Eco Insignia means business

Apr 27 2009 Chris Russon

Eco Insignia means business

VAUXHALL is laying claim to another title for its award-winning Insignia - that of the greenest repmobile.

An ecoFLEX version of the 2009 Car of the Year is going on sale with low CO2 emissions and maximum economy for a car of its size.

Priced from £19,600 the car is powered by a two-litre diesel engine developing 160bhp but with emissions of 136g/km and average mpg of 54.7.

Its low tax - 18 per cent for business users - is certain to make it attractive to fleet buyers.

The Insignia out-performs its greatest rival, Ford's Mondeo ECOnetic, in every aspect. Not only are the Vauxhall's emissions lower it is also significantly quicker with a 0 to 60mph time of 8.9 seconds compared to the 11.3 of the Mondeo.

Vauxhall says the Insignia EcoFLEX has a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy on the 2.0 CDTi model giving it a potential range of over 842 miles.

The environmentally friendly image has been created by making the car more aerodynamic with panelling to the underside, a lower ride height by 10mm and fitting low rolling resistance tyres. Gear ratios have also been modified to reduce pull on the engine.

The EcoFLEX range tops out at £25,745.00 for the Elite Nav version and the low emission models are available across the Insignia hatchback and saloon range.