Most Insignias will use one of the diesel engines offered – a 2.0 CDTi available in either 130bhp or 160bhp outputs. The performance is competitive and the 130bhp version will sprint from 0-60mph in less than 11 seconds, while the 160bhp engine takes 9.3 seconds.

Standard transmissions for these engines are six-speed manuals, but they are also available with a six-speed automatic.

The entry-level engine is a 1.8-litre petrol engine boasting 140bhp and it’s quite a lively engine with almost as much power as many other 2.0-litre engines.

New to the Insignia range with the Sports Tourer is a 180bhp 1.6-litre turbo. It offers extra performance over the standard 1.8-litre engine, but its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are almost identical making its fuel and tax costs no worse.

Above it in the range sits a 2.0-litre turbo with 220bhp and at the top is a 260bhp 2.8-litre V6, which although rapid, will probably be the least popular engine.

Updated in 2013

Following the facelift in 2013 the engine choice includes three diesel engines, all based around the 2.0-litre unit from before. Power outputs are 118bhp, 138bhp and 161bhp – the two lower-powered versions being the most efficient on offer.

Petrol options are a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with 168bhp and 280Nm of torque, while the big power comes courtesy of a 2.0-litre version with 248bhp and 400Nm.

The Insignia doesn’t have the same appeal to driving enthusiasts as a Mazda6 or Ford Mondeo. Its steering is too light and the ride becomes too ruffled, particularly on cars with 18-inch wheels. It never seems to settle properly on less than perfect surfaces and fidgets a fair bit. Versions with smaller wheels feel rather more composed on poor roads, showing it isn’t worth paying the price for impressive looking alloys.

There is the option of a ‘Flexride’ system that allows you to choose a comfortable or sporty set-up for the car. This takes the form of two buttons on the dash marked ‘Tour’ (a more comfortable setting) or ‘Sport’ (firmer and more responsive). The 2.0T and 2.8T V6 – the two turbocharged petrol engines – are also available with ‘Adaptive 4×4’. In slippery conditions this senses when a wheel has little or no grip and applies more power to the other wheels to compensate.

After being revised in 2013, the Insignia handles much better than before. It’s still obviously tuned more for comfort than out-right cornering ability, though.