Should You Buy a VAUXHALL INSIGNIA? 

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 had an insignia in 2013, it was memorable, never let me down. Loved it

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

Every time I’m about to have a crisis over lockdown, HPA delivers the goods and restores the serenity in my life....beautiful stuff!

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.

“You and your boxes of toner will be safe” haha brilliant.

*"Nobody remembers Vauxhall Vectra"* - Says every single car guy on RU-vid. *Vauxhall Vectra is more well-known than Bugatti Veyron thanks to you guys now!*

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.

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.

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.

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

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

“Can’t think of anything to say about it... It’s a saloon car”... Well, Matt, it’s actually a hatchback 😂

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.

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.

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.

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...

Great review! I have Opel insignia 2009 and i haven’t got any problem with it. It’s running perfectly. It’s fast

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"

Answer is yes especially if you like either catching fire or seized engines then it’s the car for you

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 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!

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.

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.

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.

Had one it was 1.9d it had done 225 Thousand by time I sold it was a very reliable car

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 🙂

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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 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 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 .

I have had 7 Vectras and loved every one of them.

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!

*"nobody remembers the Vauxhall Vectra"* _except every Top gear fan_

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 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

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 :)

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)

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.

My friend bought one & has spent more money on It than he's spent on the wife.

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.

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

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.

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 😉

I had an sri Insignia and was glad to see the back of it. Due to the low miles I had continuous problems with the filters.

No Citroen C5 2008-2017 yet :/ . Excellent video, got me interested in the car, even tho I've never really liked Opel. Cheers

I have had my Insignia 2.0 ctdi Elite Auto for 5 years now, fully kitted up sitting on 20's.... love it.

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?

I;ve had mine for 6 years. Best car video you've ever done or will ever do...

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

Had one for 3 days, a 2012 model. No issues apart from brakes used to get constant niggles.

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!

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Vectra’s served David Brent very well.

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

Good cars - petrols are a far better bet used than the diesels - and reliability wise they are easily the equal of any Vag product .

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

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.

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

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 👍👍

Always loved these cars, not the most reliable cars and they break down a fair bit but that’s Vauxhall for you

London to yorkshire and back including daily touring all on one tank of fuel. Had three, all dependable.

Think I would rather fall down a flight of stairs using my face as a brake than drive or own a Vauxhall.

cheers Matt, love your dry delivery style, short and sweet, hints of darkness, but very entertaining, don't change!! God I sound like tasting notes.........

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.

I was given a rental one to drive 500 miles in....remembered it just wafted along i was very impressed

Yooooooooou Dark, Dark Horse. "i said it might be" 😂

I always rented one of these when on holiday abroad with my family. It was great car, comfortable to drive, massive boot for all the suitcases and kids stuff. The only problem was that the rentals didn't have parking sensors so it was tricky to park. Other than that I loved it.

0:07 in and I can answer the question, the answer is; no. Don’t buy one 😂

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!

If no one buys an Insignia it'll be much easier to spot an undercover fed car 🤔

Had a 3lt cdti absolutely stunning. Did a 1000 miles holiday in Somerset went every where & just over 1 full tank , n the performance was outstanding

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.

Love your style mate such a poet but you don’t really know it

Speaking as a mechanic I love anything with the 1.8 Ecotec engine, they love a thermostat (integral with the housing and £150+), and eat head gaskets. In fact the whole cooling system is a nightmare.

I see a lot of idiots driving insignia's.

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.

Own a Cascada for 3 years and a zafira tourer for 6 years both with 1’4 turbo engines. Love both. Service both once a year. Apart from tyres and brakes spent no money on them. Never let me down. Owned signum 2 litre turbo Before that a Vectra. No problems.

I have a opel insignia 2.0 turbo 2012 And i love my car. I drive this car now for 5 years and he never let me down. it is always starting and driving in wind and weather. i love my insignia😊