An old boss of mine firmly believed that you needed eyes in the back of your head to survive in this world.

The designers of the Insignia Grand Sport clearly agreed by fitting electronic ‘eyes’ in the back, side and even an extra pair up front of the car to help keep everyone safe.

We will come back a little later to the technology fitted into the coupé-styled five-door which sits on a different platform from the previous generation Insignia, which won the European Car of the Year in 2009.

The result of the new design is not only a sleeker car and one that is considerably lighter, but one with a more roomy interior.

As well as being more spacious, the seats for the driver and front passenger give excellent comfort, being certified by “Aktion Gesunder Rücken” (Campaign for Healthy Backs) and offering a combination of side bolster settings, massage, memory and ventilation.

If it’s chilly there is a heated windscreen and steering wheel, while heated seats are available not only for the driver and front passenger, but also for the people sitting in the outer rear seats.

Power on the test car, in top-specification Elite Nav trim, came from a 200 horsepower 1.6-litre engine, which happily delivers crisp acceleration, refined long-distance cruising and day-to-day fuel consumption approaching 40mpg.

The car driven here rode on whopping 20-inch, five twin-spoke alloy wheels which understandably picked up imperfections in our less-than-perfect road surfaces, something I suspect might not be as pronounced if smaller wheels were fitted.

As befits a top-grade model, the systems helping the driver are extensive and include a superb head-up display which projects a choice of information on speed, traffic signs, set speed of speed limiter, or navigation direction, on to the windscreen, helping you keep your eyes on the road.

In addition, the car is equipped with adaptive cruise control, which measures the distance to the vehicle in front, adapts the car’s speed and will also automatically brake if the distance decreases suddenly.

Lane keep assist with lane departure warning provides nudges on the steering wheel to stop you unintentionally drifting out of their lane.

The rear cross traffic alert system uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects coming from up to 20 metres at 90 degrees from the left or right side behind the vehicle, making reversing out of driveways or parking spaces safer and easier and at the other end, forward collision alert helps avoid front-end collisions with emergency braking.

Advanced park assist uses ultrasound sensors on the Insignia’s front and rear bumpers to identify suitable parking spaces and automatically parks the car without you needing to touch the wheel, only requiring you to control the pedals and gears.

Slim headlights contain 32 LEDs that automatically and constantly adapt the range and distribution of light, all while managing to avoid dazzling other road users.

The entertainment system, linked to a seven-speaker Bose sound system, has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto links for smartphones and Vauxhall’s OnStar system offers everything from automatic crash response to a new ‘concierge’ service allowing you to call an OnStar operator at the touch of a button to help with anything from finding the nearest car park and having its location sent to the car, to booking a hotel room.

The system even allows up to seven devices to be connected to the Wi-Fi hotspot fitted in the car.

So whichever way you look at it, it’s an impressive package.

Auto facts

Model: Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Elite Nav 1.6 Turbo

Price: £29,860 as tested

Insurance group: 25E (1-50)

Fuel consumption (combined): 42.2mpg

Top speed: 146mph

Length: 489.7cm/192.3in

Width: 186.3cm/73.1in

Luggage capacity: 490 litres/17.3 cu ft

Fuel tank capacity: 13.6 gallons/62 litres

CO2 emissions: 145g/km

Warranty: Three years/ 60,000 miles