18/05/2022
In the challenging large sedan segment, Opel is re-launching its Insignia, a benchmark model since winning Car of the Year in 2009. This new generation features a refreshed and modern design, while remaining true to the spirit of its predecessor.
In December 2008,
the marketing of the 4-door and 5-door versions began. In terms of the
passenger compartment, it is remarkable whether at the front or the rear. Only
the middle occupant will be a bit cramped due to the transmission tunnel. Also,
accessibility to the rear seats is limited because of
its roof curvature, which is reminiscent of a coupe. Its imposing size of
4.83 m sometimes reduces rear visibility, which makes it a little difficult to
maneuver and pass-through narrow lanes. It demonstrates good performance on the
road, great benefits thanks to its powerful engines.
In 2017, the
Insignia CDTI or Cosmo underwent restyling, which was available as a Sedan and Break.
This Insignia in turn has a «Country Tourer» version. It delights people who
have a sense of family by being enlarged by more than 6 cm for the Sedan and
more than 8 cm for the Break. The equipment has been improved and its interior
is also above average. The same is true for the trunk.
On the mechanical
level of the Sport To car, we can distinguish three petrol engines, namely a
1.5 turbo of 140 hp, a 1.5 turbo of 165 hp and a 2.0 turbo of 260 hp, and four
diesels including a 1.6 D with 100 hp, a 1.6 D with 136 hp, a 2.0 D with 170 hp
and a 2.0 D with 210 hp. The 260 hp 2 L is specially designed for the sporty
GSi version. On the transmission side, the manual gearbox is present in all
Insignias with the exception of the 210 and 260 hp versions which, for their
part, use a 6-speed gearbox as standard. In automatic, there is a 6-speed BVA
on the 165 hp turbo petrol and the 136 hp turbo diesel, and another 8-speed for
the 260 hp petrol and the 170 and 210 hp diesels. Unlike a BV8, it lacks responsiveness.
All-wheel drive is available as an option on the 170 hp 2.0 D. On the other
hand, it is offered as standard on the 260 hp petrol and 210 hp diesel. The
diesel engines are therefore powerful, but a bit noisy. Admittedly, its torque
of 400 Nm is quite low, but it allows it to have sufficient power to obtain
strong accelerations to slip into traffic. Despite such power, the Insignia
CDTI has an average consumption of 6.7 L per 100 km, a reasonable appetite for
its performance.
The real success
of this new generation of Insignia Grand Sport version (notchback sedan)
probably lies in its style. The line is much more tapered and elegant, the edge
that runs along the sides accentuates the dynamics of this silhouette cut at
the back. A real statutory and modern car at the same time, the Insignia has
nothing to envy to its German premium colleagues.
On the interior
side, on the other hand, Opel has probably missed a step with this fairly basic
interior that lacks modernity. As much as the dashboard is well designed with
fairly well integrated ventilation and its recessed touch screen, we would have
liked more ergonomics in the layout of the controls.
The passenger
compartment is rather strangely configured since if the front seats are very
low, the rear seats are rather raised. Why not, it does not prevent that it is
necessary to appreciate this posture when one is in a driving position. At the
rear, passengers will nevertheless be entitled to a large space devoted to
their comfort. The trunk is rather generous with its 490 liters.
On driving
pleasure, the Insignia sticks to the brand's standards. Rather reactive and
dynamic, it nevertheless suffers from a very rigid manual gearbox, especially
at low revs, which requires repeated downshifts in town. Too bad, because the
brand had so far been able to configure rather flexible manual gearboxes.
Otherwise, we appreciate the suspensions of the car which significantly softens
the ride.
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