Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer (2017-2019) Review

If you’re looking for a big estate that you can chuck loads of luggage in and carry people at the same time, then the Insignia Sports Tourer will likely be on your shortlist. 

It would suit a family who needs the space for older children and their luggage, although if that’s the case you might also want to consider an MPV or SUV.

For business users the Sports Tourer’s boot space will make it an appealing option, although some of the engines  have relatively high fuel consumption and emissions, so it is important to choose carefully. 

Even though there is a wealth of engines to choose from, some of the units are best ignored. 

The most powerful 260PS 2.0-litre petrol will barely manage 30mpg while the 2.0-litre 210PS diesel is also disappointingly thirsty for its type. The 165PS petrol makes the most sense for those who don’t want a diesel, while the 135PS 1.6-litre diesel is the best compromise for performance and economy. Consider the lower-output 170PS 2.0-litre diesel if you plan to tow regularly, though.

As for the trim levels, the basic Design trim is a good choice that's packed with useful kit like keyless start, cruise control, DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and automatic emergency braking. 

The key players in this segment are both from the Volkswagen Group – the Skoda Superb Estate and the Volkswagen Passat Estate. Both are huge inside, offer a high level of interior quality and a strong engine range. The Superb is the biggest estate in the class and a bit cheaper, whereas the Passat is slightly less spacious but posher.

Ford’s Mondeo Estate is another obvious rival, while Volvo’s V90 is another large estate that offers generous boot space and excellent accommodation for passengers. There's also the Peugeot 508 SW.

There are a good number of soft touch surfaces inside the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer. There are hard plastics in here of course, but they are better hidden than in some competitors, though the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat are noticeably nicer. Their buttons and switches have an oily smooth operation that’s absent in the Vauxhall. 

There are also some flashes of chrome effect and a lot of gloss black surfaces to mix things up a little, but it doesn’t feel particularly special in comparison to the competition or even less expensive Vauxhall models.

As standard, Insignia Sport Tourers are fitted with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, featuring DAB radio, Bluetooth for phone operation and audio streaming. You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can use your phone’s apps on the car’s big screen.

To use, the touchscreen system is not always as intuitive as you might hope. The basic 7-inch screen is reasonably sized but the colour scheme for the graphical display is quite pale, with black and red text on a white background, you need to fiddle with the settings to generate much in the way of contrast within the image. The response of the screen to inputs is good, but as with all touchscreen systems it can be tricky to operate as you bump down the road.

Nav models upgrade this system to an 8-inch screen and, as you’d have guessed, add sat nav with European mapping as standard. Elite Nav models also include a BOSE premium audio system and a digital instrument display.

There’s no doubt that the Insignia Sports Tourer is a big car, so you’d expect there to be a decent amount of space inside. 

For front seat passengers it is luxuriously spacious. There’s a wide range of seat adjustment so you can roll them back for long legs or crank them up for a better view out.

It’s similarly spacious in the rear too. In fact, the Insignia Sports Tourer is not far behind the Skoda Superb in terms of rear space. Headroom is excellent as the roofline doesn’t really dip down until it has passed the rear seats, while legroom is so generous that you can place one six-footer behind another without any concerns of discomfort. 

The Sports Tourer also manages to have a decent centre seat too; it’s not quite as wide as the outer two nor as well sculpted, but you can fit an adult on it in reasonable comfort.

Head for the boot, and you’re greeted by a large and square load area. It offers 560 litres with the rear seats up and 1,665 litres with them down, which can’t compete with the Skoda Superb or Volkswagen Passat, but is comparable with the Ford Mondeo. 

The Vauxhall’s floor is flush with the back bumper, so there’s no load lip to overcome when loading it up. Some models are fitted with a 40/20/40 split rear seat which is more useful than the regular 60/40 split on the Design and Tech Line Nav cars.

The Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer's dimensions are 4986mm long, 2093mm wide and 1514mm tall.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged units might seem way too small for a car of this size, but they certainly punch above their weight. The 140PS is sufficiently quick and frugal with it, but the 165PS makes more sense, giving you a bit more flexibility in terms of carrying loads and long journeys with little in the way of an economy penalty. 

The 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre petrols offer yet more performance, but they’re also considerably more thirsty, so unless you don’t care about fuel bills the trade off isn’t worth it.

On the diesel front it is once again the smaller engines that offer the best compromise between power and efficiency. Of the two 1.6-litre options the more powerful 136PS version is the one to go for, as it has a significant slug of extra torque and is strong enough to cope with bigger loads and a full passenger load. The 2.0-litre diesels offer more performance, but the 210PS is not so economical.

All the engine options available in the Sports Tourer are pleasingly refined. 

The petrols are quiet at a cruise and the same is true of the diesels, which avoid the clatter and rumble that often comes with a cold start and when idling. It’s a big contributor to the comfort of the car and can help to reduce driver fatigue on longer journeys.

At lower speeds the Sports Tourer is quite refined, but out of town it generates quite a lot of tyre roar, particularly on poor surfaces and on models with bigger wheels. Similarly, wind noise picks up considerably with a rustle around the windscreen and the door mirrors.

Euro NCAP awarded the Insignia hatchback an impressive five-star rating and this also applies to the estate. 

It had strong scores across all categories, achieving a highly impressive 93 per cent for adult protection and 85 per cent for child protection. Pedestrian mitigation was also given a strong 83 per cent rating, while safety assist was the lowest score recorded at 69 per cent.

As standard, all Insignias get a full complement of air bags, seat belt pre-tensioners are fitted front and rear, as are seat belt load limiters. ISOFIX child seat mounting points are fitted in the outer rear seats, with an airbag deactivation switch for the front passenger seat too.

All versions of the Insignia are fitted with a comprehensive suite of additional driver safety systems including an active bonnet, automatic emergency braking for city and inter-urban speeds with pedestrian detection and lane assist that can steer the car gently in lane.

The Vauxhall Insignia scored a very impressive 9.70 out of 10 for reliability in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Survey, although it is worth bearing in mind that this figure will include some examples of the previous generation Insignia too.

As a brand Vauxhall performed less well, being placed 29th out of 30 manufacturers in the same survey.

Given its size and purchase price, the Insignia Sports Tourer manages to get into relatively low insurance groups. The 1.5-litre 140PS petrol in basic Design trim is only in Group 14, while the most powerful diesel only gets as high as Group 20. 

Higher trim levels such as SRi and Elite tend to move up a group for the same engines, while the most powerful GSi Nav model is up in Groups 27 and 28.

All versions of the Sports Tourer attract a VED rate of £165 – with the notable exception of the comparatively rare GSi Nav 210PS Bi-Turbo diesel, which costs £520 for the first five years after registration thanks to the over-£40,000 list price levy.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer Design versions come with 17-inch wheels and you get plenty of features including auto lights, electric windows, keyless entry and start, air conditioning, cruise control and a leather-covered steering wheel. You also get the basic infotainment system with a 7-inch screen with Bluetooth, DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Meanwhile, Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer Design Nav models get all of the above as well as the upgraded navigation system with an eight-inch screen.

Sporty Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer SRi Nav models add smarter looking 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, dark-tinted rear windows and a rear spoiler. Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer SRi VX-Line Nav models get larger 18-inch alloy wheels and a VXR styling pack on the outside, while inside you’ll find a heated flat-bottom steering wheel and dark fabric headlining. Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer Tech Line Nav cars gain front and rear parking sensors.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer Elite Nav is the top trim and features LED matrix headlights, leather seat upholstery, heated front and rear outer seats, and a Bose stereo.