Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Review (2017-2021)
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Keenly priced on the used market
Economical diesels are ideal for motorway driving
Well equipped whichever model you choose
Cons
Not at all sporty to drive
The Country Tourer isn't necessarily four-wheel drive
A Skoda Superb is much more spacious
The CarGurus verdict
The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport is not a car that will wow you with class or set your pulse throbbing with its sporty driving experience. It is, though, a solid, sensible, and seemingly dependable family choice that gives you lots of space and equipment for not a lot of money. Used examples are abundant and savage depreciation among cars of this type make it a second-hand bargain.
If you’re considering a Ford Mondeo or a Volkswagen Passat, the Insignia Grand Sport is absolutely worthy of a place on your shortlist, but it’s biggest problem is the Skoda Superb, which trumps it in most areas.
What is the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport?
The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport is what’s a known as a D-segment car and sits in the same class as the Ford Mondeo and the Volkswagen Passat. It looks like a four-door saloon, but it’s actually a five-door hatchback (the whole tailgate opens up, not just the lip of the boot) and, like the previous Insignia and the Vectra and the Cavalier before it, it was aimed squarely at the company car market.
The range is pretty massive. There are two body styles – a five-door hatchback dubbed the Insignia Grand Sport, and a traditional estate called the Sports Tourer. Vauxhall also offered a jacked-up version of the Sports Tourer with extra cladding, known as the Country Tourer and intended to rival the Audi A4 Allroad and the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack. It was discontinued in 2021.
How practical is it?
Vauxhall’s big cars are often just as big on space, and it has been known for its flexible interiors since the advent of the Zafira MPV.
From new, the Insignia Grand Sport had an optional 40:20:40 three-way split folding function for the rear seats, while the boot can swallow 490 litres of luggage and 1,450 litres when the seats are down. There’s plenty of space in the back seats, too.
The Skoda Superb is the king of space in this class, though. It has a 625-litre boot, which expands to an enormous 1,760 litres when you fold down the rear seats.
What's it like to drive?
Engine options run from a 1.6-litre diesel with 109bhp up to a 207bhp twin-turbo diesel in the top-of-the-range GSi model. In between, you’ll find two more diesels and four petrol models. The best is arguably the 1.5-litre petrol with 163bhp, which combines excellent performance and usable low-down torque with very reasonable fuel consumption and quiet road manners.
As we mentioned, the top-spec Insignia is the GSi. This sporty version was available only with the most potent diesel engine, and came with a unique, more aggressive body kit, sports seats, and lots of other luxury trimmings. It isn’t all that sporty to drive, though, so if you’re after a driver’s car, you’re better off looking elsewhere. It’s also quite hard to find one if you’re buying used.
Choose a humbler version, though, and the Insignia is terrific value second-hand. The downside is that it isn’t quite as comfortable, as quiet, or as spacious as its pricier rivals, nor does it feel quite as slick inside.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
All versions of the Insignia were well equipped, and many buyers went for the SRi, which is one step up from the entry-level Design model. You get dual-zone climate control, cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, and front and rear parking sensors as standard.
You don’t get satnav, though – for that, you need to pick a ‘Nav’ version of the Design or SRi, or upgrade to either the SRi VX-Line, Tech Line or Elite models – but as you do get smartphone mirroring, which allows you to use your phone’s satnav apps on the central screen.
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport running costs
The most efficient Insignia Grand Sport diesels should realistically achieve around 55mpg, while the 1.5-litre petrol model’s fuel consumption will likely be closer to 45mpg. Estates will lop two or three miles per gallon off those figures, while the Country Tourer model, with its beefier diesel engine, will probably see just over 45mpg, and around 5mpg less than that if you buy one with four-wheel drive.
Vauxhall no longer offers a fixed-price servicing scheme for older models, as it used to. Instead, you’ll get a 25% discount off the standard prices for servicing and repairs at a Vauxhall dealer once your Insignia hits three years old.
If you choose to get your car serviced at an independent garage, the good news is that Vauxhalls are so common that most independents will be equipped to deal with them, and parts costs are usually reasonably priced.
With the exception of the 2.0-litre diesels, all Insignias are fitted with timing chains, so they won’t need a regular timing belt replacement. On the 2.0-litre diesels, however, you’ll need to change the timing belt every six years or 100,000 miles. It’s worth changing the water pump at the same time, and this is usually a three-figure job.
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport reliability
Vauxhall’s reputation for reliability isn’t the greatest around. It came 29th out of 31 manufacturers in the 2024 What Car? reliability survey, followed by Alfa Romeo (30th) and MG (31st).
The Insignia Grand Sport didn't appear in the 2024 survey, largely because it sold in relatively small numbers, so there are relatively few owners to share their opinions.
However, the model itself it did reasonably well in the executive car category in the 2021 survey, when it finished eighth out of 18 models with a score of 94.1%. The trouble is, the bigger and generally brilliant all-round Skoda Superb came first.
- Don’t be fooled by the ‘Grand Sport’ and ‘Sports Tourer’ names. The Insignia isn’t at all sporty to drive, and can’t match cars such as the BMW 4 Series or the Audi A4 in terms of outright driver appeal. It is comfortable on the motorway, though, so if you aren’t that fussed about sharp handling, you needn’t be deterred.
- If you want an automatic Insignia, it’s worth keeping in mind that lesser versions only get an older, six-speed transmission as an option, which isn’t all that efficient or or particularly smooth. Only the 168bhp and 207bhp diesel models are available with a newer and superior eight-speed automatic gearbox – and they’re quite expensive and hard to find.
- If you’re tempted by the Country Tourer, remember that it doesn’t have with four-wheel drive as standard – so if you need a taller estate car to tackle muddy trails or wet fields, make sure you double check that the car you want to buy is definitely a 4x4 variant.
- If you need a diesel: The Grand Sport 1.6 Turbo D 136 SRi offers great value for money and real-world fuel economy of 55mpg or more. It’s also better to drive than the lethargic 109bhp version.
- If you need an automatic: A Grand Sport 2.0 Turbo D 170 SRi auto makes a fine all-rounder. It might not quite match a BMW or Audi for overall smoothness or refinement when it comes to the drivetrain, but it’s also not as far off as you might imagine. That’s particularly the case with the more powerful diesel, which gets the improved eight-speed automatic gearbox.
- If you need an estate: Sports Tourer 1.6 Turbo D 136 SRi. Estates will be easier to find in diesel form, and this is arguably the best diesel version of the Insignia you can buy.
