On the face of it, it would appear that Vauxhall has decided to completely ignore the prevailing environmental concerns and gone back to the good ol' way of selling cars - by adding power and a cool badge. However, the new Insignia BiTurbo uses the standard 2.0 CDTi diesel engine that currently sees service in the Insignia, Astra and Zafira Tourer range, with the addition of a second turbocharger increasing power from 158- to 192bhp, making it the most powerful diesel engine the Luton marque has ever produced.

The twin-sequential turbo set up sees a small turbo kicking in early to defeat lag by providing 258lb.ft of torque from just 1,500rpm. In the mid-range both turbochargers work in tandem delivering peak torque of 295lb.ft between 1,750- and 2,500rpm with the larger unit standing alone from 3,000rpm. The extra power of the single-turbo 2.0-litre engine sees the 0-60mph time drop to 8.2 seconds, yet despite the performance upgrade the BiTurbo achieves a combined 57.6mpg and CO₂ emissions as low as 129g/km.

The Insignia BiTurbo comes in either a five-door hatch or Sports Tourer guise and will be available with either front- or four-wheel drive. The front-wheel drive cars gain Vauxhall's FlexRide adaptive damping (normally a £790 option) that can 'learn' how the car is being driven and adapt damper settings accordingly.

The Insignia BiTurbo is on sale now with prices ranging from £27,120 for the SRi 2.0 CDTi hatchback model rising to £33,320 for the Elite 2.0 CDTi Sports Tourer with an automatic gearbox.