2010 Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer SRi 1.8 16v petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Still very modern
Faults:
Oil leak (oil cooler) around £280 to replace.
Coolant leak at thermostat (£200).
Clutch, probably the most expensive item at around £500 (parts and labor).
General Comments:
The 2010 Insignia "Sport Tourer" is basically just the estate version of the more common saloon/hatchback cars you see about.
SRi model has lovely alloy wheels and the car looks really nice in light blue.
Inside the interior is sporty and comfortable. The seats support you well and the car has plenty of space and practicality for long journeys.
To drive, the stiffer SRi spring means even though this is a heavy estate car, it can corner well. The ride is still pretty smooth as well, but a little rough on some rutted roads; may get annoying for some.
Radio is very high quality for its time.
Biggest disappointment is the engine - I had heard horror stories about the 2.0 CDTi engine's reliability, so avoiding diesel I went for petrol. This 1.8 has been reliable enough and OK so far, but the performance and economy is very poor. 0 - 60 mph takes over 11 seconds, and the car feels far too heavy for this engine. You also need to do a lot of motorway driving and long drives to get anything like an acceptable 37 MPG, otherwise you are looking at only 30 - 33 MPG pottering around town, which with petrol prices these days is not really good enough! Tax is also a joke at over £300 per year. Insurance is cheap enough however, and repairs are reasonable, so it can still be described as an economy car. I'd go for the later turbo charged 1.4T engine for better performance and economy; this old 1.8 petrol is not suited to this heavy estate Insignia, maybe in lighter saloons/hatchback version it is better.
Engine aside this has been a great car for a cheap purchase a couple of years ago; feels very very modern for almost 15 years old and I plan to keep it long term.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 6th October, 2024
17th Oct 2024, 16:13
Bolt a supercharger to the 1.8 and create the world's first and only Vauxhall Insignia SRi Sports Tourer 1.8 Kompressor. That should massively improve the performance. Fuel economy? Who cares; get the CDTI 170 if you're worried about that.