Sector: Upper-medium Price: £23,284 Fuel: 72.4mpg CO2: 104g/km

Take a look again at the figures in the banner above… 104g/km of CO2 and 72.4 mpg in a large family estate car are pretty impressive (and they’re not even the best you can get as there are more frugal Insignias available).

It just shows that rate of progress within automotive companies that a car such as this one, with 140bhp and a sporting slant thanks to its SRi badging, can deliver such figures.

It adds up to increase the Insignia’s appeal in the fleet arena. Realigned pricing coupled with those impressive CO2 figures mean that this car would cost a base rate tax-payer around £60 a month in company car tax.

That’s not bad considering not only the size of this car but also the equipment that comes as standard in SRi specification which includes satellite navigation as well as alloy wheels, Bluetooth telephony, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, and MP3 music compatibility.

For a car which will likely spend a lot of its time travelling on business, this is a decent place to do it. The interior is roomy (five adults can fit easily) if a little dark thanks to the charcoal trim which abounds, but it all feels durable and rattle free.
The diesel engine delivers smooth performance allied to a six-speed manual gearbox which has a short and positive action.

One area where the Insignia has always performed well is with ride quality, and this latest version is no different. Unusually for a sporty model, this Insignia rode on 16-inch alloy wheels with tall profile tyres. While this doesn’t do much for the sporty appearance, it does make this car far easier to live with day in, day out. You’re certainly not doubled up in agony after putting in a 100-mile trip in the Insignia, which is more than can be said for some sport-badged upper-medium models.

And another glance up to the top again, if you don’t mind… the price tag of £23,284 is pretty impressive for a car such as this, especially when you consider the creeping prices of lower-medium cars in the sector below.

For more details on the Vauxhall 3 Day Test Drive programme for fleet decision makers and company car drivers, click here.