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The Contenders: dynamic, spacious, innovative and sensibly priced

The all-new Opel Insignia is in extremely good shape. It has the sporty elegance of a large coupé, its completely new architecture makes it uncompromisingly spacious and truly fun to drive, and it offers exemplary safety and comfort features just as a true flagship should. Not only does the second-generation Insignia impress with its breathtaking … Continued

The all-new Opel Insignia is in extremely good shape. It has the sporty elegance of a large coupé, its completely new architecture makes it uncompromisingly spacious and truly fun to drive, and it offers exemplary safety and comfort features just as a true flagship should. Not only does the second-generation Insignia impress with its breathtaking lines on the outside and great wellness atmosphere on the inside, it also provides the widest range of intelligent technologies reaching from the trendsetting Opel IntelliLux LED® matrix headlights and the very sophisticated all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring to ultra-modern driver assistance systems and a refined head up display. In addition, the Insignia comes with Opel-typical first-class connectivity with smartphone integration which now offers a new Opel OnStar feature – the Personal Assistant which allows Insignia occupants to book hotel rooms[1] and search for parking[2] via an OnStar Advisor. Overall, the new Insignia wows with high agility and driving precision, more space and a superb price-performance ratio that now more than ever make it a contender to be reckoned with, even for premium brand models.

For the first time at Opel, the new Insignia generation is available with an intelligent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring – power transmission to individual wheels – eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 360° camera. Together with new generation turbo engines, up to 200 kilograms less weight (depending on the variant) and a lower seating position, the new Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer are more agile than ever before and give the driver an extraordinarily direct and rewarding driving experience. Equipped with many assistance systems of the latest generation, the new Insignia not only cares about the safety of its occupants: it is the first Opel with an active aluminum hood which, in case of a collision with a pedestrian, lifts in milliseconds to increase clearance with the hard engine parts, thus improving protection considerably.

“Opel lands a major coup with the new Insignia generation. Our flagship is filled with high-tech for everyone; with affordable technologies that make driving safer and more comfortable. No other car in the Insignia class can boast as many ultra-modern technologies. We made it light, agile and fantastic to drive. And our designers gave the Grand Sport and Sports Tourer an exceptional combination of elegance and athleticism,” said Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.

The newcomer is thus in the ideal position to even top the first Insignia generation’s success: the “Car of the Year 2009” was sold 900,000 times. The new Opel Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer recently displayed their qualities publicly for the first time when they made their premiere at the Geneva Motor Show.

Pure emotion: Design inspired by Monza Concept

The much-admired Monza Concept was the inspiration behind the interior and exterior design of the Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer – after all, the mission was to make the new Opel flagship look as upscale and athletic as the concept car.

The results are convincing. The Insignia Grand Sport looks as lithe as it is light. The new generation weighs up to 175 kilograms less than its predecessor; the new Sports Tourer is even up to 200 kilograms lighter. While the wheelbase of the completely new architecture has been elongated by 92 millimeters to 2,829 millimeters, the Insignia Grand Sport’s overhangs have been reduced and its tracks widened by 11 millimeters. A 29-millimeter lower, sweeping roofline, prominent grille with slim-line headlamps and rear end high-tech look add to the Insignia’s design drama, giving it an athletic and elegant silhouette reminiscent of a four-door coupé. The new Grand Sport is as sleek as it looks: it has an exemplary drag factor of 0.26 making it one of the most aerodynamic vehicles in its class.

The new Insignia Grand Sport already takes many cues from the athletic Monza Concept but this is taken even further in the Insignia Sports Tourer. The newcomer looks much more athletic and agile. Its stance is also emphasized by the longer wheelbase, the reduced front overhang and the increased front and rear track. The Opel blade starting in the front door and sweeping towards the rear helps carry the eye from front to back. Directly inspired by one of the most iconic design cues of the Monza Concept, the chrome window blade dynamically flows into the LED tail lamps and visually lowers the only 1,500 millimeter tall Insignia Sports Tourer, giving it an even more athletic appearance. The silver roof rails (standard in all equipment levels) emphasize the high-quality design.

Pleasantly practical: Interior with wellness guarantee

The attention to the smallest detail is also tangible inside the new Insignia. Like the exterior, the cockpit clearly reflects Opel’s design philosophy “sculptural artistry meets German precision”. The driver sits lower than previously and is therefore better integrated into the car, getting a sportier, more engaging and intense driving experience. Much attention has been paid to the controls and the infotainment interface. While the head up display enhances the digital character of the instrumentation, the frameless touchscreen of the IntelliLink system exudes a sophisticated and technical character. Many functions are controlled via the touchscreen in order to simplify the interface. The center stack area has been designed with three functional zones of controls (from top to bottom: infotainment / climate / assistance systems) to facilitate quick and intuitive operations.

Rear-seat occupants also greatly benefit from the reworked proportions and enjoy more space. The Insignia Grand Sport trunk volume of 490 to 1,450 liters is quite impressive, while the new Sports Tourer offers a maximum of 1,665 liters – over 130 liters more than the outgoing model. And an excellent view is available with the optional 1,400 x 860 millimeter panorama sunroof that stretches back over the rear passengers’ heads.

The Sports Tourer features new practical details: in order to make loading as easy as possible, the tailgate can be opened with a kick, without touching the car. In combination with “Keyless Open & Start” a simple small kicking motion under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate and a further kicking motion under the bumper will close it. The clever system can detect any obstruction and stops the mechanism in case of emergency. Then there is the fuel filler cap detail: Opel engineers decided to forgo the customary twist-off cap in the new Insignia generation. Now refueling is easier, faster and above all clean.

Propulsion technologies that increase driving pleasure

The new Insignia is as dynamic to drive as it looks. It is available with a wide range of efficient latest-generation turbocharged engines and transmissions. They have been designed to provide excellent real-life fuel efficiency and low fuel costs. Tests conducted under the WLTP driving cycle (Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure which, compared with the currently applicable NEDC, is more representative of real driving behavior) show that the fuel consumption of the volume engines available for the new Insignia (Gasoline: 1.5-liter Turbo; Diesel: 1.6-liter Turbo) is down by between 3 and 10% compared to the equivalent outgoing variants,

The engine portfolio starts with a newly designed extremely efficient gasoline unit, the 1.5-liter Turbo with 103 kW/140 hp and 121 kW/165 hp (NEDC fuel consumption Grand Sport: urban 7.3 l/100 km, extra-urban 4.8-4.7 l/100 km, combined 5.7 l/100 km; 130-129 g/km CO2; NEDC fuel consumption Sports Tourer urban 7.7-7.5 l/100 km, extra-urban 5.3-4.8 l/100 km, combined 6.2-5.8 l/100 km, 141-132 g/km CO2). A further highlight is the top-of-the-range gasoline engine for the new Insignia.

The 2.0-liter Turbo delivers 191 kW/260 hp and maximum torque of 400 Nm (NEDC fuel consumption Grand Sport: urban 11.2 l/100 km, extra-urban 7.1 l/100 km, combined 8.6 l/100 km; 197 g/km CO2; NEDC fuel consumption Sports Tourer urban 11.5 l/100 km, extra-urban 7.1 l/100 km, combined 8.7 l/100 km, 199 g/km CO2). The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder unit comes in combination with the completely new eight-speed automatic transmission, which shifts smoothly, and a highly sophisticated all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring – a unique feature in the midsize segment. On this high-tech all-wheel drive system, two multi-plate clutches replace a conventional rear axle differential and can accelerate the wheels individually in a split-second depending on the driving situation.

The propulsion offering for the Grand Sport is rounded off by the new six-speed manual transmission for the popular 1.6-liter diesel engines with outputs of 81 kW/110 hp and 100 kW/136 hp (NEDC fuel consumption Grand Sport: urban 5.1-4.6 l/100 km, extra-urban 3.9-3.6 l/100 km, combined 4.3-4.0 l/100 km; 114-105 g/km CO2). Above this comes the refined 2.0-liter diesel, which will also be available for the Sports Tourer at launch, with 125 kW/170 hp (NEDC fuel consumption Grand Sport: urban 6.7 l/100 km, extra-urban 4.3 l/100 km, combined 5.2 l/100 km; 136 g/km CO2; NEDC fuel consumption Sports Tourer urban 6.9 l/100 km, extra-urban 4.3 l/100 km, combined 5.3 l/100 km, 139 g/km CO2). A wider selection of diesel engines will be available for the station wagon variant soon.

Safety first: Outstanding assistance systems

The new Insignia not only impresses with a state-of-the-art propulsion technology but also with ultra-modern assistance and comfort features. No other model in the segment offers such a wide range of intelligent technologies as the new edition of the Opel flagship.

One of the highlights in every sense of the word is the second generation of Opel’s innovative and award-winning adaptive IntelliLux LED® matrix light, with 32 LED segments – twice as many as in the Astra – taking over the high beam function. The increased number of LED segments enables the various light patterns to adapt to the prevailing traffic situation even more precisely and the transitions are faster and more seamless. To improve visibility even further while driving through curves on full high beam, Opel engineers added an innovative active curve lighting function to the new Insignia’s IntelliLux LED® matrix headlights. Last but not least, a further, dedicated LED spotlight located within the low beam module provides additional illumination at full high-beam for up to 400 meters.

Additional driver assistance systems:

  • Head up display projects information such as speed, traffic signs, set speed of speed limiter and adaptive cruise control or navigation direction onto the windshield in the driver’s direct line of sight.
  • 360° camera consists of four individual cameras, one on each side of the car, enabling a 360-degree bird’s-eye view and thus facilitating parking and low speed driving maneuvers.
  • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with automatic emergency braking uses a radar sensor to measure the distance to the vehicle in front, adapts speed accordingly and initiates automatic emergency braking if necessary.
  • Lane Keep Assist with automated steering correction. If the system registers that the car is unintentionally drifting out of its lane, it shows this on the display and actively counteracts it by providing gentle steering wheel movements.
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The system uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects coming from up to 20 meters at 90 degrees from the left or right side behind the vehicle when reversing out of a parking spot.

First-class: Top-level comfort and infotainment

The new Insignia generation also set standards in comfort. The best example: the premium ergonomic seats of the new generation certified by “Aktion Gesunder Rücken” (Campaign for Healthier Backs). They offer a unique combination of electric side bolster settings, massage, memory and ventilation functions in addition to the multiple standard adjustment possibilities. Passengers in the second row can also look forward to more comfort, because like the driver and front passenger seats, the two outer rear seats are also available with seat heating. Elsewhere, the heated windshield guarantees good visibility quickly on cold winter days while the heated steering wheel keeps the driver’s hands comfortably warm.

Great entertainment and outstanding connectivity – both typical for Opel – are ensured by the latest Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible IntelliLink systems. And while the smartphone is seamlessly integrated into the vehicle’s infotainment it now can also be charged wirelessly. Naturally, the groundbreaking 24/7 connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar is also on board, offering services ranging from Automatic Crash Response to Stolen Vehicle Assistance. A new Personal Assistant service will be launched together with the Insignia, enabling its occupants to ask Opel OnStar advisors, for example, to book a hotel room or find a parking space. Furthermore, the 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot featured in the OnStar system allows all Insignia occupants to connect their devices to the net.

The new Opel flagship is available to order as a Grand Sport limousine from €25,940 and as a Sports Tourer station wagon from €26,940 (RRP incl. VAT in Germany).

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