What's all this about?
Vauxhall has announced that the Insignia is the latest model to receive the new 1.6-litre 'Whisper Diesel' engine. The new unit replaces the 2.0-litre unit and is priced from £19,534 to £26,114.
What are the key numbers?
Maximum power is 136hp, which is enough for a maximum speed of 130mph and 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds according to the manufacturer's figures. When fitted with 17-inch wheels and low-rolling resistance tyres (as available on Design, SE, Tech Line and SRi models) the official CO2 figure is 99g/km with EU combined cycle fuel economy of 74.3mpg.
Any other new stuff?
The Insignia range is now available with OnStar, which provides a range of connected services. Elite, Limited Edition and VXR models come with OnStar as standard with the system costing £395 on other models. OnStar acts as a Wifi hot spot for up to seven devices, it will also notify the emergency services if the airbags deploy and can help get the car recovered if it is stolen. It acts as the driver's personal assistant, available around the clock. An example of the service is Destination Download; if you call OnStar the advisor will pinpoint your destination and send the address to the navigation system.
The Insignia is fitted with the second generation Navi 900 InteliLink that uses Apple CarPlay; described as bringing the best iPhone connectivity in to the car. Operated by an eight-inch touch screen the navigation system includes maps of over 30 European countries and offers two- or three-dimensional display. Other features include the option to have incoming messages read aloud, audio streaming and even playback for films and video when the car is stationary. IntelliLink also includes voice control for navigation and entertainment.
John Lambert - 6 Jun 2015