The Insignia gets muscled up
THE last company car I ran was a 2.0litre diesel Vauxhall Insignia hatchback and it provided reliable, comfortable transport for almost four years.
It also looked good and only required a service once every year. It never developed annoying squeaks or rattles and, to my surprise, I grew to like it a lot.
Although I no longer run a company car, the Insignia is still a favourite with fleet markets and the all-new version which arrived last year is proving to be very popular.
It is more sleek and stylish and is an attractive alternative to the current raft of SUVs, especially in estate form.
I got the chance recently to sample the slightly more rugged 4x4 Country Tourer version – which offers all the practicality of the normal Insignia estate but with a few extras.
The looks are more muscular thanks to the plastic cladding to the wheel arches, lower fascia and lower body. The car also gets skid plates along with smart 18in alloys, a powered tailgate and Matrix LED headlights.
Internally it mirrors the other estates and the interior can easily accommodate five adults and boasts a boot that can take between 560 and 1,665 litres of luggage depending on the seat configuration. Priced at £27,865 my car was powered by a 2.0-litre 170ps die- sel engine mated to a nice eight-speed automatic gearbox.
It reached 60mph in 8.8 seconds and delivered its power smoothly. There was always bags of grunt when you y needed it most. And for high-mileage h business users the th economy is really impressive, with a claimed combined figure of 47.1mpg and emissi sions of 157g/km.
The Insignia Country Tourer is a substantial vehicle and re requires a decent-size parking sp space but it is easy to manoeuvr vre and is fairly agile on the op open road. It is ideal for longdi distance motorway travel and it its 4x4 system means it always fe feels well planted.
It is a very quiet car and there is little wind or noise road inside, meaning that you can enjoy your music as you munch the miles.
Visibility is good and it easy to select a comfortable driving position.
There is a host of on-board technology to explore, including a sevenspeaker sound system, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8in colour touchscreen and three driving modes called Standard, Sport and Tour to adjust the car’s driving dynamics.
The car features all the latest safety features and boasts the top NCAP rating.
In addition the car also featured a number of optional extras including full-leather trim at £1,155, Matrix LED headlights at £1,010, power tailgate with sensor at £380 and a winter pack at £440.
From behind the wheel you can also connect to Vauxhall’s brilliant OnStar service, which connects you to a trained adviser at any time. lightweight hand-made furniture fitting perfectly into the contours with a choice of styles. The vans also benefit from good depreciation figures. With finance packages and part-exchange deals, now is the time to get your own.
Check out the Southlands website, southlandsmotor company.co.uk, for videos of all the vans in stock along with pictures.
Southlands Motor Company is at Unit 2, Foxhunters Trading Estate, Whitley Bay. Call 0191 253 7030 or 0191 206 9345.