Caught In The Classifieds: 2014 Vauxhall Insignia VXR

In this week’s “Caught in the Classifieds”, we’ve got one of the most underrated performance saloons ever made. If you’re in the market for an ultra-fast, ultra-luxurious German saloon, you’re probably looking at Audi S4s or BMW 335is. Apart from the already-established German trio, there’s a third, more lucrative option if you’re after something a little bit more special: Vauxhall’s infamous Insignia VXR. This incredible example has 70,000 miles on the clock and comes in at a shade under £11,000, making it one of the best deals currently advertised on Desperate Seller.

Exterior
The first-gen Insignia is a great-looking car. When it made its debut back in 2008, it instantly brought Opel, and subsequently Vauxhall, back on the radar for a lot of people. There’s an episode of Top Gear where both James May and Jeremy Clarkson express their sympathies towards the new Insignia. The first-gen Insignia was, for all intents and purposes, a saving grace for Opel and Vauxhall.

Visually, the standard Insignia has a rather conservative styling, but it was still a lot more interesting than the equivalent C-Class or Audi A4 at the time. It’s one of those rare cars where the front actually matches the rear, which you don’t see all that often nowadays. Then, however, came the VXR edition, and boy did it bring the best out of the Insignia chassis.

There’s no mistaking a VXR for an ordinary Insignia, no matter what angle you’re looking at it from. The body is noticeably wider, with flared arches both front and rear to accommodate bespoke VXR wheels and wider rubber. The front bumper is all-new, with two fang-like air dams on either side. It’s got lower, more aggressive side skirts too, to go along with the lowered ride height.

The rear is just as menacing as the front. It’s got two exhaust outlets and a reshaped bumper with a small diffuser in the middle. The car sits visibly lower than a standard VXR, and it’s got a large VXR badge on the boot in case you haven’t figured out it’s not an ordinary Insignia. By all accounts, this is an amazing piece of design, and according to a lot of people, the first-gen Insignia is smarter-looking than the second-gen which replaced it in 2017.

Interior
Apart from exterior styling, the Insignia brought a lot of changes to the way Vauxhall thought of cabin design. The Insignia felt more upscale and luxurious than anything else Vauxhall had built prior to it. They spared no expense in choosing high-quality materials and making sure the fit and finish are up to par to their German counterparts. As such, everything you touch and feel in the Insignia feels soft and plush. This is a 6-year-old car now, and even though you can tell it’s a little bit dated compared to newer cars in certain areas, pitch it against a similarly-aged Audi A4 or Mercedes C Class, and it feels just as expensive.

The driving position is superb, mostly because you sit nice and low in the car, giving you a better connection to the road. The seats are comfortable but surprisingly supportive, almost as supportive as something you’d expect to find in a fully-fledged RS or AMG. The steering wheel is a great three-spoke design too, perfectly suitable for spirited driving. If I have one criticism, it would be directed towards the rather dull-looking instrument cluster. It does its job just fine and it’s clear to understand, but they should have done something more special since this is their flagship model.

As far as comfort goes, the Insignia is easily more spacious than a 3-Series or a C Class. It’s somewhere between a BMW 3 Series and a BMW 5 Series practicality-wise, which is a great size for a small family or even a daily commuter. The boot is big enough for most people’s needs, and the rear seats can accommodate three full-sized adults for short to medium journeys.

Engine and Performance
When it comes to performance, the VXR is probably most similar to Audi’s S4. Under the bonnet you’ll find a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6, producing a healthy 321 horsepower and 321 lb-ft of torque. That’s just ten horsepower and four lb-ft of torque less than the S4, but the S4 is supercharged whereas the VXR is turbocharged, making it feel faster.

Power is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed manual (six-speed auto was optional), but the system sends up to 90 per cent of that power to the front wheels in normal use to reduce fuel economy. Push the VXR button and the split is a much more reasonable 60/40, front to back respectively, giving the Insignia a planted yet playful feel.

The sprint to 60 mph takes roughly 6 seconds, but unlike most of its German rivals, the VXR isn’t limited to 155 mph. It’ll top out at 170 mph, which is mightily impressive for a mid-size performance saloon.

As a driver’s car, the Insignia isn’t as sharp as a 3-Series, but you can still have fun on a twisty road. Ultimately, it’ll understeer at the limit, which is very similar to how the S4 behaves, but the VXR’s range of abilities is so vast you’ll struggle to phase it on the public highway. Unless you’re pushing jail-time speeds, the VXR feels as fast and secure as a car ever should.

Make: Vauxhall
Model: Insignia
Year 2014
Trim: VXR
Mileage: 70,000
Price: £10,995

Why you should buy one
If I’m honest, I’m slightly baffled why Vauxhall didn’t sell as many VXR models as they initially hoped they would. By all accounts, this is a great car. It’s fast, it’s practical, it’s reasonably economical, and it’s modestly cheap to run for its class. On the bright side, the fact that it isn’t as popular as an Audi or a BMW means you can find some absolute bargains like the one we’ve highlighted here. Unless you’re a badge snob or you want rear-wheel drive in the form of a BMW 335i, you have to at least give the VXR a go. It’s not for everyone, but it’s so different and rare you might just fall in love with it. Interested? Then head over to DesperateSeller.co.uk where you'll find plenty of used Vauxhall Insignia cars for sale.

DesperateSeller.co.uk rating: 8 out of 10