Test Drive The Best Opel Ever Made
Test Drive

Test Drive The Best Opel Ever Made

Test Drive The Best Opel Ever Made

Test Drive The Best Opel Ever Made

The German company believes that the high quality and advanced technology in the new Insignia will attract customers for models such as the 3 Series. BMW.

Everything you need to redirect customers to models like the BMW 3 Series or the Mercedes C-Class for the Insignia is available because the new Insignia not only looks great, it's high tech, and judging by the way it's made, it will even better than its predecessor, which raised the bar in this direction. The reason for the radical change Insignia lies in the genes of the new body with changed proportions. The wheelbase is longer by 92 mm - up to 2829 mm with an increase in the total length by 55 mm, the overhangs are shorter, the track is increased by 11 mm. This is a necessary condition for creating greater dynamics of radiation - just as an athletic body includes not only relief muscles, but also the appropriate proportions between the legs, hips and chest. Adding to this stylistic equation is a subdued light shape, achieved with state-of-the-art LED technology and complemented by a very striking wing detail. The architecture of the sharper front end is accentuated by a narrower and wider upper grille. Many of these details are Monza's signature, and the Grand Sport name added to the Insignia sedan version was misused - the designers managed to "wrap" the roof shapes to the side, making room for the heads of passengers, but also shifting the contours of the windows. -bottom and thus outlining the shape of the car body only with the upper chrome strip. The Sports Tourer lives its life with a rearward-facing window line and a chrome stripe continuing into a casually intertwined three-dimensional curve in the taillights. This is one of the most beautiful parts we have ever seen in a car.

Consumption 0,26

And the dynamics here are in full accordance with the aerodynamics. Both the overall shape of the chassis and each of the details such as the radiator air vent, wheel wrap and floor structure have been optimized to achieve an excellent flow factor of 0,26.

The new Insignia Epsilon 2 platform is built primarily of high-strength steel and features a new structural architecture that contributes to a 60kg weight reduction with an overall reduction of 175kg in the Grand Sport and 200kg in the Sports Tourer. This is combined with an increase in torsional strength and overall body strength. And this, in turn, becomes a prerequisite for reducing the size of the joints of external elements and maintaining their uniformity, which is a very important factor in the subjective perception of design in this form and the feeling of product quality.

The interior also expresses the transition to a new model with its high-quality materials and the shine of something higher. In winter, this comfort is taken care of by the windshield, the steering wheel, the two front and outer rear seats with heating and warning, an optional stationary heater, which is installed at the factory. In the Sports Tourer, the trunk has grown by almost 10 cm to 2 meters, thanks to the new door design (which can be opened by swinging the foot under the car), the distance from the bumper to the sill is significantly reduced, there are many rails and brackets for securing luggage.

High-tech divisions

The main petrol engine of the Insignia is the 1.5 Turbo, which has power levels of 140 and 165 hp. since the torque of 250 Nm for both is in the range of 2000-4100 and 2000-4500 rpm, respectively. In fact, this car is a derivative of the brand new 1.4 Turbo used by the Astra. The displacement of a high-tech direct injection machine with a centralized nozzle is the result of increased piston stroke, which in turn improves torque characteristics. This engine belongs to Opel's range of small displacement engines which are all made of aluminum. We have yet to see the exact values ​​of the car's quality in single and comparative auto motor und sport tests, but at this stage we can say that even the weaker of the two Insignias has quite satisfactory dynamics, mainly due to the reduced weight of the car. The latter, together with the new suspension and steering, make the car more dynamic and controllable in corners. Thanks to the lighter weight, rebalanced proportions and weight balance, the tendency to understeer is reduced, so the Insignia is more confident in its behavior. It is even more stable with wider tires, but this degrades ride comfort. The system with adaptive damping, intended only for the more powerful versions, has also been eliminated.

The larger LNF 260-liter engine has 170 hp. and is equipped as standard with a modern eight-speed Aisin transmission (for the smaller ones, a six-speed automatic or manual transmission remains) and a dual transmission with GKN torque vectoring at the rear axle and the possibility of an individually tuned sport mode. In the second case, for the first time, a system is used that does not use a differential, planetary gears and clutches to transmit different torque to each of the wheels, but uses a much less complex mechanism consisting only of clutches. The system works amazingly accurately, is much lighter and provides greater stability in corners, while dynamic driving transfers more torque to the outer wheel, stabilizing the car on its trajectory and reducing the need for ESP intervention. The same combination of transmission and tandem transmission is available for the larger 1.6 hp diesel engine. The diesel lineup also includes the all-aluminum and high-tech 110 CDTI engine featured in the previous Insignia, with 136 and XNUMX hp.

The question arises about the gap from 165 to 260 hp. which remains in the power range of gasoline engines, but according to Opel, more will be added to the aforementioned engine. It will probably be the 1.6 Turbo, also with a central injector in its 200 hp version.

Of course, the driver and passengers have at their disposal a proven assistance system with a huge palette of assistants, a head-up display, a combination of virtual and analogue devices and OnStar technology that helps in case of detecting and sending accidents. and also when looking for addresses in navigation, and more recently when booking a hotel and searching for parking. Part of the function of the latter is to provide a 4G / LTE WiFi hotspot for five devices. Intellilink infotainment systems are some of the best on the market and include the ability to integrate your smartphone with apps such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For fans of a high-quality audio system, Bose has taken care of a system with eight speakers.

Special mention should be made of the incredible matrix LED lights, which completely change the setting for night travel. The latter are based on 32 LED elements and allow both automatic switching to different modes and constant high-beam driving outside the city limits with automatic "masking" of other road users.

The icing on the cake for the Insignia is called Opel Exclusive. The program allows buyers to add elements to the body and create their own color. In fact, you can order a car of any color, having previously modeled it on the Opel website.

Dekra's high marks for the quality of the previous Insignia suggest that the successor will be even better in this regard.

Text: Georgy Kolev

2020-08-30

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