2014 VAUXHALL INSIGNIA brakes

16In briefTransmission
Manual transmission
Reverse: with the vehicle stationary,
depress clutch pedal, press the
release button on the selector lever
and engage the gear.
If the gear does not engage, set the
lever to neutral, release the clutch
pedal and depress again; then repeat
gear selection.
Manual transmission 3 161.
Automatic transmissionP=parkR=reverseN=neutralD=drive
Manual mode: move selector lever
from D to the left.
<=higher gear]=lower gear
The selector lever can only be moved
out of P when the ignition is on and
the brake pedal is applied. To engage
P or R, press the release button.
Automatic transmission 3 156.
Starting off
Check before starting off ■ Tyre pressure and condition 3 239,
3 288.
■ Engine oil level and fluid levels 3 214.
■ All windows, mirrors, exterior lighting and number plates are free
from dirt, snow and ice and are
operational.
■ Proper position of mirrors, seats, and seat belts 3 36, 3 46,
3 54.
■ Brake function at low speed, particularly if the brakes are wet.

Instruments and controls115
Valet mode
Some functions of the Driver
Information Centre and the Colour-
Info-Display can be limited for some
drivers.
Activation or deactivation of valet
mode can be set in the menu
Settings in the vehicle personalisation
menu.
Vehicle personalisation 3 117.
For more information see
Infotainment system manual.
Smartphone controller The smartphone controller allows a
smartphone to access vehicle data
via WLAN or Bluetooth connection.
This data can then be displayed and analysed on the smartphone.Vehicle messages
Messages are indicated in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC), in some
cases together with a warning and
signal buzzer.
On Baselevel display press the SET/
CLR button, the MENU button or turn
the adjuster wheel to confirm a
message.
On Midlevel and Uplevel display
press 9 button to confirm a message.
Vehicle and service messages
The vehicle messages are displayed
as text. Follow the instructions given
in the messages.
The system displays messages
regarding the following topics:
■ Service messages
■ Fluid levels
■ Anti-theft alarm system
■ Brakes
■ Drive systems

Driving and operating147Driving and operatingDriving hints............................... 147
Starting and operating ...............148
Engine exhaust .......................... 155
Automatic transmission .............. 156
Manual transmission ..................161
Drive systems ............................ 162
Brakes ........................................ 162
Ride control systems .................165
Driver assistance systems .........170
Fuel ............................................ 201
Trailer hitch ................................ 208Driving hints
Control of the vehicleNever coast with engine not
running (except during Autostop)
Many systems will not function in this
situation (e.g. brake servo unit, power steering). Driving in this manner is a
danger to yourself and others. All
systems function during an Autostop,
but there will be a controlled reduction
in power steering assist and vehicle
speed is reduced.
Stop-start system 3 152.
Pedals
To ensure the pedal travel is
uninhibited, there must be no mats in the area of the pedals.Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can
be steered but may require increased
effort.
Control indicator c 3 102.Caution
Vehicles equipped with hydraulic
power steering:
If the steering wheel is turned until it reaches the end of its travel, and
is held in that position for more
than 15 seconds, damage may occur to the power steering
system and there may be loss of
power steering assist.

162Driving and operatingDrive systems
All-wheel drive The All-wheel drive system enhances
driving characteristics and stability,
and helps to achieve the best
possible driveability regardless of
ground surface. The system is always
active and cannot be deactivated.
The torque is distributed steplessly
between the wheels of the front and
rear axle, depending on the driving
conditions. Additionally the torque
between the rear wheels is distributed
depending on the surface.
For optimum system performance,
the vehicle's tyres should not have
varying degrees of wear.
If a service message is displayed in
the Driver Information Centre, the
system may have limited functionality (or be completely disabled in some
cases, i.e. the vehicle switches to
Front-wheel drive). Seek the
assistance of a workshop.
Towing the vehicle 3 253.Brakes
The brake system comprises two
independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The
braking distance is extended. Seek the assistance of a workshop before
continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 101.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.ABS starts to regulate brake pressure as soon as a wheel shows a tendency to lock. The vehicle remains
steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent
through a pulse in the brake pedal
and the noise of the regulation
process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake
pedal fully depressed throughout the
braking process, despite the fact that
the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce
the pressure on the pedal.
After starting off, the system performs
a self-test which may be audible.
Control indicator u 3 102.
Adaptive brake light During full braking, all three brakelights flash for the duration of ABS
control.

Driving and operating165
Operation of brake assist might
become apparent by a pulse in the brake pedal and a greater resistancewhen depressing the brake pedal.
Maintain steady pressure on the
brake pedal as long as full braking is
required. Maximum brake force is
automatically reduced when brake
pedal is released.
Hill start assist The system helps prevent unintendedmovement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the foot brake after
stopping on an incline, brakes remain
on for further two seconds. Brakes
release automatically as soon as the
vehicle begins to accelerate.
The hill start assist is not active during an Autostop.
Stop-start system 3 152.Ride control systems
Traction Control system
The Traction Control system (TC) is a
component of the Electronic Stability
Control.
TC improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip, by
preventing the drive wheels from
spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is braked
individually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
TC is operational as soon as the
control indicator b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.
9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 103.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required:

Driving and operating173
vehicle speed increases or decreasesto follow the vehicle in front, but willnot exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store
and maintain speeds over approx.
15 mph and brakes automatically to
follow a slower vehicle driving ahead
to a minimum speed of 9 mph. On vehicles with automatic transmission
the system brakes to a stop.
Adaptive cruise control uses a radar
sensor to detect the vehicles ahead.
If no vehicle is detected in the driving path, the adaptive cruise control will
behave like a traditional cruise
control.
For safety reasons, the system
cannot be activated before the brake
pedal has been depressed once
since switching on ignition. Activation
in first gear is not possible.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly
advised to be used on long straight
roads like highways or country roads
with steady traffic. Do not use the
system if it is not advisable to
maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 105, m 3 105,
C 3 105.9 Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the cancel
switch have priority over any
adaptive cruise control operation.
Switching on
Press button C to switch on adaptive
cruise control. The control indicator
m or C in the instrument cluster
illuminates white.
Activation by setting the speed Adaptive cruise control can be
activated between 15 mph and
112 mph.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and

174Driving and operating
maintained. Control indicator m or
C in the instrument cluster
illuminates green.
The adaptive cruise control symbol,
the following distance setting and set speed are indicated in the Driver
Information Centre.
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated while gearshifting.
Overriding set speed
It is always possible to drive faster
than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is
ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.
9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates braking by the system. This is indicated as a popup
warning in the Driver Information
centre.
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+: speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+: speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in

Driving and operating177
Deactivation
Adaptive cruise control is deactivated by the driver when:
■ button y is pressed,
■ brake pedal is applied,
■ clutch pedal is depressed for more than four seconds,
■ gear selector lever of automatic transmission is moved to N.
The system is also automatically
deactivated when:
■ vehicle speed accelerates above 120 mph or slows down below9 mph (on vehicles with automatictransmission it slows down to a stop
without deactivating within
two minutes),
■ Traction Control system is operating for more than
20 seconds,
■ Electronic Stability Control is operating,■ there is no traffic and nothing detected on the road sides for
several minutes. In this case there
are no radar echoes and the sensor may report that it is blocked,
■ collision imminent braking is applying the brakes,
■ radar sensor is blocked by an ice or
water film,
■ fault is detected in the radar, engine
or brake system.
Additionally the system is
automatically deactivated on vehicles
with automatic transmission (full
speed range adaptive cruise control)
when:
■ Electric parking brake is applied,■ vehicle is being held to a stop by the
system for more than two minutes,
■ vehicle stops and a door is opened.
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically, the control indicator m or C illuminates white
and a warning symbol is displayed as
a pop-up in the Driver Information
Centre.
The stored speed is maintained.
9 Warning
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, the driver must take
over full brake and engine control.
Switching off
Press button C to switch off adaptive
cruise control. The control indicator
m or C extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.
Switching off the ignition also
switches off adaptive cruise control
and deletes the stored speed.