MOTORS REVIEW: Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport

Vauxhall may have launched an updated Mokka — now called the Mokka X — and be preparing for the arrival of new Crossland X and Grandland X to further satisfy customers’ thirst for SUVs, but in recent months it has all been about the new Insignia.

Last week I headed from Rotherham to the outskirts of Worcester on a mission to find-out more about the car which comes with a cut price and a shift up from D to E-segment in scale to tackle its premium rivals.

It also has a suitably more extravagant title…meet the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport.

Launched ahead of the addition of the inevitable Insignia Sports Tourer and rugged Country Tourer the Grand Sport has grown 55mm in length (4,897mm) — 92mm of which has been usefully added to the wheelbase, meaning extra cabin space — and 7mm in width (2,093mm).

Boot space is down by ten litres to a still not insubstantial 490-litres.

Accommodation is where gains have been made. Rear passengers benefit from 8mm more headroom and 25mm more legroom and, having sat in the back, the benefits are apparent.

On this evidence, the Insignia’s key rival is likely to be the hugely accommodating Skoda Superb.

The new car’s aggressive pricing means that it’s fit to compete, particularly among the business users who are expected will make up 90% of buyers.

Prices start at just £17,115 for the 138bhp 1.5-litre Turbo petrol-engine Design, some £2,830 cheaper than the entry-level Skoda Superb and nearly £1,500 less than the entry price of the outgoing Insignia, in a sevengrade line-up.

The pricing is so aggressive that some buyers may be lured out of hatchbacks like the Astra, Focus and Golf.

Among the standard kit is keyless entry and engine starting, air conditioning, cruise control and a seveninch IntelliLink infotainment system featuring Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

Further boosting connectivity is Vauxhall OnStar, giving owners access to the internet and an automatic crash response, stolen vehicle assistance, vehicle diagnostics, destination download as well as 4G Wi-Fi for up to seven devices.

Vauxhall also prioritised a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating with a front camera safety system as standard.

The system incorporates lane departure warning, following distance indicator, forward collision alert, low speed collision mitigation braking and active emergency braking.

In a rare move for a launch event, Vauxhall served up some entry-level cars for the Press to sample and it was clear that the top and bottom of the range share a great deal.

What that means is an attractive interior design — albeit not a huge departure from the outgoing model — which features ample space, a broad centre console and elegant, sweeping lines.

How such a scale of vehicle can command that competitive price tag is hard to fathom, but an abundance of scratchy plastic surfaces, otherwise doing a decent job of disguising a lack of premium quality with various textures, are in evidence.

I sampled the 1.5-litre entry-level petrol unit and the greenest of the new line-up, a 109bhp 1.6-litre Turbo D ecoTEC model which claims 70.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 105g/km (47.6mpg and 133g/km for the petrol), and both defied their low power outputs.

Vauxhall claims the Grand Sport is up to 175kg lighter than the outgoing model and claimed nought to 62mph times of 9.3 seconds for the petrol car and 10.9 for the turbodiesel are fairly good.

Both felt fairly muscular in their mid-range, boding well for the motorway use they are likely to get.

While refinement was good on both cars, the suspension did seem a little over-active, isolating the cabin from road imperfections but rarely settling quickly after a bump and this did hamper cornering precision a little.

Getting to grips with the range-topping, 256bhp two-litre turbocharged 4x4 Elite version, however, it felt immediately more composed, sitting on Vauxhalls’ Flexride hydraulic suspension.

The range topper, priced at £27,710, comes also fitted with an eight-speed automatic gearbox which is smoothshifting and will facilitate an impressive turn of speed.

It claims a 6.9 second dash to 62mph alongside combined fuel economy of 32.8mpg and 198g/km CO2 emissions, but has no real sporting pretentions, despite ‘Sport’ and ‘Tour’ drivetrain settings.

The 4x4 features an impressive Bose stereo system and leather seats and is an effortless cruiser.

Given the business use most Grand Sport’s will attract, it’s unlikely to be a big seller, though.

During our launch drive one thing we didn’t get the chance to sample was Vauxhall’s new Intellilux Matrix LED headlights.

Standard only on the range-topper (a £1,000 option elsewhere) they use 32 LED modules to maintain high beam at all time during night driving, blocking out an area around cars ahead and oncoming vehicles.

There is a sense that Vauxhall has gone to great lengths to ensure that the new Insignia Grand Sport is up to the task of tackling premium rivals with a dramatically cut-price a key weapon.

The Insignia Grand Sport will never attract those who place a premium badge above all else, but those who are handed one as a company car will, no doubt, be getting more kit and sheer cabin accommodation than they have ever experienced before.