Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer
Price £21,945
0-62mph 9.6 seconds
Top speed 131mph
MPG 49
CO2 121g/km
Eco score ★★★★☆
“What’s the best car you’ve driven?” is a very different question to “What’s the car that would be best for you?” I often get asked the former. My answers range from a 1956 Jaguar D-Type and the first Land Rover Defender, with its iconic number plate HUE 166, to the futuristic VW XL1 that’s so aerodynamic it has a fuel range six times that of a Golf. But I rarely get asked the latter. Matters of reliability, load space, comfort, safety, wipeable surfaces and nonslip storage caddies aren’t nearly so sexy. And yet these are the factors that will determine the car we buy, drive and live with. Chuntering past a showroom-fresh Porsche stranded on the hard shoulder is the actual definition of schadenfreude.
Each year the JD Power survey compares responses from owners of new cars to compile a dependability hierarchy. It might surprise you to hear that there are no premium brands in the top 10. The UK’s most dependable car brand this year is Peugeot, followed by Skoda and Hyundai – the least dependable is BMW. I’m always pleased to see Skoda ranking well. To the people who ask me to recommend a car that is practical, stylish, roomy, efficient, reliable and affordable, I usually point them towards a Skoda Superb. But this week I’ve had to take a closer look at my answer, because Vauxhall’s new Insignia is more than a match for the Superb.
The Insignia concept first appeared back in 2003. If it makes you feel old thinking how grown-up your kids are, then the fact that the Insignia has been around that long makes my head spin. In motoring’s confusing family tree, it was produced by Opel as a replacement for the unloved Vectra. Vauxhall is run by PSA, the parent company that owns Peugeot, which may explain why Vauxhall has risen up the rankings on the JD Power list to come in at a laudable sixth place this year.
It’s been over a decade since the Insignia was overhauled and the improvement is enormous. The car is now an easy to live with workhorse. But Vauxhall wasn’t content merely to tick the boxes of a middle of the road, middle ground, middle management motor. The Insignia is more upmarket than many of the other cars it rubs shoulders with in the corporate car park.
The new model is longer than before. The leg space for rear passengers is amazing. I can think of few other cars that treats its back-row guests so hospitably. The car comes as a five-door hatchback and also as a country estate or a sports tourer. There is a huge range of engine options and trim levels to choose from. But every model is reasonably well equipped, so you can upgrade with the luxuries you prefer when it comes to taking the edge off a long journey. I’d go for DAB radio and adaptive cruise control if given the choice. Engine-wise, this is the sort of mile-eater that would traditionally always have been a diesel, but you’ll find the 1.5 and 1.6-litre petrol engines smooth, willing and remarkably efficient.
Is this the best car I’ve ever driven? Probably not. Is this the car that would be best for me? Yes, definitely.
Watch your parking
As we return from holiday adventures abroad, many of us will have had to tangle with different rules of the road in different countries. One that can be really perplexing is parking. RingGo, the number one UK parking app, has come up with 12 fun facts in relation to driving and parking abroad that you probably didn’t know.
When parking outside the boundaries of a town in Portugal after dark, you risk a fine of £230 to £1,150.
When parking in Russia, ensure your car is clean. Driving a dirty car or motorhome is not permitted.
Never park your car while wearing flipflops in Spain and France. This could result in a £74 fine. Also, parking barefoot or in high heels could result in fines.
Parking in Denmark? Always look under your car before driving away to check there is nobody lying under it to avoid a penalty.
In Greece and Norway, you are not allowed to smoke in the car, let alone when parking your vehicle.
Are you travelling to Thailand and planning to hire a car? Do not get behind the wheel without a shirt – driving bare chested is forbidden.
If you wear glasses, be advised that in Switzerland you need to have a spare pair of glasses with you when parking. You are also obliged to have the car lights on at all times here.
In Sweden you should not park your car for six or more consecutive days in the same spot.
If you are travelling to Bosnia-Herzegovina, are younger than 23 and have had your driving licence less than a year, you are not allowed to get behind the wheel between 11pm and 5am.
In Spain various markings on the street identify the type of parking allowed: a blue dotted line refers to short stay paid parking, a green dotted line identifies parking spots for permit holders and yellow lines indicate you are not allowed to park.
Be advised that passengers in Japan can be fined if the driver is drunk.
If you are ever in the unlikely circumstance of owning an elephant in Florida and you want to go to the supermarket you will have to ‘park’ the animal and pay the parking rate.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166
