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our test drives or view them all

Vauxhall Insignia Exclusiv 1.8i petrol five-door

YOU can tell a lot from the equipment level manufacturers include on their entry-level versions.

It’s all too easy to drive a high-specification model, but such cars are often dripping with optional extras and bear little resemblance to the modest bread-and-butter machines that start a range.

That’s why it was good to get my hands on the runt of the new Vauxhall Insignia family – a 138bhp entry-level 1.8i Exclusiv five-door hatch.

It’s part of a make or break 40 model line-up for trouble-hit Vauxhall. This car has to be a sales success and help drag the UK wing of the General Motors giant back from the brink.

It has a hard job. Its Vectra predecessor was much loved, neater and more compact – and the competition is really tough. Crucially Insignia needs to meet and beat Ford’s Mondeo and woo company and private buyers away from the temptations of the fine Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat.

All four are about the same size – or should that be "super-size"?

At 4.83 metres long saloon and hatch Insignias are marginally shorter than the 4.84 Mondeo hatch, but the same length as the Mondeo estate.

You can pay up to £28,535 for a 257bhp 2.8 litre V6 petrol Insignia with four-wheel-drive in Elite trim, but that’s the silly end of the range. The sensible shoes are worn by models with more modest two-litre petrol or CDTi turbodiesels while the economy level is reserved for my test car – a five-door £16,640 rep-mobile that costs the same in four-door saloon guise.

Under the bonnet is a surprisingly smooth 138bhp 1.8 litre multi-valve petrol engine – not the most fashionable power plant in an age where the turbodiesel is king.

Linked to a standard six-speed manual gearbox it’s not the quickest of engines, but it is quiet. And, apart from having to be sure there’s sufficient revs to pull away smoothly in first, it performs well in this bulky 1.43 tonne bodyshell.

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Vauxhall’s "new Vectra". True, it is beaten on value and quality by the Skoda Superb and does not drive as well as the Ford Mondeo, but there’s a level of composure and comfort inside the Insignia coupled to a well designed and finished interior and attractive dash that is appealing.

I can’t quite get to grips with its exterior style. It’s an odd mixture of dynamic and bland. From some angles it looks fresh and modern with interesting reverse curves and body sculpting – but from head on its proportionally over-small grille and hamster-like flared wings make me think of First Minister Alex Salmond every time I see it.

But Insignia grows on you. It turns heads on the road and I wasn’t surprised to hear this big Vauxhall is doing well on the sales front in the north at Autovision and Regency Cars.

The Exclusiv trim is the base car – but there’s nothing base about its equipment levels. The car gets excellent safety gear including an electronic stability programme, front and side airbags, front seat belt pre-tensioners, powerful ABS and a strong cabin shell.

There is also full climate control, rather lifeless power steering, an alarm and immobiliser, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control electric front windows and door mirrors, split and fold rear seat and a powerful and easy to use RDS radio and CD system with excellent sound quality.

There’s an unexpected feeling of quality inside. The dash is a masterpiece of design and assembly. It’s easy on the eye, intelligently laid out and has switchgear that feels good and positive. At night the dials are perfectly illuminated and the car’s main and dipped beams are powerful with great range and excellent verge coverage.

I liked the firm seats. The cloth covers should be hard wearing and although this is the cheapest Insignia I was pleased to see there is some electric adjustment built in for height. The steering column adjusts manually for rake and height and helps make the Insignia an easy car to get comfortable with before driving away.

Passengers liked the rear seats and the space they were allocated, but complained about feeling a little claustrophobic because of restricted head room. Like them, I found the car’s high waistline and small back window difficult to see out of with body structure restricting the driver’s backward views and making parking a real nightmare. At least the tailgate glass is fitted with a wiper.

If, like me, you use your door mirrors a lot you might find the design irritating. They are an example of style over function and rob the driver of a decent view. They need to be bigger and oblong, not stylishly triangular!

Insignias are likely to find their way into hard working business roles. Here there’s little to fault. The boot is big – 520 litres of space with a firm, flat floor. Fold the rear seats flat, it takes just seconds, and the hatch turns into a van with 1463 litres – that’s 15 litres more than on the Mondeo hatch although the Ford does offer eight more litres when the rear seats are in use.

If you were not told, you’d be hard pressed to single the Exclusiv as the cheapest Insignia. It’s exceptionally well turned out, comfortable, well appointed and quiet and relaxed on the road.

I like Vauxhall’s answer to expensive alloys. Although you can specify alloys for £425 the standard Exclusiv wheel is a clever ‘Structure’ wheel. It’s metal but designed in such a neat way that the plastic wheel trim covers all of the under structure and gives a very realistic impression of a smart spoked alloy. It’s a good-looking and cheap answer and worked well with my test car’s soft-riding 17-inch Michelin Primacy 225/55 section covers with a commonsense high profile.

On test this “everyman workhorse” gave me an easy 35mpg average in mixed driving and 38mpg on a long run to Oban. It should be frugal to service with work needed only every 20,000 miles.

It’s not as sharp or involving to drive as the Mondeo – but I found the Insignia more relaxing and satisfying.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT: Vauxhall has an excellent car in the Insignia – though it might regret dropping the much-loved Vectra tag. It’s big, comfortable and very well constructed with a beautifully trimmed interior and dash. The 1.8i petrol Exclusiv is a fine, if unexciting, machine but a better buy is the 130bhp two-litre CDTi turbodiesel Exclusiv at £17,615 with its much improved pulling power and a potential to average 48mpg.

Vauxhall Insignia Exclusiv 1.8i petrol five-door

• Price: £16,640
• Capacity: 1796cc
• Power: 138bhp
• 0-62mph: 11 seconds
• Maximum speed: 129mph
• Economy: Combined 36.7mpg; Urban 26.4mpg
• CO2 emissions: 182g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 7