That’s the choice to replace my lovely Audi A1. Is the extra size of the insignia worth it for bike carrying duties. I need to be able to get a Fatbike in the boot (with the seats down)…
Ta

Had an Insignia as a company car and had an Astra on extended hire.
I preferred thd Astra to drive and it was decently roomy, but the Insignia boot is vast if that’s important to you.

The tech line and the GTC are lovely.

I’ve had insignias through work but I bought a 2.0 CDTi Astra as my personal car.

If I bought again id go tech line.

Not what I was expecting. Thanks guys….

Can’t comment on the Astra but had an Insignia 2.0 SRi as an extended loan car earlier this year and really liked it which suprised me as I’ve always just assumed all Vauxhalls are shite. Got the Zafira Tourer tech line as my company car now which is ok to drive, reasonably comfy and not bad on fuel with the 1.6 diesel lump. Is one of those an option? Far more practical than the Insignia for 3 kids and bike duties.

Tourer or hatch?

Driven many Insignia’s and a few Astra’s, all awful, but then I have an aversion to anything with a Vauxhall badge.

An insignia I had was the single most uncomfortable car I’ve ever had the misfortune to drive. It gave me sciatica I’m sure.

The petrol versions of both cars are terrible. Diesels are much better tho.

Is it a company car or your own money you are spending?

I had an Insignia for 4 years 160 bhp diesel and it was great to drive very comfy and lots if room in it. However it did spend a lot of time getting fixed in the garage. As it was a company car it was no big issue but the servicing bills would have been hefty to pay privately.

For a big car it handled very well and I would go back to it from the Passat I have now but I got a lot more toys with the VW surprisingly

Edit- economy wasn’t great abot 43mpg with a mix of roads. 50 on a run

What Pook says. MrsT uses hire cars regularly for work. She has asked not to be given the Insignia unless nothing else is available. Hire company says they are aware of this and have had others request the same!
Peugeot 308 also caused her to have a few days off work due to driving position causing back problems 🙄

The Insignia SRi I had with the sports seats was incredibly comfortable other than the lowish seating position, I have a couple of slipped discs and often suffer badly on journeys much over an hour. The seats in more basic models look poor although I haven’t sat in one.
My Zafira has all sorts of electrical niggles with the sat nav, seat belt warnings etc but nothing bad enough to make me bothered enough to get it sorted before it gets it’s first service. I think it’s a stretch to describe any new car in these categories as awful but I still wouldn’t spend my own money on a Vauxhall. As a company car, no problem.
I also had a Mondeo 2.0 as a long term hire car, now that was uncomfortable. I gave it back and asked to be given anything else which is how I ended up with the Insignia. Contrary to most reviews I found the Insignia superior across the board.

The petrol versions of both cars are terrible. Diesels are much better tho.

That’s a shame, as the previous 2.2 petrol was a good engine – and the 3.0 V6 even better.

I’ve an Insignia as a work car. It’s not that great with bikes despite its size. Can get a frame in the boot with one rear seat folded down but you’d be better with a roof rack. Things randomly stop working and it keeps rolling away when the electronic handbrake is supposed to be on.
Makes me miss my WRX Impreza wagon even more 🙁

Can’t you keep the Audi?

I have had an insignia for 3 years and not a good bike car unless using roof racks. The boot is big but the rear window slopes very sharply so not as big as you think. Astra probably more ideals space if wanting to put bikes inside.

With regard to comfort, I am now getting a zafira (company car) via occupational health- the poor seating position in the insignia is well known within the business.

However, up until it became uncomfortable it was a great car.

Oh, and if it was my own money, I certainly wouldn’t buy a Vauxhall.

We had an Astra SRi 2.0td auto as a courtesy car earlier in the year. Horrible.

B pillars obscured too much. OH could barely see over the dash. Feedback was terrible. Auto box was always hunting around.

On the plus side it gripped to holy hell but it should do with tyres and wheels that big.

When I finally got to be alone driving it (was the OHs courtesy car until we bought her a new car) i was able to give it some real stick on the country lanes and then it did grow on me a bit. If you really grab it by the scruff of it’s neck and use the grip (and gearbox in tiptronic) then it was actually a bit of fun. But as a daily driver it was just horrible.

At least it was better than the Corsa rental car we had the day before.

They did offer her an Insignia estate which if it was for me I would have taken but glad we didn’t for her as they really are big chunky cars with terrible visibility.

Agree about poor visibility with the Insignia.Economy wasn’t great either.The 2.0 cdti 160 I had gave 45mpg averages compared to 60 that I get from the 3 series I have now.
Never had a problem with comfort though.

I have an Insignia (the 160bhp diesel) and really like it.

Pros:

* Decent fuel economy (although terrible from new it’s now settled at about 60)
* Comfortable seats and driving position
* Suitable for lazy drivers – point ‘n’ shoot, though since I never drive anything in a spirited fashion I’d take that with a pinch of salt. Stability protection acted once when I came across a new mini-roundabout in the wet that wasn’t sign posted.
* Decent level of toys – the radar emergency braking saved my bacon when someone tried to pull an insurance scam on me (random emergency stop pulling onto an empty roundabout with no brake lights).
* Lifetime warranty
* Cheaper than the competition.
* 0% finance from Vauxhall so fixed cost of motoring
* Boot on the hatchback is enormous, swallows two bikes and all the kit with no difficulty.

Cons:

* Fuel economy probably not quite as good as the newest BMWs (but equally it doesn’t get stuck when a snowflake hits the road six miles away)
* Some squeaks and rattles.
* The DAB radio packed up a month from new but was fixed under warranty.
* The gearbox is verrrryyy long and stretched out. 70mph in 6th is barely 1500 rpm, and you can hit 80 in 2nd. So expect to change down to overtake. (6th will do you down to about 50 mph on the motorway if you don’t mind a leisurely acceleration).
* Unchippable, the protection on the ECU is unlike anything else around.
* The lane departure warning won’t actively steer you back – it’s just that, a warning.

Would I buy another? Probably. The next car won’t be a Vauxhall though.

Company car. I certainly wouldn’t think of actually spending my own money on one. I think I’ll try and keep the Audi, if I can’t look at the astra, both choices are diesel.

I think I’ve ruled the Insignia out. Too big for my partner to drive. Has anyone actually put a bike in the rear of an Astra, as from pics it looks as if the folded seats take up the space behind the driver and passenger seats, which is where I need to point the handlebars in the Audi.

Is the Astra the only option they’re offering you? Can’t you opt for a Golf Estate or something Jap made?

Golf Estate

Ooh, I’m close to buying one of these. Too scared to post my own thread though. People might try to put me off and I’ve. MADE. A. DECISION!

bikes go in my golf easy enough, just pop out the front wheel,
drop the back seats. i suspect the astra is much the same size ?

I have 2 choices an Astra or an Insignia. I just popped down to the dealer.
The Insignia would be too big for my partner to drive and has a 9″ shelf to get bikes in and out of the boot and a low ceiling.
The Astra is slightly better but again there is a lip and it’s an Astra…

Insignia estate?

take an extended test drive….. the seats in Vauxhalls are a bit marmite….

I hated the insignia that I had on hire both the seats and the way the whole car drove…however I’ve driven a late model Saab 95 which was far superior yet from the same family tree