| Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer | ||
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(Thu 02 Oct 08) The third model in the new Vauxhall Insignia range - after the four-door saloon and five-door hatch - has made its debut at the Paris Show.
The Insignia Sports Tourer (or estate as we used to call them back in the old days) has a capacity which varies between 540 and 1510 litres depending on what you do with the rear seat and whether you're prepared to load up to roof level. These figures are only slightly ahead of the Insignia hatchback, and the second one is well short of what the Ford Mondeo estate provides, but there are interesting touches nonetheless, including self-levelling suspension and powered support for closing the tailgate. As an option, the tailgate can also be made to open to a pre-programmed height if the car is parked in, say, a garage with a low ceiling. Another clever trick is the use of TopTec upholstery on models with beige trim. TopTec resists staining and won't allow liquids to penetrate it, and is "up to 50% easier to clean" normal cloth, so this is clearly the choice for families with small children. Or just messy people generally. The Sports Tourer will be sold with a choice of seven engines, two of which are new to the Insignia - a 187bhp two-litre twin-turbo diesel and a 178bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol. These will both be made available to other Insignia models in due course. Vauxhall also says that there will be a Sports Tourer version of the low-CO2 ecoFLEX model which is also making its debut in Paris. Insignia Sports Tourer prices start at £17,815 on the road for the entry-level 1.8 petrol model. |
