I don't think I'll be telling you something new when I say that middle class cars are experiencing difficult times today.
More often than not, the Mondeo's, Passat's and Insignia's of this world are being beaten in the sales by premium D-segment-cars and crossovers,
but Opel keeps on going and they've facelifted their Insignia. Just like the Astra, it's quite a wondrous vehicle,
because it's still the Insignia that has been developed entirely by General Motors, the previous owner of Opel.
It even has a new range of engines, which are also developed by GM. Diesel-drivers can choose between a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder...
and a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder with different power outputs. Petrol drivers are able to choose between the powerful GSi, producing 230 horsepower...
or the slightly less powerful 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, producing 200 horsepower, which is connected to a brand-new 9-speed automatic.
Just like in the Astra, this Insignia comes with a very unique engine. Because the moment this Insignia goes out of production,
the engine disappears as well and it will be replaced by a PSA-power source. And that's too bad, because in the time I've been a car journalist,
this is the best Opel-engine developed by GM that I've ever driven. Opel-engines in the past, and especially the turbocharged ones, did...
their jobs, but it seemed like they didn't want to do anything. And if there's one thing that this 2.0-litre does very well,
it's producing power with ease. It produces 350 Nm of torque at 1.500 RPM and because of the torque converter and 9-speed automatic gearbox,
so you'll always be around that power output. And because there's quite a lot of engine capacity for current standards,
it never has to work hard to reach the maximum value. You put your foot down and in a fluent manner, it picks up and it produces maximum torque...
at 1.500 RPM. It'll remain that way until you reach 4.250 RPM, which is when it reaches peak power. And it'll produce that amount...
up to 6.000 RPM. It's an engine which easily produces its power, but it's not like you'll be putting stripes on the tarmac constantly.
It sounds like a lot of power, 200 horsepower, and it is. But because this is quite a heavy car, it just feels rapid enough.
But it's mostly the ease, I really like that.
Then, the new automatic gearbox. A 9-speed gearbox with a torque converter. And I have to say, it's not really great.
With all of the torque, you'd think it doesn't need to change gear a lot. However, the drawback of a 9-speed is that it has too much choice.
It's constantly searching for the optimal gear, whilst any gear will do with this amount of power. It changes back a tad too much.
That searching for gears kind of removes the ease from the drivetrain. I mean, with 6 or 7 gears, it would've been good as well.
It's not the engine's fault, nor is it the fault of the chassis. It's quite a big car. Almost five metres long,
a long wheelbase and luckily Opel hasn't tried to make it a dynamic car. Instead, they've aimed for comfort with the Insignia.
And that was an excellent choice for this car. I've been driving a lot of crossovers lately, and when I got in this Insignia I was reminded how nice...
it is to be in a lower car. Also, the car doesn't weigh as much. Only 1.500 kg. That means it's not constantly working to keep all of that mass at bay.
Instead, the moment you steer into a corner, it's set. That way, the chassis is able to remain smooth. And you always have the comfort.
Even in sub-optimal circumstances like this. It's wet, there's leaves, it has winter-tires, but you'll never think it's a compromised car.
It does it all without too much trouble, and it obeys very easily. And that's very nice.
It shows in the interior as well, where you can also see that the Insignia has been around for a few years now.
It's not very modern. The automatic gearbox is operated by the huge gear lever, but it's very clear. If you want to turn around,
you can't really miss the gear lever. You put it two slots forward, so you'll know you're in reverse, and you put it back again,
and you're on your way. Everything is easy, simple, clear, a lot of physical buttons. The multimedia system has been...
updated, which means it's now faster. A very welcome update, but it's still not very comprehensive.
There's a few icons there. However, you've got your satnav, you've got your CarPlay, you've got your climate control...
and you've got your radio controls. You don't need any more. It doesn't distract you in any way.
There are some new safety features as well. The LED-matrix lighting for example, which now has 84 LED-elements per headlight. That used...
to be 16, so this is over five times as good. There's a digitally supported reversing camera with Rear Cross Traffic-alert.
We've all seen those things before on other cars, but not on here. It's a car which is modern enough, a very decent, analogue allrounder without excelling...
in anything.
I do say that it doesn't excel in anything, but the advantage of such a long wheelbase, the space in the back is incredible.
Just take this legroom. Also, despite this car having a panoramic roof and me being 1.80 m. tall, there's nothing wrong with the headroom.
Then there's the boot. It might not be bigger than the boot in a Grandland X when we look at litres, but they're available in the length.
So if you've visited Ikea, or if you need to haul around other long stuff, D-segment station wagons offer much more usability.
And that's very nice. If we look at the prices, they start at €40.000 for the cheapest diesel.
This 2.0-litre petrol in Business Elegance-trim, which comes with LED-matrix lightswill cost you around €45.000 if you select some additional options like...
heated seats, which means you've got a very well-equipped car. And if you look at the Grandland X you can get for that money,
it's not very far apart when it comes to price and performance. However, if you often need to drive tall people or tall things in the back,
or if you just drive a lot, this is most definitely the more comfortable car to drive. So why is this segment suffering again?