Mileage: 4,051
Economy: 43.0mpg
At this time of year, I find that gloves are extremely useful when I’m working outdoors taking the pictures you see in Auto Express.
It’s not just about the clothes you put on your hands, though. I also need a car that fits like a glove; something that ticks every box for practicality, space, fuel efficiency, comfort, ride quality and tech. Luckily for me, our new Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer is already looking like it will suit my needs very well.
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I have run many cars on our fleet over the years and each has been great in its own way. But every once in a while I’ve had one that just works that little bit better than those that have come before it. I’ve not been using it for long, but our Insignia has already proved itself to be one of them. The Vauxhall not only gets me to each photoshoot, but it also helps me to do the job once I arrive.
Being a large estate, I expected plenty of room, but have still been impressed with the generous 560-litre load space, especially because with the seats down there’s a fantastic 1,665 litres available. I can carry all my photo gear without having to worry about how it all fits in and once we reach our location, the big Vauxhall then carries me, while I shoot from one of the rear doors or the boot.
I reckon lying in the boot is a great barometer of how good a model’s ride really is, and I’m impressed so far. The suspension is soft and subtly glides along, even over fairly bumpy surfaces, so I stay comfortable even when we’re working on a rutted road.
Load space and passenger legroom are also plentiful, easily allowing me to carry five adults, even with all my gear in the back; and the added weight doesn’t adversely affect ride comfort, either.
Our car has the higher-powered 168bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine with 400Nm of torque, so it feels punchy. The auto gearbox shifts smoothly and doesn’t kick down unnecessarily, allowing me to use the engine torque to speed up when needed. Also, the driving position is comfortable.
On a long journey I can also relax a bit thanks to the cruise control. Lots of manufacturers are now promoting adaptive cruise control, but I prefer the standard system on the Vauxhall.
One bit of tech I really do love is Apple CarPlay, because it means receiving and making calls is effortless. Annoyingly, I have to unplug and then reconnect my phone into the car for it to initiate the system if I leave it plugged in and the car is turned off. Yet it’s a minor niggle in a system that is excellent otherwise.
I normally use my phone to navigate, but tried the standard sat-nav on the car and was impressed by how simple it is to operate. But using the phone via Bluetooth is tricky, because there’s no button on the steering wheel to accept a call, and the touchscreen doesn’t always respond to inputs, which is frustrating.
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
- Model: Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer Tech Line Nav 2.0 Turbo D 170PS Auto
- On fleet since: November 2017
- Price new: £26,130
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl diesel, 168bhp
- CO2/tax: 150g/km/£140
- Options: Winter Pack (£660), Matrix LED Headlights (£1,295), Head-up Display (£290), sunroof (£960), Towing Pack (£685), FlexRide (£850)
- Insurance*: Group: 21/Quote: £1,183
- Mileage: 4,051
- Economy: 43.0mpg
- Any problems?: None so far
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