2016 Vauxhall Insignia SRi Nav 1.8 VVT petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A nice choice

Faults:

Sat nav unresponsive.

A/C weak.

Misfire, replaced coil pack = solved.

Plus all the expected wear and tear of age and miles (brakes, cam-belt, service parts, etc).

General Comments:

Last of the older shape Insignia's on a 2016 registration. Best looking in my opinion.

Very nice to look at, this car is very underrated style wise. Vauxhall never made a better looking car in my opinion. My car is bright red, a rare color it seems (most are silver/grey/white).

SRi is the spec to have. Sharp suspension setup, easily better handling than lesser trimmed cars. Very comfortable seats and sporty interior. Lots of electrics.

Slick 6 speed manual transmission. Love driving this car. The 1.8 VVT petrol manages around 36 mpg with mixed driving. Power is on the weaker side, but all you can expect from this engine in a heavy car. It is a simple reliable unit however; if you take care of it you can expect no expensive issues.

Overall a fine all round car, priced well below rivals on the used market, yet just as capable and still very modern looking and feeling.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2024

2016 Vauxhall Insignia Design Nav 1.4T petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Lovely car

Faults:

Clutch, coolant leak, plus servicing and wear and tear. Nothing else.

General Comments:

2016 face-lifted Insignia "A", not the 2017 newer model, this is the last of the older shape - a very nice looking car.

Rare with this engine. 1.4 Turbo. Neat little unit. Fast enough and economical if driven correctly. Easily a more modern unit compared to my old 2010 Insignia 1.8 petrol - nothing wrong with that car, but it had lackluster performance and economy, this 1.4 although a smaller engine has fixed that with an easy 40 mpg on average. The last petrol unit struggled for this.

Design model is rather basic, but has all the essentials.

Gorgeous in metallic blue, and big silver alloy wheels.

Very nice car to look at and drive.

Cheap running costs.

Love it, hope to keep this one a long time, still very modern for an underlying design that has been about since 2008!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2024

2016 Vauxhall Insignia Elite 1.6 CDTi ecoFLEX from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheaper to buy than similar cars for a reason!

Faults:

DPF, turbo, injectors, clutch, and so it goes on.

All expensive to repair. Engine management light came on recently as well, despite no obvious fault. The car has full history and I have looked after it, driven carefully and serviced on time.

General Comments:

Used market is flooded with used diesel Insignia's and everyone in the trade knows why - they are cheap to buy but suffer from the typical diesel issues that are expensive to rectify.

The car has a generally cheap nasty feel about it, I didn't like it at all. Only bought it because I got a good deal and it drove OK on test drive, and was a spacious and big enough family car which was all I needed.

1.6 CDTi is very sluggish, but it will do 60 mpg when running correctly, which most of the time it was not.

Elite model is very comfortable, nice interior and a luxury feel, despite the cheaper materials used.

Good motorway cruiser, but noisy and slow around town.

Could have been a great car if more reliable. But seriously one of the most unreliable yet modern cars I have ever had. Maybe petrol Insignia's are OK or the larger diesel engine. The car was obviously out of warranty, but main dealer didn't want to know and I thought it was a fairly modern car and low mileage to take back to Vauxhall, but thankfully a local independent garage helped me out, but obviously they still cannot get around part costs. They said to me they see these cars all the time, not just the Insignia to be fair, but most modern diesels are like this.

Get a Ford Mondeo or Toyota Avensis, preferably petrol. If you absolutely have to have diesel, go for a Skoda Octavia, they seem to be a bit tougher and more reliable, but obviously still watch for those diesel issues. I am selling this car soon and pity the poor soul that buys it, but I need to recover and get a better car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th March, 2023

16th Mar 2023, 13:31

Can confirm the 1.8 or even 1.4 petrol engine in these Insignias is more reliable. You'll only get 35 - 40 mpg though.

9th Jan 2024, 18:51

Petrol is a good choice, modern diesels are a headache, don't even get me started on "AdBlu" either!