IT’S RARE that I get an opportunity to meet the designers of any of the new cars I drive. But exactly four years ago this month I was among a group of Irish motor writers who got to met English-born designer Malcolm Ward in Loch Lomond, Scotland for the launch of Opel’s new Insignia.
Malcolm’s father and grandfather both worked at the Opel/Vauxhall plant in his home town of Luton, so you could say that he has Opel in his blood. It was interesting to see Ward stand alongside the Insignia he designed. He seemed proud of the new look headlights, the blade effect on the side of the car and the impressive looking steering wheel and dashboard which looks a bit like the cockpit of an airplane.
Ward has since been promoted to Director of Exterior Design for General Motors Europe, so obviously he did a good job on Opel’s replacement for their old Vectra.
Over the past four years we have had various versions of the Insignia and last week I drove a 1.4 litre petrol model of the Insignia SC. In recent years many car manufacturers have switched to diesel which offered low C02 emissions, but recently Ford, with their Ecoboost petrol engine and now Opel are putting their faith in petrol once again.
A few years back nobody would consider putting a 1.4 litre petrol engine into a saloon of this size. But the times they are a changing and this 1.4 turbo petrol engine, which gives you 140 brake horse power, was well up to the task. Petrol cars are cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain also.
The Insignia is a beautiful looking motor and I suppose the first thing that you notice is the coupé look, even though it’s a four-door. Inside the dash is very impressive and the version I drove had Sat Nav which is always useful. There is ample room for five people and plenty of head room in the back despite that coupé look. The boot is massive and you get a
‘mini’ spare wheel underneath. It’s a really smooth car to travel in and all the family really enjoyed their time spent in the Insignia.
All cars look good when they are new, but how about wear and tear? Well according to DEKRA the German-based inspection company, the Insignia is the car with fewest defects in the mid-size segment. The Insignia was beaten into first place overall this year by the Opel Astra. Opel’s Corsa was voted best by DEKRA in 2010 and the Insignia won last year, so full marks to the German manufacturer for consistency.
“The fact that our brand has the best car in the DEKRA report for three years in-a-row is further proof of the high quality of our vehicles,” said Alain Visser, Opel Vice President Sales, Marketing and Aftersales Europe.
Two small gripes. The seven-inch colour screen on the dash is very bright at night. Maybe the glare can be reduced, but I couldn’t see any button to do it. It’s definitely a distraction for night driving on dark country roads. Also I think Opel should have a red light on the tiny electronic hand-brake to show you when it’s activated.
Prices start at
?¬25,495 and naturally there are lots of extras which will push up the price. The stop/start technology keeps the C02 emissions down in the 1.4 petrol version and it’s in Band B for road tax purposes. For the petrol heads among you I would definitely recommend the 1.4 petrol turbo Insignia.