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| From Blog |
And welcome to my new company car, a 2010 Vauxhall Insignia Elite.
I’ve never been a massive Vauxhall fan but changes to my company car scheme gave me the vast choice of errr… a Vauxhall. I could have chosen a Zafira but they were only available in low trim levels, so it was always going to be one of these.
The colour was my boss’s choice as this was meant to be his car, but as he’s resigned I got it to save ordering another one in a different colour. Fortunately I like this particular shade of blue.
First impressions? The specification is significantly better than my previous car, including parking sensors, satellite navigation, a 160PS turbo-diesel engine with 6-speed manual, heated leather electrically adjustable front seats and full iPod control through the hifi. I spent 40 minutes reading the manual for the hifi alone.
Driving home for the first time became something of an adventure given the two inches of wet snow lying everywhere. It took two and a half hours to drive less than twenty miles home, and I never got higher than third gear.
Fiddly irritations that I hope I’ll get used to are the electronic handbrake, which is fine to put on but you have to press the brake pedal to release it and that’s a pain when you’re in a six mile tailback on a hilly B-road. Also the switch on the indicator stalk to flip through the trip computer screens should be on the end of the stalk in my humble opinion.
On the plus side, the automatic dipping headlights are amazing! Driving on backroads becomes much more relaxing when you don’t have to worry that you’re dazzling oncoming motorists.
Although there’s a USB port in the centre console, and the hifi is iPod compatible, it’s not iPhone compatible which is a bit annoying given that the iPhone has been on the market for a couple of years now. However you can pair the phone with the car via bluetooth giving you full hands-free calling.
I keep finding new features in this car, but my favourites so far are the heated seats and the DAB radio. And the auto dipping headlights, and the memory facility on the driver seat, and the sat nav.
More updates to come!
Key stats:
March 2010 Vauxhall Insignia Elite. 2-litre 160PS Ecotec turbo diesel engine with 6-speed manual transmission. 5-door hatchback. No optional equipment other than the Waterworld metallic paint.
- Mileage covered: 74
- Number of drivers: 2
- Average fuel consumption: unknown
- Total fuel cost: £0
- Front tyre life: unknown
Best things:
- Heated Seats
- Hifi system with Sat Nav
- Space
- Parking sensors
- Automatic dipping headlights
Worst things:
