Used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2017-2020 review

There was a time when the estate car was all the rage, but demand for higher-riding SUVs has eroded its popularity. To combat this, Vauxhall gave the Insignia Sports Tourer a name that bore no association with the word estate and gave the car some bolder styling to make it stand out.

To a certain degree, it worked. The Insignia Sports Tourer was withdrawn from sale in 2020, but it is now a popular car on the used forecourts, thanks to its practicality, high equipment levels and its great value for money.

To drive, the Insignia Sports Tourer is hardly exciting, but most won’t be looking for driving thrills in an estate car. The handling is safe and secure, with well-weighted steering that allows you to accurately place the car. It’s very stable on the motorway and allows you to relax on long journeys without having to make lots of tiny steering corrections to keep it heading in a straight line. This is accompanied by very little wind noise – especially on examples fitted with laminated side windows.

There are both petrol and diesel engines on offer and they all come in a variety of power outputs. There is an entry-level 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that comes in either 138 or 163bhp guise, a 197bhp 1.6-litre that was added in 2018 and a range-topping 256bhp 2.0-litre that's pretty swift and comes with four-wheel drive. Diesel options come as either an economical 1.6-litre (109 or 134bhp) or a torquey 2.0-litre (168bhp or twin-turbocharged 207bhp). The petrols are smooth and flexible, while the more powerful of the 1.6 diesel engines is punchy enough for most situations to negate the need for the occasionally boomy 2.0-litre.

The primary objective of a big load-lugger is to carry lots of stuff and, fortunately, the Insignia ST has a square-shaped boot opening and there’s only a shallow bumper to lift items over. Luggage capacity is impressive and it will swallow five people's holiday gear with ease, although rivals such as the Skoda Superb Estate and Volkswagen Passat Estate have bigger cargo areas with the seats up or down.

That said, the Insignia ST hits back with generous levels of standard equipment. Every version comes with lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition – a thoughtful touch since some rivals only offered these as options – along with cruise control, automatic lights and a 7.0in infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. SRi adds 17in alloy wheels, auto wipers and dual-zone climate control; SRi VX-Line gets bigger alloy wheels and a discreet bodykit, heated steering wheel and a 4.2in colour driver's information display. Tech Line has similar toys to SRi cars, just without the sporty trimmings, but adds front and rear parking sensors. Elite has brighter LED headlights and an upgraded stereo. GSI is the sportiest Insignia ST and gets bigger Brembo brakes and adaptive drive modes.

Any version with 'Nav' added to the end of it will come with sat-nav.

If you're interested in buying a used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Touring, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

Prices for an Insignia Sports Tourer start at £8000 for an early car with a respectable mileage. Spend between £9000 and £12,000 on a good 2019 model and £12,000 to £15,000 on a 2020 car.

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The majority of engines used in the Insignia Sports Tourer range are quite economical, particularly if you go for the smallest petrol or diesel units.

On the petrol side, the 1.5T manages an official combined fuel economy figure of 47.1mpg (NEDC) for the standard 138bhp or 46.3mpg if you are looking at the more powerful 163bhp option. Since the difference is so small, you may as well go for the higher-powered model. The 256bhp 2.0-litre petrol is only available in Elite and GSi trims, with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. All this does is hurt overall fuel economy, which is rather low at an average 32.5mpg.

The diesels are best if you cover lots of miles. The 109bhp 1.6-litre diesel is the most frugal at a claimed 65.7mpg, with the more powerful 134bhp version coming in at 62.8mpg.

The larger 2.0-litre diesel is a little disappointing when compared with rivals in relation to fuel economy. The 168bhp manual has a claimed 53.3mpg, with the automatic version bringing it down to 49.6mpg. The top diesel is the twin-turbo 207bhp engine that comes equipped with four-wheel drive and an auto gearbox, knocking the figure down to 40.4mpg.

Due to changes brought in from 1 April 2017, every Insignia Sports Tourer will cost you £165 per year in road tax.

Vauxhall maintenance costs aren’t known for being particularly costly, and often undercut those from rival manufacturers. There are three servicing brackets broken up into interim, main and major for both petrol- and diesel-engined versions. Petrol cars come in at £160, £265 and £365, while diesel models are £170, £296 and £365 respectively. However, two-year-old Insignias can now qualify for discounted servicing and half-price MOTs at the dealership as part of the Vauxhall Service Club. There's even the option to spread the cost as part of a monthly payment.

Insurance costs should be reasonable due to the safety kit fitted as standard.

Every version of the Insignia ST is well equipped, so we'd stick with the entry-level Design Nav because it gets all the kit you'll need, including sat-nav.

Both the 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrols are quite rare on the used market, but the more powerful 163bhp version of the 1.5-litre is worth a look if you don't do many miles. However, we’d suggest going for the more powerful 1.6-litre diesel with 134bhp because it pulls well from low revs while sipping very little fuel.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine provides brisk performance, particularly in 207bhp form, but fuel economy figures are disappointing when compared with similarly potent rivals. Unless you’re towing something big, we’d avoid this and go for the 1.6 instead.

Our favourite Insignia Sports Tourer 1.6 Turbo D Design Nav

The Ford Mondeo is an excellent estate car, with plenty of space up front and a large boot. The load lip is quite low, so it's helpful for those who have dogs. Rear leg space isn’t as good as it is in the Insignia Grand Sport, but the Mondeo has a strong range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from and remains a quiet and comfortable cruiser on the motorway.

If you want the most interior space for your money, then the Skoda Superb Estate would be, well, a superb choice. There are lots of efficient diesel engines and the 148bhp 1.4-litre petrol is remarkably capable, too. Besides its generous rear leg room, the boot is enormous.

The Mazda 6 estate has always been in the shadow of cars such as the Insignia. It doesn’t offer quite the same level of equipment as the Insignia but, thanks to sharp styling, a well-built interior and an excellent infotainment system, the 6 is well worth a look.

If you want something with a touch of class but don’t have the money to run to a Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi, then the Volkswagen Passat Estate could be the car for you. There’s a huge boot, efficient diesel engines and it’s very quiet and stable on the motorway.

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If you're interested in buying a used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.