Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport 1.6 Turbo D 110 2017 first drive

This is the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport family saloon in as near to entry-level diesel form as we could manage, where it’s officially for more than 70mpg on the combined cycle, and also cheaper than an equivalent entry-level diesel Volkswagen Golf from the class below. If you like a new car with plenty of good old-fashioned value for money to trade on, few introductions this year will offer more.

Having not only redesigned and re-engineered its Ford Mondeo rival from the ground up, Vauxhall has been singularly aggressive with the new car’s price in a bid to grab back some of the market share lost to the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class since the introduction of the original Insignia in 2008.

So, besides a slightly more exotic-sounding name and crisper exterior styling, the new Insignia Grand Sport comes to UK showrooms in May with prices as low as just £17,115. Matching the kit list of our 108bhp diesel, £19,280 Design Nav test car on a Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI SE will cost you more than £22,000 – and the Skoda’s a smaller car, don’t forget.

This second-generation Insignia is based on an all-new platform. It’s slightly larger but also considerably more spacious inside than the outgoing model, and it has new suspension, running gear and driveline technologies, as well as a range of new and updated engines. The 108bhp diesel we're testing here is likely to be a big part of Vauxhall’s sales mix and, along with its rangemates, benefits from an average weight saving of 175kg compared with the outgoing Insignia.

Higher-end versions of the new Insignia Grand Sport offer features such as asymmetrical four-wheel drive, FlexRide adaptive damping, an eight-speed automatic gearbox, active LED headlights, wireless smartphone charging and a head-up display. Of course, the equipment specification for lower-end models is understandably simpler. But even here you get an 8.0in colour infotainment system with sat-nav, Vauxhall’s OnStar concierge service, onboard 4G wi-fi, keyless entry and the latest electronic safety aids - all in a car that costs less than £20,000.

The new Insignia is a handsome car – much more so than its predecessor – although the creators of the Mazda 6 might point out that, from the front-end particularly, it’s not exactly original. The Insignia Grand Sport's curving roofline, mirrored cleverly by the upwards curve carried just ahead of the rear wheels on its lower bodyside, makes it look more elegant than most larger saloons manage, while the detailing is distinctive and neat. Entry-level Design-trim cars come with 17in steel wheels, but they’re fitted with very attractive trims that make it difficult to tell they’re not alloys.