Despite being told by industry experts – some from inside car makers – that people want more efficient (and less powerful) engines to beat tax laws but want to keep high spec, the car manufacturers aren’t delivering.
Well, most aren’t. Trying to match the well-specced Vauxhall Insignia SE 130PS diesel (tested on page 20) to three equally sized and powerful cars proved near impossible. Renault couldn’t do it with a Laguna, Mazda and Honda failed with the 6 and Accord respectively, and the VW Passat only just made it – that’s four of the Insignia’s natural rivals.
Why should those who want a less powerful and, usually, more efficient engine be told they can’t have a decent specification?
Vauxhall’s Insignia should be praised for offering its entry-level diesel in higher trim cars. Interestingly, there’s no saving in official fuel consumption figures or CO2 output compared with the 160PS version of the same 2.0-litre diesel. From a cup half empty point of view this seems a shame, but then from a cup half full standpoint maybe there’s no fuel efficiency penalty of opting for the higher-powered version.