and they weren't great, with electrical problems amongst other issues too, I'd definitely have another one, I'm glad you didn't slate it cos they're good cars.
Still going? (thinking of buying one)
I bought one a few years ago as a stop gap really. It’s been faultless so far and I haven’t felt the need to get rid of it yet like I was never intending. It’s superb on long drives, very comfortable and very good on fuel. And in spite of the badge they look half decent as well. It does everything well really. I’ll run this one until it dies I think as it’s been cheap motoring so far. Maybe I was just lucky for once
Pass!! Had an Opel Senator 3.0L petrol with a digital instrument panel (80's). What a great car that was. 100,000 trouble free miles and brilliantly comfortable.
I had one as a company car & it was great. I had it when they could still b bought new & they were classes as very desirable. It never let me down & was extremely comfortable
I’ve just bought a 14 plate insignia 2.0 CDTi SRi VX line. 40k miles, heated leather seats, sat nav, reversing camera, etc... Cost just shy of 8K. Would love to see a review of one of these models, slightly sportier look, quicker 160bhp engine
I used to have one of these as a company car...……..I don't remember anything special or positive or negative about it other than you could "ride it like you stole it". It was a bit like a tool to be honest, neither liked it or loathed it, got me where I needed to be but didn't get my blood pumping.
Keep them coming, I smile when I get notification of a new post, look forward to logging on whilst the Mrs watches her "soaps"
My friend bought one of similar year to yours couple years ago, except for that it was an ex-merseyside police car with 160,000 miles in white. It had full dealer service history, and it had new turbos (it was a twin turbo diesel), the clutch/flywheel replaced, and also a bunch of other smaller stuff done in the last 20k miles. It's a surprisingly quiet and comfortable car for £3000 to be honest, and it hasn't needed any major repairs. Though, it wasn't a particularly well spec'd car though it did have navigation.
I currently own a 1.6 diesel elite estate,manual. The car does what it says on the tin basically. It won’t win style awards and won’t set your hair on fire but it’s an all round good car. That’s my opinion obviously. It’s got sat nav,climate,heated seats. If anyone is looking to buy one then I’d say go for the 2 ltr automatic. The 1.6 is ok but lacks a bit of go for overtaking. But depends what kind of a driver you are.
Had one it was 1.9d it had done 225 Thousand by time I sold it was a very reliable car
kieren mooney you mean 2.0 tdi,130 or 160. The vectra had the 1.9 tdi,120 or 150 bhp.
Kristian Spencer The insignia was sold in 1.9CDTI form as well, although pre facelift I think👍🏽
Kristian Spencer no it was actually the 1.9cdti 2011
Answer is yes especially if you like either catching fire or seized engines then it’s the car for you
Yea, put Yr bread into an A4, way better.
Where can i get one lol
Cheers bud.... i was actually thinking of buying one of those.
Kobain The A20DTH engine is dirt which is a shame because they’re a nice car to drive and be in
Good engine once the oil pickup mod is done they are bulletproof, what's better bmw? They shit timing chains for a past time or if your lucky enough to have a older one with a m57 it'll be so rotten you can climb through the rust holes..
This was sold in the US as the Buick Regal. I think it may be one of the first General Motors cars designed under the leadership of Ed Welburn, one of my favorite designers of the last 10-15 years.
I drove a diesel Insignia my last time in the UK. Driving mostly A and B roads (I hate the motorways - boring), we averaged a pretty unbelievable 55mpg.
Almost all four banger European cars will get 55mpg and more. Don’t forget American gallons are smaller than UK gallons. This means your comparison of mpg across the Atlantic is skewed.
@@rollovaughan Yes, I know. It converts to about 45 US MPG, which is still pretty good. Don't forget that we don't have many diesels here in the US, so a car that averages 45 MPG in mixed use is still pretty unbelievable.
I will add, however, that my wife has a plug in hybrid Ford Fusion, and is currently averaging about 190 mpg.
Cheers mate, since 2002 went from Astra to Vectra, loved my Vectra... got to insignia and besides an issue with the torque converter nothing else really, now servicing her myself since garages are shut...
My dad used to have an 2009 (09-plate) Insignia Sports Tourer CDTi, and because it was the Elite Nav specification, it had all the bells & whistles - dual zone climate control, heated leather seats, powered tailgate, colour sat nav, the lot! He had it from March 2012 until May 2014.
Had 2 Estates. Both 2 litre diesels one automatic and one manual. Nothing wrong with them. Traded last one in for a year old Superb. Wish I hadn’t.
i think the insignia is a very nice alternative to a 3 series or audi a4. especially if you go for a 4x4 model or opc line with over 200hp for both diesel and petrol engines. i also like that it offers heated and ventilated seats - it adds to a certain premium feel without the car being super expensive, i kinda like that alot.
they compare it with 5 serie and e class
I've had one for five years and I used to work at Vauxhall. Its amusing how he is showing off the basic version of the Insignia. Forget the petrol versions (aside from the V6) and just go with the Diesel Sri CDTi.
This is the only Insignia I had at the time. It wasn't a case of me choosing the worst spec I could fin
Great review! I have Opel insignia 2009 and i haven’t got any problem with it. It’s running perfectly. It’s fast
just bought a Opel insignia 2009
These are really nice drives, tge estates are even better.
Whats really nice about these is that you can get them in a really good spec for the cost of higher badged standard spec'd cars.
Really good bang for buck
Lovely Jubbly, looks are still modern, and the new one is also stylish, having said that, I'm not a Vauxhall fan having previously owned a Astra J.
I have had 7 Vectras and loved every one of them.
7 wow ,they should give u an award 😀
I love the shape of the insignia estate (touring) but it's like a reverse TARDIS.
It's big on the outside,but seems small on the inside (for it's outside size)
And what's with those weird lights inside the boot?
@@chrisredfield3240
And that just shows how much interior space is taken up by the shape and design.
A review I just read stated the Insignia estate only has a measly 65 litres of space over the saloon, if true then it's hardly worth it 😬
I hired a new turbo diesel face-lift model for a month when I went back to the UK in 2016. Was actually not a bad car. Fitted the 4 of us in and all our luggage from the airport and I drove all over Southern England. Fuel economy was superb, the interior was nice, built in sat nav worked very well and overall was a comfortable car. Don't know if I'd own one if I was back there but I wouldn't knock it at all.
Another straight to the point review Matt (eventually lol). I remember when Clarkson reviewed a Vectra on Top Gear, all he could think of to mention was something about the filler cap cover (Vauxhall were not happy bunnies). This may sound stupid, but sometimes when I see an Insignia at first glance, I often confuse it with a Mercedes believe it or not (I've already been to Specsavers)
Whatever Clarkson says is crap- buy it . It will probably be a very good car!!
vectra is a brilliant car
Had one for 3 days, a 2012 model. No issues apart from brakes used to get constant niggles.
I had a diesel Insignia Elite, and it was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned. Lots of toys and reasonably quick too. Only problem was reliability, every month there was a new problem. EGR cooler leaking, various sensors failing, turbo pipes splitting. Reliability was a big issue. In the end the engine had oil pressure issues when you first started it up in the morning (no other time, only when it had been sitting all night and all the oil was in the sump). Ended up trading it in quickly for a Mondeo before the engine failed completely!
@Dumitru Preguza 2.0 turbo diesel
What year and what engine ?
@Fred eric 2011. 2.0 Diesel. I believe it was a Fiat engine, although not 100% on that.
It's true no one notices these but I got a 2009 insignia that's been really well looked after and every one who gets in it always compliments on what a nice car it is.
Like everything there is good and bad '
To me it looks like ' an honest car and you summed it up quite well as an all rounder !
Regards
I’ve had my 2014 1.4T insignia now for 4 years. It had an issue with a leaking expansion bottle and a blocked valve in the cam cover but other than that it’s been great. I like the practicality of a spacious hatchback that can eat through miles especially when I’ve taken it abroad to France, Belgium and Spain.
And it fits in my garage.
Don’t want to go to a ‘lifestyle’ SUV would much rather have a mid sized hatchback.
I had one of these, it was big, black and worthless. Kept jumping out of auto so had to drive it manually. Traded it as soon as I could
Certainly a nice interior and looks good to be honest. Keep up the good work, your doing a good job in keeping us all going.
Nail on the head with your description 😁 I do own a 2010 cdti went for the vx line in white. It's a little bit nice to look at does all the family man jobs perfect and 1000 miles from 1 tank of diesel is often and easily done. Has 78k on the clock with full main dealer history and has been trouble free motoring. It dosent set your pants on fire it's just.....nice lol. I do wish I went for the facelift elite now though just for a few more modern toys but it fits the family in does the tip runs and enough poke to keep some 320ds in check. Nice colour that one you have. Stay safe bud
I've had two...a '12 plate 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo Elite Tourer Auto with 100k miles on the clock bought at 6 years old and a 16 plate 1.6 CDTi SRI with only 6.5k miles bought at a year old. Both were very refined, and handled far better than I expected them to, they also had robust, rattle free interiors. The BiTurbo at just under 200hp plus loads of torque went pretty well, and had some interesting kit like 3 stage adaptive dampers (flex ride), adaptive forward lighting (swivelling headlamps), an electric tailgate, 20" alloys etc. Got rid of it when in cold weather I occasionally got a stop engine oil pressure low message which scared me!! Big negative was it struggled to get much more than 33mpg regularly. The SRi was a far lower spec but did have Bose speakers (which I thought never went loud enough but was probably the head unit) actually handled better than the Elite though I guess down to less weight, maybe the SRI suspension set up. The 1.6 CDTi I found reasonable but needing some additional punch so had it remapped from 136ps to around 160-165ish. Fuel economy was an OK 43mpg ish but would've liked more. This car had too many problems...the multi function display kept flickering and freezing and had to be replaced, the clutch started slipping at about 10k so was replaced under warranty, it needed a new egr valve again under warranty and a new battery under warranty due to cold start problems. All disappointing for a car at about 18 months old when all that happened!! So the Insignia....comfy, refined, handles better than you think, available with some cool options, good value for what you get, built well but not as economical as you'd expect and not too reliable! In my experience 😀
I had a few times an Insignia as a hire car. All the time the 2.0 CDTI with 160hp.
It was quick, comfortable and economical and it is definitely a car I would buy.
A friend of mine has the estate and clocked already down 350.000mls in it - it's a 2010, he got it as company car and then bought it off after the 5 years lease.
The car gets serviced regularly and still looks and drives like new; drove it a few weeks ago.
But maybe he's not the best person to point out here as he is an Opel fanboy; owning a Opel Calibra 4x4 Turbo
I have the vauxhall insignia 2.0 cdti sports tourer, I love it. The only problem with them is the turbo lag and lack of torque/power when needed. I had mine remapped from 138 bhp - 196bhp but you still don't get the 'oomph' when needed on motorways. It's a really reliable car and the only reliability issue I have had in 3 years is 1 glowplug go which was covered on the warranty. Apart from that it's been a great car.
can't judge the reliability of a car if it's still under garanty. Need at least 10 years and over 150 000km.
I love mine. 2.0cdti gets 65mpg on the motorway and carrys the kids about in acres of space. I'd deffo get the brand new model, the new estates look spot on.
Better be quick then, they've just announced they're ditching estate production.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/new-cars/2020-04/updated-vauxhall-insignia-faces-gbp3000-price-hike/
Yes, I was considering buying a big petrol engined estate - first up the Insignia, but they don't make them anymore. Then I thought maybe a Mondeo estate, but you can't buy them with petrol engines - only diesel or hybrid. Then an Avensis, but they don't make them now either. Then I thought about a Mazda 6, but you can't get them without privacy glass (which I hate). C-class, 3 series, Avant, Passat, all too expensive. Optima and i40 only available as deisels - I suppose I'm left with Skoda.
@@rafflesnh second hand gsi sports tourer do me fine
That's really interesZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I work on a yard which takes part ex's etc and whenever ANY vauxhall of this era comes in, there is always something very obviously wrong with them. Blown exhausts, gearbox problems, loud knocks, destroyed trim, immobiliser issues. Imho these cars are junk, and people don't look after them. It's strange because when you first sit in them, they feel way more upmarket than you'd expect, but underneath the surface, they are crap. It feels like Vauxhall are masters of making something feel way higher quality than it actually is underneath. Which is a shame because the insignia is a reasonably nice design inside and out, for the price point.
I keep thinking of Ricky Gervais and his song "life on the road" when i watch this. And with your presenting of the car, it might have been David Brent doing this video 🙂
I;ve had mine for 6 years. Best car video you've ever done or will ever do...
Onto my second insignia totally love these cars the one I have is the bi turbo loves to laugh at bmw and Audi i have never had one bit of bother with mine 😉
Gary Coussons VXR?
Gary Coussons I no what you mean I have 2.0cdti 160bhp when I am on the motorway 4/5gear it pulls like crazy I have chased off numerous cars that are newer and probably more powerful 👍👍 to the insigna
Behave yourself what bmw does it laugh at ? The one that’s broken down at the road side 🤣🤣🤣
What a load of BS.
Even my old E91 320d touring would destroy a diesel Insignia, especially on twisty country roads. There is no comparison, the BMW driver is laughing at you, because he is sitting in something with much better seats, much better driving position, much better quality interior, and driving a car which actually handles corners very well.
You are rattling along in your shitbox, wobbling around corners, waiting for the next thing to go wrong, which will write your car off because it's not worth enough to warrant fixing.
@@DjNikGnashers total bollo!
I have a 2016 vx line Ltd edition, everything in it and remapped, leaves 320/520, A6 for dead so your talking pure dirt there 😂
My friend bought one & has spent more money on It than he's spent on the wife.
This is very true haha
@@DanRobbo86 your cars got more rattles than the Inside of a "Methadone Clinic"
😂
Exactly this car's been doing my head in what pile of shit.
Issues
1. Intercooler hose pipe.
2.power steering pipe.
3 reconditioned gear box m32
4.sticking rear brakes due to a bad design
5. Dpf isues in winter if you do short journey. Keep taking mine for a motorway 20mile run every now and then.
6 Cd got stuck in the player never came out.
I am definitely not getting another one stay well clear from Vauxhalls
🙄🤮
@@Ant-jh3tn had a few vauxhalls over the years never let me down once! Had 3 fords a focus and a mondeo biggest pieces of sbit I've ever had , steering was good though and handled well . But everything else was terrible electrical , bits falling off not starting ,heaters packing up ( on all 3) and those stupid bonnet catches broke on all 3 to . Would take a vauxhall over a Ford every single time .
I'm still driving one (My 2011, CDTI 2.0, 160 hp) and had lots of repairs with the steering gear beeing the most spectacular one. But the rest wasn't too bad with respect to time and cost. But you should definitely have the gasket between oil-pump and the collecting-tube in the sump exchanged every 150.000 km or ten years. It may go unnoticed for many more years and kill the crank-bearings the next day. And if it doesnt fail completely unsufficient lubrication may lead to high wear in the cylinders and increasing blowby aso. Just have it changed. And also have the oil-pump and oil-pressure switch exchanged once the sump is removed. I love driving this car and in fact the whole family does so it is well worth the effort of keeping it in good shape.
My first car was an Opel Kaddett (don't know the British equivalent) and I liked it :-). Opel/Vauxhall lost its way the last 20 years or so. Still, seeing this Insignia, it could be worse
Depending on when you got it. The equivalent was either the Vauxhall Chevette or Astra.
Oliver
Had astra from 2005 1.7 cdti , lovely car all rounder some minor problems but other than that sweet to drive and on fuel.. For me they lost the way after 2010..
www.autoblog.nl/nieuws/koop-een-35-jaar-oude-opel-kadett-met-nog-geen-1000-km-68055 like this one
Another informative, useful review. The insights of someone who buys and sells cars are definitely useful. It's the thing magazines don't/can't do and while Honest John does collate that stuff, it depends a lot on how popular the car is. One thing that would be interesting is why you'd pick the Passat over the Insignia (or any given car over it's competitors) because if you're looking at one car you're probably cross shopping it with other stuff.
Bought a 2.0 CDTi in 2014 and I’ve done 86k miles at an average of 50 mpg with no faults and I pay £2.67 tax per month. What’s not to like?
Had 2 both petrol and a 2.0 cdti and both blew head gaskets at 88k and 98k worst engines there is had a vectra for years and never skipped a beat either but these are shockingly bad engines
I have a 64 plate Insignia elite 2.0 CDTI. The one with the free road tax. Had it for 2 years and put 40 k on its clock. No issues with it and all I've done is service it every 10k. Has all the bells and whistles that you could shake a stick at. It's even being every so slightly tweaked putting down 190bhp. Certainly a good feeling leaving a Audi behind in my o so boring insignia :)
No Citroen C5 2008-2017 yet :/ . Excellent video, got me interested in the car, even tho I've never really liked Opel. Cheers
I remember the days of the cavalier and the carlton they were good looking cars. Have to say that the Insignia is for people who don't care what they are driving, they just want a dependable car to take them from a to b. Looking forward to the review on the fence! 😊👍Take care.
I miss my j plate cav Sri a well screwed together car
I’ve had two as company cars both diesels but unfortunately I don’t agree they are uncomfortable on long journeys, the most unreliable sat nav I’ve ever come across. My first one did 75k and my current one 112k had a new turbo at 73k and a clutch at 106k, economical for a diesel 60 mpg would I buy one no!
Jon Ricketts you’d know you aren’t paying for clutches .
Nice car caught my eye in a previous video...nice colour stands out a bit to me...the only thing i find with them is that they are good looking car but they are so common they disappear in to the back round on a street you all most expect one to be parked outside a shop etc.you have to buy a high spec and colour to stand out.
I had 1 of these as a company car for 3 years (2010) and there were 45 in our company fleet, they were comfy to drive, looked nice and had all the options a salesman would need but always had problems and my colleagues reported the same. I now have a company Astra and they have the same issues. My Astra has spent total 10 weeks in garage having repairs done in the last 2 years.
I had a 63 reg Insignia as a company car at my last job. I was a mobile engineer and I really cannot think of anything wrong with it. It just worked all the time and never missed a beat.
I see the firsts models had some problems, they've been fixed over the years. Apparently the CDTI engine is not so good, but not to bad neither so just need to be aware that depending of year and model you need to be ready to fix some issues.
"You don't usually see green cars nowadays. Everything's usually black or various shades of grey."
You're right, and it's surprising to me that this change has gone totally unremarked upon. I remember when even Jaguars could be ordered in colours like limeflower green (interiors too!). Now it's black (or dark grey) or nothing.
Good cars - petrols are a far better bet used than the diesels - and reliability wise they are easily the equal of any Vag product .
Oil seal on the dervs is near enough guranteed to fail around the 100k Mark destroying the bottom end
@@christianronn5301 Agreed - I was trying to be diplomatic 😄 !
I have 2 Vectras, still, and on e is 16 years old and love it. getting old now, so looking at a Skoda Octiva, though the Vectra is far bigger than the Insignia. Both cars do what they are supposed to .
That’s a great review. Got a 66 Reg, 1.6l diesel, and yes it’s not the most sexy car on the road. But for MPG, reliability, practicality and standard kit it has been fantastic. I have put on almost 80,000 miles in 2 and half years and it’s never missed a beat and drives as well, if not better than the day I bought it. Tax, and servicing costs are also cheap. Mind you I bought it for 13k and will be lucky to get 6k for it now, but as I intend to keep running it for at least another 12 months who cares. My only criticism is that the SRi ride is a bit firm so not as comfortable as I would have ideally liked, but certainly not a big issue. Really can’t fault it, but I have probably just jinxed it.
I am in a country in Southern Hemisphere in south east asia. They used to assemble Opel Vectra from 1992-1995. If I can recall correctly, that color is called “Neptune Turqoiuse”. If I’m right, I am amazed they still have this color!!
Great video!
I remember heading to the car auctions with a mate who had diesel insignia in for stock. The choice was either take my trusty old 406 or his insignia. I wanted to take the 406 so jokingly said that insignia will just seize on the way there. Car mechanics magazine had a project insignia which had suffered oil starvation due to an issue with the oil pickup o ring seal going bad amongst a sleuth of other expensive issues, the oil pickup issue was also one that had already happened to an insignia my uncle had.
Needless to say i may have tempted fate that night as the insignia seized its engine whilst overtaking another car. Given most of the diesels are fiat derived ive always been a bit wary of them.
peugeotCitroen2CV I scrapped mine Thursday due to the same issue
That's true, I'm in ireland, recently two of these came up for sale not far from me 2010 and 2012 one with seized engine and the other engine trouble both 500 euro each
Had a 52 plate vectra petrol 1.8 bought at 12 months old with 8000 miles. Ran it up to 120000 with nothing more than cheap servicing at the dealer and tyres etc. It allowed me to save enough money to buy the beemer I really wanted when time to part ex.
*"nobody remembers the Vauxhall Vectra"* _except every Top gear fan_
I haven’t seen them lately
Hey steady on, I love mine!!!😮 2003 Elegance 1.8 181,000. It's great
@@ChrisPatrick-q6k🤣👍
This isn't much better
@@Mattlawton-ft6ew The Insignia's much worse, very unreliable.
I have had my Insignia 2.0 ctdi Elite Auto for 5 years now, fully kitted up sitting on 20's.... love it.
Vectra’s served David Brent very well.
Thank you for the review. I need a car to commute in motorway traffic from home to work. I have a small budget, and an Insignia has been a consideration. Thanks for your honesty!
Dont do it you'll regret it.
Where'sOllie, thanks. I gather that an Insignia didn’t work for you? Can you share what happened?
@@lildrum78 I'm an ex vehicle technician, replaced plenty of broken gearboxes, engines and fixed weird electrical issues on these. All on cars mostly with good history and regularly serviced. So pretty inexcusable from the manufacturer really. Just poor mechanical build quality.
Where'sOllie thank you for the heads up. I appreciate it. Cheers
@@lildrum78 you're welcome, 2011 onwards kia ceed or Toyota avensis better reliability
Always loved these cars, not the most reliable cars and they break down a fair bit but that’s Vauxhall for you
I own a 2015 Insignia SRI 2.0 cdti. Very good car, very happy with it. Spent a lot of time driving these over the years so buying one was a no brainer.
0:07 in and I can answer the question, the answer is; no. Don’t buy one 😂
Very good car. Nice to drive. You feel that if you decide you wanted to drive from Manchester to Barcelona then you would get there no problem. I love mine well worth the money
Now that Vauxhall is owned by PSA, I imagine future Vauxhall owners looking back on the Insignia as the last decent car the brand built. Just wait for the build quality to plummet, interiors to melt in the sun, and the electrics to fail on a weekly basis.
It's more likely that the quality will rise IMHO.
Had a Vectra once was a limited addition model the 'Artic' aircon, tinted glass alloys quite liked it, just a good steady motor, no fuss no drama, sometimes "less is more"..........another cracking no nonsense review 👍👍
Yooooooooou Dark, Dark Horse.
"i said it might be" 😂
On the road the Insignia is not a bad car, easy to drive with predictable cornering and lots of front-end grip. Post-2013 cars benefit from suspension upgrades and improvements in body control in the corners, but the Insignia still lacks the reward and fun of the Ford Mondeo and Skoda Octavia.
If no one buys an Insignia it'll be much easier to spot an undercover fed car 🤔
Not the insignia but the Vectra 1.9sri cdti estate, I had it for 9 years and it was a good workhorse very spacious and I preferred it to the insignia, I got 55 mpg plus on the motorway and 38 plus in town and the wife loved it as it was quick and in the dry ok cornering but in the wet not so good, but as it’s a GM it was certainly starting to cost money to keep it on the road so it had to go, it’s still on the road
I've got one and it's crap
I laughed more than I should at this comment
I also have one, never again. it is also crap (2.0 vxr line)
I had one and yes you guessed it, it was crap, actually it was beyond crap.
It’s a GM, what’d you expect?
Late Vectras starting too look quite well designed,tend to find that with Vauxhall’s when they’re launched they look shit but grow older gracefully....so many buttons just thrown at the dash hoping to stick....
That's still a really nice colour on that car, colour alone would tempt me to buy it.
Think I would rather fall down a flight of stairs using my face as a brake than drive or own a Vauxhall.
But the Vauxhall Factory is in Scousersland ...?
@@notrut close but not quite. It's on the Wirral. There is a Jaguar and Land Rover factory in Liverpool though 🤗
@@notrut only the Astra is assembled at the Ellesmere Port plant. The Insignia is built in Germany. The 2.0 CDTI engine is a GM/Fiat joint venture.
Ive had 3 diesel Insignias and each one has been better than the last. My current one is The Elite with leather upholstery, Automatic and great alloys. Troublefree motoring, spacious reliable, i cant say enough about them, but for me great value and a good car.
My uncle had a Viva in the 1960s and, even as a 10 year old, I was embarrassed by it!
Love your style mate such a poet but you don’t really know it
Good video, it says it all that you didn't show this car being driven. It says everything about Vauxhalls past and present, including the Belmont that I owned. Thank you.
I see a lot of idiots driving insignia's.
I see lots of idiots full stop
Bell end mobile is usually bmw or Mercs in my experience
My new favourite car reviewer , just what was needed
Had a vectra b v6 estate for 10 years, served me well. Never could figure out what everyone’s problem with the vectra was 🤷♂️
I have sold two both low spec but sub £2500 its dull to drive but for a growing family on a budget it makes sense I would still have it over something French and cheap
They are very fun to drive they are glued to the road on bends
The 1.8 engine in this car is only good when travelling empty. Put a load or passengers and fuel economy drops and as the car as little low down torque it needs a lot of patience. Put the 2 litre diesel - especially 160 bhp versions and they fly and only need small throttle openings to keep up with traffic.
I own Insignia Sports Tourer 2016 redesign with 8' inch display - android auto. It looks amazing - inside - out. Never had any problems with her. Regular oil change and service. I changed timing belt this year just because I got discount on it. She has 95 000 km now.
My first company car was a Vauxhall Cavalier. I liked it, but I had only unreliable bangers to compare it against! I had an Insignia recently as an insurance courtesy car, it was very good. Better to drive than to look at.
This car is porridge with no honey. It’s a ham sandwich. It’s your year eight maths text book.
Do please replace the oil pump seal before your bottom end is shredded (£350 inc VAT).
Apart from this: if you need "a car" to get you ~25-50 miles in any direction at 50mph or greater in 45-50mpg economy and comfort AND you only have 3-4k to spend. This is the one you want.
Embrace the beige.
I hired one a few years ago, it was the first car I had driven with an electronic handbrake. I could not get off the forecourt, it kept stalling! I would lift the clutch and thud! It would stall! This happened about 4 times! The hire rep came out and showed me how to take off! Give it a bit of 'welly!' Off we went! It was a nice car to drive and to look at, and with it's 6th gear you had to keep your eye on the speedo!!! So, yes! I liked it!