Presentation and test range Opel Insignia, design, equipment and price

In the final stretch of the first decade of this century that we live, or, how is the patio, in this period in which we try to live, the German Opel, together with the giant GM, hit the table with a proper name, Opel Insignia. The Vectra hung up the boots and its place was taken by a sedan with more of everything. Four years later, it's time review the model and today, on the occasion of meeting him, the painful sound of the alarm clock at five in the morning suits me "a little" better.

The morning leaves a rarefied sky. Will the sun shine? Or maybe I'll meet and wish a sea of ​​rain? For now, at the time of arrival, a nice man from Opel waits for me to take me to the Ten and half, the location chosen for such an event. After getting through the incessant traffic in Madrid, a more complicated task than getting out alive at the opening of the sales, here I am. We begin.

Small movement with good result

La Opel Insignia range is updated, and brings surprises. The German county company has timidly molded the structure where, the deepest changes, will not be seen with the naked eye.  More than half a million units sold in Europe is the balance of the first attack, a good first attempt that leaves designers with little desire to risk.

To begin with, the front receives new optical groups with LED technology, the sedan now looks with more angular features thanks also to the new bill bumper. The grill remains practically unchanged benefited, yes, by a reflector which will act, opening or closing, depending on the situation.

Walking my hand over its curves, they warn me that I am facing the most aerodynamic mid-sedan in its class with a coefficient of friction of only 0,25, a real effort by the engineers who, despite maintaining the same height as its predecessor (1.498 mm), make this new generation a most efficient vehicle. The silhouette in the four-door variant acquires, inspired by the C-pillar, a slightly more sedan gene. For its part, the five and familiar, continue the known approach with few alterations.

But it is when I finish the rodeo, this 360º turn that I am narrating to you, when I stop with measure. Without a doubt, and for my taste, it is in the rear where the flow of lines find harmony, the part where I understand this canvas. The pilots, as was the case in the front area, retire the old ones, but these, unlike the forwards, are more daring. With LED technology they appear more original by taking exactly the same handful from the jar of elegance and that of sportsmanship. The rest make him a muscular guy.

They barely get full

Who is at the controls of the new Opel Insignia you will no longer need previous knowledge of piloting airplanes. Finally, the oversized keypad that looked more like the one in the cockpit of a AirBus A380, it has disappeared. The voices of so many have been heard and they present us with a clean, fresh, ergonomic cabin and… with few buttons! The touch screen, 8-inch, is in charge of managing the infotainment system, an intuitive and easy-to-handle tool. Too bad that in an effort to clean the center console, they have left little used and poorly masked areas.

This relaxed atmosphere, which has plenty of space in both the front and rear seats, is one of the longest sedans in its class at 4.842 mm. in length -12 more than its predecessor- and 4.913 mm. if we measure the Sports Tourer, it equips as a novelty a redesigned multifunction steering wheel and AGR seats. Dropping my weight on these seats, I understand the "compliment" that accompanied him when they told me about them: they are comfortable, well armed and they hug your back like a water bed.

The "5" wins

Willing to discover how provided comes the new generation of the Opel Insignia, I return to investigate the rear. The gestures of my face change profoundly if I approach the four-door or five-door variant. They both enjoy a baggy trunk, but the last one, the one with the gate, gains 30 liters, completing a total of 530. A choice that I share with the majority of users of this model with a preference of more than 60% of customers.

Everything at your fingertips

But this is where the innovation a point is scored, in the so-called touchpad. This "palpable name" refers to the option that, centimeters from my right hand, is located in the transmission tunnel. Through the touch of my fingers, I access the multimedia system, telephone, GPS, and even recognizes the trace of letters that I draw and can use to write an address. An interesting feature built into the intellilink of Opel that will accompany, next year, several mobile applications that will allow the driver to update the system.

among so much technologysecurity is especially important. On this thorny issue Opel Insignia stick out chest with some proper names or, rather, their own acronyms: RCTA, LCA and SBZA which, translated and simplified, refer to different sensors that plague the deck of the German to alert you to what is traveling in the lane you are going to occupy at a maximum distance of 70m, rear cross traffic, and the fearsome blind spots. Along with these helpful “sneaks”, it is worth mentioning the incorporation of the adaptive cruise control.

Where four fit... five fit

About to start the chosen engine to start the route assigned to us, another of the main novelties of the new Insignia range could not be left in the pipeline. This young lineage welcomes a new member, the Opel Insignia Country Tourer, the campiest of all. dress for the occasion, wears protections, slightly more in height and 4.920 mm. long. If you normally travel on asphalt, but do not reject kick up dust in some getaway on dirt tracks, it is your option.

accessible range

The range of prices for Spain starts at 25.875 euros and ends at 47.200 euros that must be paid for the Opel Insignia OPC with automatic transmission. This beast has also passed through our hands and we tell you everything, in the next article, “at the wheel of the new generation Opel Insignia”. In addition, we will know the full range of engines of this sedan that is being winning hands down become the segment reference.