Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport (2017-2022) Review

The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport confronts SUVs head-on with a compelling blend of space, style, driving pleasure and value for money

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Well equipped as standard
  • Comfortable and spacious interior
  • Good value
  • Not especially fun to drive
  • Bewildering choice of trims
  • Heavy depreciation from new

Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport prices from £9,999  Finance from £188.75 per month

For many years, the Vauxhall Insignia and Ford Mondeo were keen rivals, but today the new Insignia Grand Sport’s biggest competition comes in the form of SUVs that have stolen buyers’ hearts.

In fact, Vauxhall has three SUVs in its line-up – the Mokka X, Crossland X and Grandland X – so is no stranger to them. Even so, Vauxhall believes there’s still a future for the big, traditional family hatchback. Rival car makers seem to agree.

For example, Ford offers the Mondeo while Peugeot has the recently launched and stylish Peugeot 508. Then there’s Mazda with its talented Mazda 6, Hyundai its competent i40 and Kia its attractive Optima that’s backed up by a long seven-year warranty. Finally, there’s Skoda with its enormous Superb hatchback.

The Grand Sport gets off to a good start thanks to a broad range of petrol and diesel engines. The best from a running costs point of view is the mid-power 1.6 136PS Turbo D diesel engine. The petrols shouldn't be ignored, especially if your annual mileage is low, but the diesels are easier to drive: quicker through the gears and more relaxed cruisers.

There are a couple of sporty engines in the mix, too; namely a 1.6 200PS Turbo petrol and a 2.0 210PS BiTurbo diesel, both capable of hitting 62mph from rest in less than 7.5 seconds. The diesel has four-wheel drive for extra grip in slippery conditions and for preventing wheelspin under hard acceleration.

The car feels relatively light and is quite wieldy and responsive, has nicely weighted and communicative steering so you always know where the wheels are pointing and what the road surface is like, and it doesn't lean unduly in corners, so is secure and composed. On top of that, it’s smooth, refined and quiet at speed, so makes a great long-distance tourer.

The driving position is comfortable and there’s good visibility fore and aft, although we recommend going for a trim with parking sensors.

The interior is very spacious, especially in the rear where passengers have plenty of room to stretch out. The downside is a sloping roofline that impinges a little on head room.

The 490-litre boot is smaller than those offered in key rivals including the Skoda Superb and VW Passat, but is well-shaped with plenty of room for a cycle or suitcases. Folding down the rear seats creates 1450 litres of space, slightly more than a Ford Mondeo can claim.

There are no less than eight trims, although some are just variations offering a sat nav. However, the equipment level in the entry-level Design is so good (it has alloy wheels, air con, full phone connectivity with the touchscreen to match and electric windows all around) that it’s hard to make a case for spending more.

There’s nothing like competition to make a car maker take a long hard look at its products. In the case of the Insignia Grand Sport the car buyer is the winner thanks to a model that offers efficient engines and bags of interior space wrapped up in stylish design – and all at a competitive price.

 

Key facts

Warranty 3 years/60,000 miles
Boot size 490 litres
Width 1863mm
Length 4897mm
Height 1455mm
Tax £170 to £855 in the first year, £145 thereafter

Best Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport for...

Best for Economy – Insignia Grand Sport Design 1.6 (110PS) Turbo D

Riding on ultra-low rolling resistance tyres this version achieves 57.7mpg – 3.4mpg more than the next best, the 1.5 (136PS) Turbo D. Design trim, the cheapest in the range, reduces costs still further.

Best for Families – Insignia Grand Sport Design Nav 1.6 (136PS) Turbo D

The Grand Sport was voted the 2018 Auto Express Family Car of the Year for its spacious interior, large boot, generous standard equipment level, refinement and keen pricing. Their pick was the second most powerful diesel engine featured here allied to affordable Design Nav trim with satellite navigation.

Best for Performance – Insignia Grand Sport GSi Nav 2.0 (210PS) BiTurbo D 4x4 auto

his engine may be the second fastest from 0-62mph (it takes 7.4 seconds compared with the fastest version, the 1.6 200PS Turbo petrol) but through the gears, when overtaking, it’s easily the quickest. Being four-wheel drive helps the car put its power to the road without spinning the wheels, too.

One to Avoid – Insignia Grand Sport Elite Nav 1.6 200PS Turbo auto

Poor economy when driven enthusiastically and a high price are this version’s problems.

History

2017: Model launched in Grand Sport hatchback and Sports Tourer estate body styles.
2018: The 200hp 1.6 direct injection turbo petrol engine is launched. Available in VX-Line Nav trim upwards.
2019: New WLTP economy and emissions figures revealed.

Understanding Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport names

Trim SRi Nav

This is how you tell what luxury and performance level each Grand Sport is. There are eight trim levels and most of them include the word Nav, which is short for satellite navigation.

Engine 1.6 (110PS) Turbo D

Vauxhall is typical of most car makers in giving the size of the engine in litres. In this example it’s 1.6 litres, and its power is in brackets. PS is the equivalent of horsepower, or hp.

Blueinjection evo Tec Emissions controls

Blueinjection is Vauxhall’s term for a system that neutralises the harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) in its diesel cars’ exhausts.

Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Engines

Petrols - 1.5 140hp & 165hp, 1.6 200hp
Diesels - 1.6 110hp & 136hp, 2.0 170hp & 210hp 

The Grand Sport is unusual in offering a wide and balanced spread of petrol and diesel engines, all of them turbocharged for greater efficiency. The petrol engines are powerful but the diesels suit the Grand Sport better. They’re more economical, more relaxing to drive and stronger through the gears when you need to overtake. For these reasons, it’s no coincidence that the most expensive Grand Sport, the GSi Nav, is a diesel.

Not that the petrol engines are completely out of contention. The 1.5 165PS Turbo engine in particular is reasonably economical but smooth and swift with it. The 1.6 200PS Turbo is a real flyer but you’ll really feel its effects at the fuel pumps.

The best diesel is the 1.6 136PS Turbo D. On ultra-low rolling resistance tyres it returns up to 57.7mpg yet can sprint from 0-62mph in less than 10 seconds. However, if you’re a high-mileage driver plying the country’s motorway network, the more powerful 1.6 170PS Turbo D is the better choice.

One thing to note is that all the diesels require refilling with AdBlue, a chemical solution that breaks down harmful NOx in the exhaust.

 

 

Fuel

Fuel economy

Power

Acceleration

Top speed

1.5 Turbo

Petrol

45.6mpg

140hp

0-62mph: 9.3s

130mph

1.5 Turbo

Petrol

40.9-44.8mpg

165hp

0-62mph: 8.4-8.8s

135-138mph

1.6 Turbo

Petrol

39.2-42.2mpg

200hp

0-62mph: 7.2-7.5s

144-146mph

1.6 Turbo D

Diesel

57.7mpg

110hp

0-62mph: 11.1s

127mph

1.6 Turbo D

Diesel

48.7-54.3mpg

136hp

0-62mph: 9.9-10.2s

127-131mph

2.0 Turbo D

Diesel

46.3-51.4mpg

170hp

0-62mph: 8.2-8.4s

139-140mph

2.0 BiTurbo D

Diesel

37.2-39.2mpg

210hp

0-62mph: 7.4s

145mph

Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Trims

Design, Design Nav, SRi, SRi Nav, SRi VX-Line Nav, Tech Line Nav, Elite Nav, GSi Nav

Vauxhall can't be accused of offering little variety in its trim line-up. The Grand Sport is offered in no less than eight different trims, although Design Nav and SRi Nav are simply Design and SRi with a sat nav, a feature that adds £800 to the price.

At least this gives buyers the choice of paying extra for the integrated sat nav or, thanks to the fact that as standard the Grand Sport has Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, connecting their phone to the car and using its route guidance services instead at no extra cost.

Meanwhile, some of the trims are only available with certain engines. So, for example, the 1.5 140PS Turbo petrol engine is not available beyond Design Nav while at the other extreme, the 2.0 210PS BiTurbo D 4x4 is only offered with Elite Nav and GSI Nav.

Among the most trim-friendly engines is the 1.6 136PS Turbo D which is available across much of the range.

As to the trims themselves, Design, the most basic, is actually well equipped with connected services and a touchscreen, air con, alloy wheels, electric windows all available as standard. SRi is a little sportier and brings a rear spoiler and sports pedals but also useful things such as parking sensors and dual-zone climate control. To SRi trim, VX-Line Nav adds larger alloys and a sporty body kit.

Tech Line Nav is based on Design trim and is a bit like a toned down SRi. Elite Nav is a more luxury-focused alternative to Tech Line Nav and among its highlights are a Bose sound system, a larger 8.0-inch display with an uprated sat nav and dark tinted rear windows.

GSI Nav is another variation on Tech Line Nav and has the lot including FlexRide, that allows the driver to adjust the suspension settings, LED matrix headlights, an uprated sat nav and a Bose sound system.  

 

Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Reliability and warranty

The Grand Sport has a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. It’s nothing special and only what arch-rival Ford offers with its Mondeo. Meanwhile, Hyundai offer five years with its rival model the i40 and Peugeot no mileage limit with its three-year warranty on the 508.

The only Vauxhall to appear in the 2018 Auto Express Driver Power owner satisfaction survey was the Astra, at a lowly 75th place. However, it’s not all bad news since the Grand Sport’s immediate predecessor, the Insignia hatchback, was voted best used family car in the 2018 Auto Express Used Car Awards, which says a lot about its quality and reliability.

Used Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport

Like its predecessor the Insignia, the Grand Sport has all the makings of a top used car buy.

There are currently 17 Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sports available on BuyaCar, with prices ranging from £9,999 to £24,995 for nearly-new models.

Plentiful, attractive, good value and cheap to run but lacking a strong image and heavily discounted from new it will depreciate at least as fast as any comparable model.
This means great pickings for canny used car buyers, especially among the popular mid-power, entry-level trim versions.

For example, as this was written, BuyaCar was showing a 2017 (17) Grand Sport Design 1.6 136PS with 17,000 miles for £12,700, or 40% less than the same model’s current new price before a discount. That’s after just two years meaning that at three years, when a lot of Grand Sports will come off lease plans, the same car will cost around £11,500.

Other Editions

Insignia (2008 – 2017)

A big car for not a lot of money, the Vauxhall Insignia makes even more sense as a used car

Insignia Sports Tourer (2017 – 2022)

The good looking and practical estate version of the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer is full of surprise and delight