Opel: Flagship Insignia on an economy drive
MAKES SENSE Opel is now offering a 1.6-liter turbo as the top-of-the-range petrol engine for the Insignia. A clear commitment to downsizing, but without sacrificing driving dynamics. As the brand's flagship, the Insignia is regarded as a comfortable touring sedan or spacious station wagon, but at the same time it also stands for sporty mobility. This successful balancing act is not only due to the engines, [...]
As the brand's flagship, the Insignia is regarded as a comfortable touring sedan or spacious station wagon, but at the same time it also stands for sporty mobility. This successful balancing act is not only due to the engines, but also has a lot to do with the well-tuned chassis.
The range of engines has now been tweaked, even though the current generation has only been on the market for a year and a half. The main reason for this is ever stricter emissions and CO2 regulations.
Significant reduction in standard consumption
One of these changes is the new 1.6-liter petrol engine with 200 hp, which must be seen as a replacement for the previous two-liter top-of-the-range petrol engine with 260 hp. And the reduction in standard fuel consumption from 8.7 to 6.7 liters per 100 kilometers justifies this adjustment. Of course, the performance figures such as acceleration and top speed have also been reduced: the estate with automatic transmission, for example, now reaches 230 instead of 245 km/h and accelerates in 8.2 instead of 7.5 seconds. In everyday use, however, the new 1600 does not feel weak at all, but rather pleases with its good temperament.
All-wheel drive only in combination with diesel
A 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic are available for the new four-cylinder. At first glance, a surcharge of 3500 francs for the automatic transmission seems a hefty sum, although this engine with automatic transmission is also equipped with the adaptive FlexRide chassis. In this combination, the Insignia impresses on the one hand with the suspension's high absorption capacity and simultaneously good feedback from the road and on the other hand with its smooth power transmission, which transfers the engine power to the front wheels with barely perceptible traction weakness. Unlike the previous top-of-the-range petrol engine, however, there is no all-wheel drive, which is probably the biggest drawback for Switzerland; all-wheel drive is only available in combination with the 170 and 210 hp diesel engines.
The new engine for the Grand Sport saloon is available from 39,000 francs (Sports Tourer estate from 40,300 francs).
