VAUXHALL has announced prices for its very handsome new Insignia model, with the entry model costing a highly competitive £17,115 - around £1,500 less than the outgoing car, writes William Scholes.
The new car is on sale now in Grand Sport hatchback and Sports Tourer estate bodies, with the first deliveries due by the summer.
Engines stretch from 109bhp to 256bhp and include an all-new 1.5-litre petrol turbo unit.
Vauxhall is keen to point out that the new car should be particuarly attractive to business users, with benefit in kind savings of up to £1,983 against key rivals and 'whole life' cost savings of up to £5,691.
The cheapest Sports Tourer is £18,615 while the range-topping 2.0-litre four-wheel-drive petrol model is available in Elite Nav trim from £26,455.
The 109bhp 1.6-litre turbo diesel 'ecoTEC' model, which starts at £18,485, achieves CO2 emissions of 105g/km.
Trim levels include Design, Design Nav, SRi, SRi Nav, SRi VX-Line Nav, Tech Line Nav and Elite Nav.
Vauxhall cites the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb as among the Insignia's chief rivals, claiming it is cheaper to own than any of them.
The new Insignia comes as standard with Vauxhall's so-called 'Front Camera System' which includes lane keep assist, following distance indicator, forward collision alert, low speed collision mitigation braking and active emergency braking.
It also gets Vauxhall OnStar, which automatically calls the emergency services in the event of a crash and also includes 4G wifi for up to seven devices, stolen vehicle assistance, vehicle diagnostics, destination download and smartphone functionality.
