Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer estate (2008-2017) - Interior & comfort

As expected from a car at the more upmarket end of its class, the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer has a very well built interior. Though it’s perhaps not quite as well screwed together as a Skoda Octavia Estate’s or BMW 3 Series Touring’s, it feels very solid, with good-quality materials used throughout.

The seats in particular are worth highlighting, as they offer excellent support that help make the Insignia Sports Tourer a very comfortable car on longer journeys. There’s also plenty of driver’s seat height adjustment, as well as a steering wheel that adjusts for reach and rake, so finding your ideal driving position should be easy.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer dashboard

Even when compared to some of its premium rivals, the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer’s interior is impressively put together. While it may not boast the same exemplary fit and finish you get in an Audi A4, it’s still well built and smartly styled.

19

The large touchscreen (added as part of the Insignia’s facelift in 2013) also helps give the interior a classy feel. With most functions being controlled using either the multimedia display or the multifunction steering wheel, there are now far fewer buttons cluttering up the centre console, making it easier on the eye and less complicated to use when you’re on the move.

All Vauxhall Insignia interiors come with plenty of high-quality soft-touch plastics and a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and all Insignia Sports Tourers can be fitted with leather seat facings regardless of what trim level you choose.

Equipment

As with the regular Vauxhall Insignia saloon and Insignia hatchback models, the Sports Tourer comes with a decent (if not exactly groundbreaking) amount of equipment as standard. Even entry-level Design specification features a DAB digital radio, cruise control, climate control and a tyre-pressure monitoring system as standard.

Company-car buyers in particular should consider Tech Line spec, as this has been designed with the fleet buyer in mind. Along with all the equipment available on the entry-level model, this trim adds more hi-tech items such as Vauxhall’s IntelliLink sat-nav system and a digital instrument display that’s clearer and easier to use than the standard gauges.

Apple CarPlay integration is bundled with the the Navi 900 IntelliLink infotainment system, which is fitted as standard to more upmarket models (although it's available optionally with the lower-spec R700 Touch system) and Vauxhall's OnStar connectivity and service assistant is available for a £79 annual fee (although the first year is free).

Options

Perhaps the most useful optional extra for most Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer buyers will be the front and rear parking sensors: given the car is quite long and visibility out the back isn’t particularly good, it’s likely these will be incredibly useful during tight parking manoeuvres.

If ride comfort is also a high priority, we’d recommend the FlexRide adaptive damper setup, which allows the driver to alter the driving characteristics of the Insignia Sports Tourer using a range of pre-determined driving modes. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the FlexRide system can’t be specified with every engine and trim level.