Faults:

Oil cooler replaced.

Temp sensor.

Locking issues, due to new key fob, sorted by auto electrician.

Water ingress into spare wheel area.

General Comments:

My Insignia is the first of the updated cars for 2014. It is an extremely good looking car in black with SRi wheels.

Inside the interior is very German like and functional. I love the sporty seats and driving position. Very comfortable and spacious, and super smooth on motorways. Boot space is massive. Electric everything.

To drive the car is very sharp. How well this car drives is what surprised me about it the most. The SRi has stiffer springs which make for fun handling. Ride suffers a bit - rough on some road surfaces but never uncomfortable.

With that sharp handling it's a shame the engine has nowhere near enough poke to have fun. The 1.8 petrol has a healthy 138 bhp, but the problem is it has only 130 ft/lb of torque. And the car weighs around 1500KG. You do the math. To say it is a bit labored sometimes is an understatement! Still, the slick 6 speed manual box allows for quick shifts, drop it into 5th - you'll need to at the start of a hill. With mixed driving it manages around 36 miles per gallon, actually OK for a petrol engine in a heavy car. So the lack of torque aside, this is a fairly economical and reliable engine if looked after. Give it the oil and belt changes it deserves and it is easily more reliable than the more common CDTi diesel engines.

Another good thing about this updated car is the updates to the gearbox - early cars had bearing failure, but it only affected 2008 - 2013 cars. Get a 2014 onwards model and you should avoid gearbox issues.

The fact it is ten years old and now and still feels modern, and looks and drives great says it all, the Insignia is a great car for the money.

Faults:

Clutch.

Oil and coolant leak.

General Comments:

Very nice to drive this Insignia. Smooth ride, sharp handling.

My car is silver, 18 inch wheels, original Vauxhall ones. Very nice.

Inside is stylish in design also, love the seats and equipment levels.

1.8 does not perform well, but averages around 34 - 37 mpg.

Been a good car as a cheap used purchase the last couple of years, easily the best for the money on the market.

Faults:

Clutch, suspension arm, rear exhaust, plus services and consumables. Centre screen "Touchpad" is near useless and unresponsive.

General Comments:

This Insignia is a fantastic looking car in SRi Nav trim in black with 18 inch alloys.

Updated 2014 car benefits from mild cosmetic updates inside and out, but mechanicals and electronics have also had an update - this car has been much less problematic than my old 2009 SRi Insignia.

I should have went for the better 1.4 turbo engine this time however - this has the same old school technology 1.8 petrol engine as before with only slight changes to make it a bit more efficient and lower tax. It's still a poor engine for a 2014 car, very dated, low power (gutless to be honest, especially on hills) and not that great on fuel, best I have had is 38 mpg with a lot of motorway cruising, never the claimed 40 mpg. Still it is a reliable and simple engine if you take care of it. Probably much more reliable than the more common diesel engines in these cars.

Despite the lacklustre performance and economy, the car handles fantastically in SRi trim with stiffer springs. I love driving this car - each journey is a comfortable pleasure and easy going even in tight bends. Controls are as smooth as silk in this car (apart from that touch pad); very spacious also.

A great used buy if you can find a looked after one for cheap enough.