Vauxhall Insignia facelift revealed for 2014

The Vauxhall Insignia gets a facelift for 2014 with new engines and lower prices

The Vauxhall Insignia is a more than decent car – and a big improvement on the Vectra that went before – but it’s now almost five years old so it’s time for a bit of a facelift.

Vauxhall has revealed the updated Insignia for 2014 that gets a decent raft of changes, both cosmetically and under the skin, to make it better to live with and more economical.

Sensibly, Vauxhall has cut the bewildering range of Insignia trim levels from 14 to eight (do they need even that many?), with Design Trim at the bottom and Elite trim at the top, and the new Insignia Design starting at £16,279 – £3500 less than the old Insignia ES. Cosmetic changes include the usual changes to the front and back we get on a facelift, with a bigger grill and headlights atop a new bumper with new, extended, lights and a bumper that extends further down at the back, all designed to make the Insignia look more hunkered down and purposeful.

Inside the changes seem more extensive, with a de-cluttered dashboard, new steering wheel, an 8″ touchscreen (option) and materials which Vauxhall say are much higher quality.

Under the skin Vauxhall has had a play with the suspension and claim the new Insignia rides better thanks to revised damper and anti-roll bar settings and the electric steering has had a tweak to give it more feel.

Engines get updated too, with the 2.0 litre CDTi coming in three power outputs - 120PS, 140PS and 163PS – with the 120PS and 140PS managing 99g/km emissions and dropping in to the 14 per cent BIK band.

Petrol engines aren’t ignore with two new engines on offer, the 1.6 litre SIDI with 170PS and the 2.0 litre SIDI with 250PS, and can be had with either a six-speed manual or 6-speed auto, with the 2.0 SIDI also available with 4WD.

The new Vauxhall Insignia – as a hatch, saloon or Sports Tourer Estate – debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with first UK deliveries expected in October.

By Cars UK