What’s it like to live with?
We receive a lot of questions from car buyers along the lines of, “We are expecting (another child) and need a big family car. But I enjoy driving and don’t want something dull.”
In their heads, these people are thinking about big Audis and BMWs. Probably a cross-over or 4x4, or perhaps one of their performance estates. And they are valid selections if you have money to burn. But what about a Vauxhall Insignia?
It looks like an Audi A6. It is as well-built as an Audi A6. It handles as well as a BMW 5-Series estate.
“But it’s a Vauxhall,” I hear you cry.
It is. And for some that may be too much to overcome. Before my Mum’s 60th Birthday party, I offered to give her a lift in the nearly new Insignia, but having not seen or been in the Vauxhall, she declined in favour of her boy friend’s much older Jaguar.
Yet, when I did eventually give her a lift in the Vauxhall, she turned to me, slightly confused and said, “this is really nice.”
A Renault Sport hot hatch driver was equally surprised, when over a series of roundabouts and A-road sprints, he couldn’t shake me off. I wasn’t even in the 4-wheel drive sports version. I was driving the economical eco-flex engine, with a mid range specification.
So, why not give one a test-drive at your local Network-Q dealer and see if it’s brilliance surprises you too. It’s a family car, but it is anything but dull or disappointing.
What’s the right time to buy?
The Insignia loses quite a lot of money in its first year, making nearly new cars an attractive alternative to brand new. But after that depreciation is fairly flat until MOT time, so buying anything up to one year old make sense, but buying a two year old car will see you get less for your money.
After their MOTs prices will soften, but not by so much that it’s worth hanging on to buy at that point.
What else does this budget buy?
The Ford Mondeo is the head-to-head comparison and a two to three year old is almost identical money and average mileage.
It also has striking similarities to an Audi A6, and a two to three year old A6 is some £16,000 more with near identical average mileage. Making the Insignia a significantly better deal.
Summary
An Audi-beating big family estate that carries, cruises and corners as well as anything on the road.