MOTORS REVIEW: Vauxhall Insignia

Vauxhall's  Insignia now consumes up to 18 per cent less fuel than outgoing model thanks to its allnew engine family.

Low-friction gearboxes provide comfortable, effortless gear shifting too.

The new GSi available with torque vectoring and allwheel- drive.

A new top-of-therange GSi model also joins the range.

The new Insignia is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its segment.

Lowfriction gearboxes, an electro-hydraulic brake booster, mechatronic suspension and fourwheel drive with torque vectoring combine to present an athletic, attractive and class-leading flagship model.

The new Insignia engine range features three - and four-cylinder units, beginning with a 1.4- litre (145hp) petrol engine and a 1.5- litre (122hp) diesel.

The three-cylinder engines are up to 50kg lighter than their predecessors in the outgoing model.

Above these are two 2.0-litre petrol engines with 200hp and 230hp, as well as a 2.0-litre fourcylinder diesel, which will be introduced later this year.

The 2.0-litre petrol units are also the first Vauxhall engines with cylinder deactivation.

Unless the driver needs a lot of power, the variable camshaft control deactivates two cylinders, significantly reducing fuel consumption.

In addition, the low-friction gearbox configurations provide comfortable, seamless gear shifting.

Insignia customers have the choice of a sixspeed manual gearbox – a particularly conomical, stepless transmission – or an eight or nine-speed automatic.

The Insignia’s outstanding fuel efficiency is even further improved with a full-face active shutter.

Located around the front grille, the shutter closes at the top as well as the bottom.

Taking thermal, electrical and aerodynamic factors into account, the upper and lower portions of the grille open and close to make the Insignia even more economical to run.

In addition, the full-face shutter can also delay cooldown after switching off the engine or accelerate warm-up after a cold start.

This is particularly useful in winter, offering significant benefits to fuel consumption and cabin heating comfort.

The new Vauxhall Insignia GSi features sporty Twinster fourwheel drive with torque vectoring unique to its segment.

In allwheel drive (AWD) mode, two clutches replace a conventional rear differential and deliver the perfect power transfer per wheel in every driving situation.

With this technology, the new Insignia GSi is more agile in curves, offers the best cornering and stands out with excellent traction.

For an even more active driving experience, the new nine-speed automatic transmission can be operated by the paddles on the steering wheel.

Put through its paces on the legendary Nordschleife track at the Nürburgring in Germany, the Vauxhall Insignia GSi features a tuned chassis for extremely high grip.

The powerful Brembo four-piston brakes (with red calipers) and the direct steering have also been further improved.

With its electrohydraulic brake booster, the Insignia represents a platform for technology that will be required for automated driving in the future.

The newest version of the popular Insignia model features class-leading technology and equipment.

As a first for this flagship model, the Insignia features a new rearview camera that improves rearward vision.

Safety in reversing can be increased with the optional rear cross traffic alert, which uses radar sensors to detect objects 90 degrees to the left or right behind the car, up to a distance of 20m away.

The driver is warned by acoustic signals, and on the display screen.

Further driver assistive technology includes forward collision with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, side blind spot alert, adaptive cruise control with emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, advanced park assist and head-up display.