Opel’s impressive all-rounder Insignia is a real catch
Overview
The new Opel Insignia is very impressive
Opel Insignia Grand Sport/Sports Tourer
Like a teenager fresh from a holiday romance, I have fallen in love over the summer.
No, I wasn’t reeling in the years back on one of the Canary Islands or Ibiza, my new summer love is on four wheels. In fact, there were two of them.
The first one was the Opel Insignia Grand Sport. This is the new name that some bright spark in Germany spent months coming up with for one of our favourite cars – the Insignia.
Maybe it’s a sign of things to come for the Opel brand, which has recently joined forces in Europe with the PSA (Peugeot/Citroen/DS Automobiles) group.
One thing I can say a lot easier than the name itself is that this latest model is an all-round superb car.
With more and more buyers switching over to crossovers, MPVs and SUVs, it is very hard for companies to design a saloon that still appeals to families and outdoor types – but Opel has got this one spot on.
On the outside, the Insignia (let’s keep it simple name for time being) is one of the sharpest cars around.
And it’s no surprise, as the guys in the white coats with the pencils behind their ears just took most of the design cues from the amazing-looking Opel Monza concept from 2013.
The Insignia is built on the company’s new Epsilon 2 platform and it’s lower, longer and wider than the outgoing model.
This is really noticeable when you sit in the rear seats. There is a big increase in the leg and head room and the whole cabin feels a lot more spacious.
On the engine front, I tested two petrol models, which Opel Ireland say will possibly make up 40 per cent of their sales.
The saloon version I drove was fitted with a whopping 2-litre 260bhp engine with an automatic gearbox.
The company’s claimed fuel figure for this is 8.6l/100km, but I was getting nowhere near that in this particular model. I was touching closer to 12l/100km and that wasn’t even with a heavy foot.
If it is petrol you are interested in then the second model I drove is by far the better option. This one was fitted with a 1.5-litre 140bhp and was much more frugal.
The claimed combined figure on this one is 5.8l/100km and I found this was quite close to the mark in normal everyday driving.
However, there are plenty of diesels on offer too, and they would be much better suited to those doing higher mileage.
On the technology front, the new Insignia is up there with some of the best premium brands I have driven.
The new model features the company’s latest version of its OnStar concierge service, where you can now book hotels and even park by talking to a human in a call centre via the touch of a button.
Both my test models were also fitted with a wifi hotspot, which can pair up to seven devices through the car’s built-in data sim.
I have to say this is a blessing to keep the little ones occupied when you are on a long-distance journey.
Another really intelligent feature on the new Insignia is the IntelliLux LED® matrix headlights that first appeared on the Astra.
These lights have the ability to dip themselves from full beam to normal beam when the sensors recognise an oncoming car, or the car enters an urban area with street lights.
Prices for the new Insignia start at €27,350 for the SC, 1.5-140bhp model.
Diesels start from €29,350 for the SC, 1.6 litre 110bhp model and the range-topping all-wheel drive version tops off at €42,595.
I have to admit I am a big fan of the new Opel Insignia and I think my love affair might last a bit longer than the summer.
