Opel Insignia: Much more than a car to take you from A to B

FOR some people life can be a drag, especially in the month of January, but Opel claim that their revamped Insignia makes life a drag for their rivals which include the Mondeo, Avensis, Passat, Octavia and Mazda 6.

The German manufacturer has made some discreet changes to their Insignia and in doing so they have lowered the drag coefficient.

By making changes to the body design, Opel’s engineers have reduced the car’s drag coefficient to under 0.25 for the Insignia Hatchback and 0.28 for the Sports Tourer.

In plain language that means that the car passes very easily through air. I’m told you would really appreciate how drag coefficient works if air was as visible as water; then you could see the drag left behind. Enough physics for today.

Just over five years ago I travelled to Scotland for the launch of the Insignia, which replaced the solid Vectra. The car was designed by a bright young man named Malcolm Ward from Luton. It was fascinating to see the designer standing alongside the car he worked on and point out the different aspects of his design. He seemed very proud of the new-look headlights, the blade effect on the side of the car and the impressive looking steering wheel and dashboard.

Since then, Malcolm has been promoted to the role of Director of Exterior design for General Motors Europe, so obviously his superiors must reckon that he did a good job on the Insignia. I’m not sure what input Malcolm had into the revamp of the Insignia, but some bright spark knows that a car is now much more than a vehicle to take you from A to B. The dash area is really like a home entertainment centre. You can pre-select up to 55 radio stations and store a plethora of phone numbers.

Apart from the goodies available on the eight-inch touch screen in front of you, there are discreet changes externally and C02 emissions have also been reduced. There is room for five adults, but head room is a bit tight for any six-footers in the rear. The boot is massive and you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel. There is now stop-start technology and keyless entry. So the key can be left in your pocket or maybe in a cubby hole near the gear lever. However, if you walk away and leave the keys in the car the horn sounds to remind you. Nice idea.

Prices start at

?¬24,995 for the 1.4 petrol version, but the 2.0 litre diesel version I drove with lots of extras like Napa heated leather seats, heated steering wheel and 20-inch alloys, will cost you e43,513.

However, not everybody in Ireland or indeed Germany will have the cash to opt for all those extras. I think the reason Opel has made so many extras available is to show their German rivals: Audi, Mercedes, VW and BMW, that they can provide top of the range equipment in their cars if demanded.