Sector: Upper Medium Price: £16,279–£29,329 Fuel: 76.3–39.2 mpg CO2: 99–169g/km

Generally mid-life refreshes are a bit of a wash and a brush-up of bumpers and lights, with the odd slab of cabin trim changed. Don’t assume that of the Insignia’s makeover though, because the changes are so fundamental, that they launch it from just another worthy D sector offering to by far the best car in its class.

For a start, you can now have a diesel Insignia with a scarcely believable 99g/km CO2 rating. Add in on-the-road prices that have been slashed by thousands of pounds to the benefit of the tax position of drivers and their fleets, a much more refined drive and a vastly improved cabin and it really is quite a relaunch.

Still available as a five-door hatch, four-door saloon and Sports Tourer estate, the new range now starts at just £16,279, nearly £2,000 less than entry into the outgoing line-up.

The range has been simplified, which should have a positive outcome on residual values. There are now eight trims (down from 14 in the outgoing line-up), from Design to Elite, with a mixture of new models that will appeal to both retail and fleet buyers.

It’s the 99g/km 140bp and 120bhp 2.0 CDTi ecoFLEX models that will take most of the fleet business and Design and Tech Line versions are packaged with all the kit especially desired by company car drivers, such as Bluetooth, digital radio, cruise control and alloys. In fact a 99g/km Design with sat nav has a list price of less than £20,000. The savings on tax are huge, with some models giving company car drivers a four figure BiK saving over three years against competitors such as the Passat

Why the massive realignment? According to fleet sales director, James Taylor, it’s the result of a decision for more realistic pricing when compared to transactional price and the realisation that with this impressive new engine technology, the time was right to strike a massive blow against the competition. It’s to its credit that Vauxhall has managed to persuade powers higher up in Germany and America that such a bold move needed to be undertaken.

On the outside, the changes are less evident, with some new wider front spoilers and rear tail lamps. It does make the car look like it sits lower to the ground, but it is what isn’t seen that has had an effect on efficiency: extended underbody covers and active grill shutters help to contribute to the most aerodynamic shape in the segment.

The chassis has been uprated too, with improvements to dampers, roll-bars and steering, and new suspension parts, the result of which is an improvement in noise and vibration behaviour and higher levels of comfort. Indeed, out on the road, noise from the engine is noticeably reduced and the ride quality is far smoother. The Insigina was always a good long distance cruiser – now it is even better. It also feels more nimble and even though emissions have been reduced, there is no drop off on performance.

Inside, the cabin is a big improvement. A completely re-designed centre console and instrument cluster has been simplified with fewer buttons for more intuitive operation of common functions, such as air conditioning and infotainment, while the instrument cluster has new dials and a more high-tech look.

The old car’s cabin was strewn with buttons, but drivers can now skip straight to as many as 60 favourite stored functions using a fingerpad. An all-new infotainment system, incorporating Bluetooth-operated internet connectivity, an 8-inch touchscreen, and 3D navigation and voice control and full smartphone compatibility is now available on higher level models too.

167,000 Insignias have been sold since launch in the UK with around 80% of them going to fleets. It’s the bestseller in the sector already, although more by force of Vauxhall’s will than through desirability. Who would have thought, halfway through its lifecycle when anonymity usually beckons, that it would turn into such a compelling proposition?

Verdict:

With emissions of 99g/km, vastly improved ride and cabin quality, alongside huge reduction in prices and tax and well-crafted, spec-heavy fleet-specific models, the Insignia is hard to fault. In fact, in the D-sector, it looks unbeatable on almost every metric you can apply.