In our Regal-welcoming thread, Martin Schwoerer noted that the Insignia is smaller inside than the Cruze. And guess what? He’s right (trust but verify). The German-market Cruze has 963 mm (37.9 inches) of rear kopffreiheit, while Insignia comes in at 910 cm (35.8 inches) according (PDF) to the guys at motor-talk.de (who cite sources ). These same resourceful forum denizens also dug up the range of distances between the rear and front seats on the Insignia and some competitors and by comparison, Insignia rear seating isn’t sitting pretty.
Ford Mondeo: 12-37 cm
Opel Insignia: 10-37 cm
Skoda Superb: 23-48 cm
Volkswagen Passat: 18-42 cm
As the picture above proves, rear seat space is a perennial complaint in reviews (this one by Autocar) of foreign spec Regal clones. Which is probably why GM is hinting at a “sporty” positioning for the Insignia-as-Buick. Because you have to sell a slightly-more-cramped Epsilon-based Buick somehow.
Well, the ‘somehow’ would be to sell the smaller one with crappy rear space as a coupe, utilizing whatever was salvageable of the folding roof from the “we sold how many?” G6 convertible. This, however, would presume an entire suite of competence that will not be found at de facto bankrupt companies.
So a car could spec out better in this comparison by having a shorter rear seat cushion – leaving a larger distance to the front seat.
Just saying – this dimension is not telling us the whole story.
Similarly, in the early Nineties the Ford Escort had a bigger back seat than the more expensive Ford Contour. The Contour’s rear door opening was narrow as well.
srogers: Sitzflächenlänge (the length of the flat part of the seat) on the rear seats measure 49 cm for Insignia and Mondeo, 48 cm for Passat. Not sure about the Skoda.
Why worry about rear seat legroom? With a squashed roof, only children can sit upright.
I guess the plan is to force buyers to switch to Enclave. Much better profit margin there.
So what? It’s not like it’s a hidden defect. And someone has to be last (law of averages). Do people buy a car based on how many inches of rear legroom there are? Seems pretty far down the list of priorities for me (as I’m not sitting there). And if it’s at the top of the priorities, go sit in one before you buy it.
If “rear seat room is the biggest let down in the Vauxhall Insignia” then everyone would be an idiot not to want one. Go pick on a rear seat your own size!
So what? It’s not like it’s a hidden defect. And someone has to be last (law of averages). Do people buy a car based on how many inches of rear legroom there are? Seems pretty far down the list of priorities for me (as I’m not sitting there). And if it’s at the top of the priorities, go sit in one before you buy it.
What features do you think caused people to choose Buicks for the past, oh, 30 years? A roomy interior is way up there on the list. I’m not saying this is a horrible car, I’m saying it’s an interesting choice for a Buick.
So what? It’s not like it’s a hidden defect. And someone has to be last (law of averages). Do people buy a car based on how many inches of rear legroom there are? Seems pretty far down the list of priorities for me (as I’m not sitting there). And if it’s at the top of the priorities, go sit in one before you buy it.
What features do you think caused people to choose Buicks for the past, oh, 30 years? A roomy interior is way up on the list. I’m not saying this is a horrible car, I’m saying it’s an interesting choice for a Buick.
“What features do you think caused people to choose Buicks for the past, oh, 30 years? A roomy interior is way up on the list.”
Wanting something nicer than a Chevy but not gaudy like a Caddy? I remember lots of Buick coupes that didn’t seem back seat friendly.
“I’m not saying this is a horrible car, I’m saying it’s an interesting choice for a Buick.”
And what were the other choices? Seems this was ready to go, just add grill? I’m not defending GM here as I hate them as much as anyone; I just don’t see your argument in this case, Ed.
I’m with Tosh. So what? The BMW 3-series and assorted Audi A4s don’t offer much rear-seat space. Despite its Camry origins the last-gen Lexus ES330 was very cramped in back (and I’m not tall/long-legged by any standard), though this is rectified in the ES350. I believe most people base their buying choices on how well they fit in front.
The Mondeo has ample room in the back, so i dont see the Insignia having similar figures as being a bad thing
They could just halve the thickness of the front and rear seat cushions…
The Vectra was very roomy in the back. People didn’t like the Vectra, so the Insignia has the sloping roof profile.
That’s not a big problem in Europe, where people buy the wagon instead of the sedan anyway.
If you are giving someone a lift in your car, they should be bloody grateful that you don’t make them ride in the boot!
I don’t understand the fixation of the press on real leg room. Most buyers either are alone with spouse and sit in front. They only take larger adults (friends) occasionally. whoever gets a lift should be grateful and not complain. Who makes the car payment? The guy behind the steering wheel. The other group has children to drive around, and they fit in. If the children get bigger… little rear legroom just gives them motivation to get a job and get their own car :-)
The only car that needs rear legroom are the super rich cars where people have chauffeurs, like an S-class etc.
Which is probably why GM is hinting at a “sporty” positioning for the Insignia-as-Buick. Because you have to sell a slightly-more-cramped Epsilon-based Buick somehow.
Someone should review the saga of the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique for GM management to show them how well that approach worked out in the American family sedan market.
If it didn’t work for a FORD, I doubt that it will work for a Buick.
Honestly we’re talking a matter of an inch here. This is leg room not schlong size, so its rather irrelevant. Being 73 inches tall myself, I’ll have to splay my legs apart with any of the choices.
This being said, the Vauxhall Insignia with leather and the 2.0CDITi with 6 speed rings up with some options at a little over 23k quid or bout $30K. For that I get a car that achieves 54 mpg, goes like stink with little CO2 emission, and that swanky leather interior?? If Chevy could only build an Impala that had half the Insignia’s tricks, I’d be in my happy place.
Oh, and the 4 door saloon is the option. The 5 door hatch is the standard car.
Who the heck needs more leg room than the car pictured?!?!?! Are there that many people with 36″ inseams?
Really?
It’s larger than VWs most popular Jetta. Good enough.
I thought we were on a downsizing trend?
I’ve always wondered why people care about rear legroom. How often do most people have adults sitting in the back of their cars, much less adults for whom they care so much about their comfort as to select an entirely different daily driver?
SKYLARK’D!