Vauxhall Insignia Hatchback (2009 - 2017) 2.0 CDTi (140bhp) ecoFLEX SRi 5d Owner Review

2.0 CDTi (140bhp) ecoFLEX SRi 5d

20 January 2021

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In their own words

I bought the car for it's reported MPG and low running costs (I figured it was in the "travelling salesman" bracket so comfort, mileage and reliability would surely have been taken care of). I LIKE : it's looks, it's pretty comfortable on long journeys (I do a lot of them), it cruises well and MPG has always been over 60 (I can get 850-950 miles on a tank), looks of the dash, displays and centre consol, plenty of room for 4 adults to travel comfortably, decent boot space (although nothing too tall or it won't close properly), cheap to run and insure; I DO NOT LIKE : Infotainment with a mind of it's own, 140bhp feels sluggish and sometimes needing a run up to be able to overtake safely, passenger seat position not easy to adjust, if the car is wet when you open the boot the run off gets you wet too, the edges of the bootlid are pointed and sit at a dangerous, potentially blinding, height. Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, but with heavily emphasised caveats. Overall the car has been good to me, in terms of mechanical reliability and running costs, but the issues with the Infotainment system (which apparently cannot be repaired, replaced with a second hand Vauxhall unit or replaced with an after-market unit, it can only be replaced with a brand new one from Vauxhall for nearly a grand) and several difficult (avoidable) experiences with the main dealer and Vauxhall Head Office mean that I would say buy with caution. If I have options, I will be avoiding this manufacturer in the future.

How reliable do you find the car?

Overall the car has performed well from a mechanical and mpg point of view, however the infotainment system regularly has glitches (changing settings / displays, different radio station and moves from DAB to FM / AM when returning to use the car, shows "No Device Connected" when my phone IS actually connected, occassionally it won't work at all, the list goes on and on). This was confirmed as a known fault by 2 senior technicians at 2 separate Main Dealers, but denied and dismissed by Vauxhall Head Office. It took nearly a year of persistant hounding for me to get anywhere but in the end the best Vauxhall could do was to offer £150 off the £800+ repair.

Does the car do everything you expected it to do?

Many expectaions met, but sadly the Infotainment issues mentioned above and the struggles with Vauxhall themselves mean a massive feeling of "let down" overall.

How they rated it
Reliability: 4 out of 5 4.0
Meets Expectations: 2 out of 5 2.0
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 3.0
Sean St Albans doesn't recommend this car