Test Drive: OPEL Insignia 2.0 Turbo 4x4 - 2010

Back in the 1970s, Opel was releasing its very first modern model in the medium-sized family car segment – the Opel Ascona. Two successful "B" and "C" generations followed in the next years, during which the car's platform went from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive, but the Ascona nameplate was replaced in the 1980s by the most famous medium-sized Opel sedan history – the Vectra.

Following a somewhat similar lifespan of the series, the Vectra A was subsequently replaced by the Vectra B and then the Vectra C, during which time sales had already began to decline. Interestingly, apart from a few months in different years, neither the Ascona nor the Vectra have ever succeeded in dethroning Opel's arch rival in this segment, the mighty Volkswagen Passat. Apparently, this ongoing situation raised a sufficient number of eyebrows at Opel's headquarters in Russelsheim, so that Vectra's latest generation isn't a Vectra anymore.

The elegantly-styled Insignia has taken its place, and, unlike the switch from the Ascona to the Vectra, this is a generation completely antithetic to all its predecessors. Apart from the fact that it still has the dual body type (you can either buy an Insignia sedan or a liftback), it doesn't have anything in common with its forerunners.

And no, we're not exaggerating. Not even the Opel logo on the car is the same, since the Insignia is the first new model from Russelsheim to feature an updated one. The new logo border has been widened and has a more "three-dimensional" look, while the word "Opel" is engraved on the circle surrounding the lighting bolt.

Long story short, on this winter's first day of snow, we took an Opel Insignia to the test. To make things more interesting, we were offered an all-wheel drive, turbocharged version of the liftback version. To get them even MORE interesting, the car was equipped with 19-inch summer performance tires. Did we mention it was the first day of snow? Considering this peculiar situation, let's see how it all went, especially since expectations were rather high from a car with no less than twenty four awards under its belt.

Probably after realizing that their medium-sized sedan was becoming increasingly bland when it comes to styling, the people in charge of Opel decided to completely revamp its design, so the new Insignia looks nothing like any other Opel made until now. The guys in charge of the new line of design are Bryan Nesbitt and Mark Adams, who were both on GM Europe's payroll when the Insignia was launched.

Sir May B. Bach's Opinion

Have you guys ever paid any attention to how the... ahem... Germans spell "Opel"? I think it's so funny it makes albino people tan... Umm, yeah, I know. I've been told I have an odd sense of humor before. It's probably from my German genes, which I got from my father's second grandmother.
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The first thing you notice when entering the Insignia is how downright small the interior is, especially when comparing it with the somewhat large exterior. It's not exactly cramped, but there is a small feeling of claustrophobia, especially when sitting in the rear. This is all "thanks" to a couple of reasons.

3D Interior Panorama

>> Click to view the interior panorama

The biggest gripe we had with the Opel Insignia we tested was most certainly the fuel consumption. Sure, the Siberian weather and the humongous traffic jams certainly had their contribution but the truth is this is one thirsty car, especially in city traffic, where most of us are spending our days. Over the course of our test drive, the medium fuel consumption in the city was a staggering 19 liters per 100 kilometers (US 12.4 mpg). We have driven V8s with better mileage in the city.

Lou Cheeka's Opinion

When I first heard words like "Turbo", "4x4" and "Opel" I immediately thought about the Calibra Turbo 4x4 or the similarly-themed "nineteen ninety something Vectra". Now those were very cool cars back in the 1990s, especially coming from a boring car manufacturer like Opel.
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With 220 horsepower and 350 Nm (258.1 lb ft) of torque on tap, the Insignia 2.0 Turbo 4x4 should provide ample amounts of driving exhilaration when slamming the gas pedal, especially on the open road. The truth is, it does and it doesn't. The 7.9 seconds required from naught to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) are nothing to brag about when talking about a car with these specifications, especially when a lower-powered Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro reaches the same speed from stand still over a second quicker.

Mary's Opinion

Let me first start by saying that I think this is probably the most gorgeous sedan ever. OK, I might be exaggerating, I know. But seriously now, just look at those lines, at that color, at those wheels. I found everything to be simply stunning, seriously.
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Honestly, if it hadn't been for the dreadful snowy weather, the Insignia we drove might have probably gotten a better mark in this chapter. Because of the icy snow remains on the roads the suspension comfort wasn't exactly great. Keep in mind our car was equipped with 19-inch summer performance tires, which couldn't exactly be the most comfortable tires ever in a weather condition like this.

On the good side, the "FlexRide" chassis control was around to help out if things became too bumpy. Just switching to the "Tour" mode makes the car behave completely different, since among other things, the dampers become much more "mellow". In other words, albeit it wouldn't look like it, the Insignia can become quite an enjoyable driving partner even on bad roads.

In other news, the front seats were among the best we've ever experienced. We know it might sound a little too far fetched, but the only seats we felt were more comfortable than these in a year-long testing period at autoevolution were the ones in the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed. We kid you not.

The major contributor to this factor is most likely the fact that the Insignia is the first car ever to feature sports seats that have received the seal of approval from an independent panel of ergonomics experts and doctors in Germany. Plus, a real helpful option on them, considering the weather outside, was the heating feature. A non-helpful one, on the other hand, was the cooling option, which was only available on the driver's seat anyway.

As far as the rest of the creature comforts found inside, we should probably add the perforated leather, the dual zone climate control (which works great in the winter time, by the way), the piano black inserts on the center console and the fact that the interior is designed like a four person cocoon. All in all, the Opel Insignia is a pretty comfortable car, but it really depends on what features are fitted on it and whether you're sitting in the front or in the rear.

We think that pretty much everyone will agree with the following statement: In the past couple of decades, Opels have not exactly been at the forefront of technology in cars. As a matters of fact, they have more likely been at the bottom of the ranking when it comes to actually introducing, not following in second or third, technologies like Common Rail diesels, gasoline engines with direct injection, intelligent all-wheel drive or electronically-controlled suspension.

Well, so it happens that the Opel Insignia has a diesel engine range comprising only Common Rail-equipped mills, while the version we drove was equipped with a turbocharged direct injection engine, intelligent all-wheel drive and electronically controlled dampers.

Even though the engine itself didn't exactly go the distance we would have thought just by looking at its specifications, it's still as modern as it gets. Plus, we suspect it would do much better under the hood of a slimmer (read: lighter) car and with better gearing for the transmission. The electronically-controlled damper settings for the suspension work just fine on the other hand and, along with the other features included in the FlexRide system, can really make you think like you're driving three different cars.

As far as the all-wheel drive system present on our test car, we thought at first it was just a standard front wheel driven car which can switch to all-wheel drive when it "senses" that the driving conditions are asking for it. Thing is, this system is a bit more than that, and we'll tell you why.

Other systems working like this feel like a front-wheel driven car no matter how you're driving them, but Opel's Adaptive 4x4 can send up to 100% of the available power to the rear wheels in just 80 milliseconds. Compared to your average Haldex-based all-wheel drive, there are two main differences: the fact that you can sometimes actually experience a rear-wheel wheel drive car in the Insignia and the fact that it switches from front to rear in such fast time.

Another high point in the Insignia all-wheel drive system is the fact that it has a hydraulic multi-disk clutch both at the center and at the rear axle. This means that almost 100 percent of the available power can be sent to a single rear wheel if the situation requires it. As you can probably see from the pictures under the "Open Road" chapter, in poor grip conditions power is being sent to all wheels.

When it comes to the useful gadgets found in our Opel Insignia test car, there wasn't a single reason to think this was a poorly-equipped vehicle. It had a dual-zone climate control system, heated front seats (the driver's seat can also be cooled), a highly ergonomic seating position from the sporty AND plush front seats, light and rain sensors, 3D navigation system and so on.

There were two major pieces of gadgetry which may very well be loved by all the techies out there. No, it's not the navigation system with three-dimensional features, nor the light and rain sensors. The first useful gadget we want to talk about is the FlexRide system, which can practically transform the the way the whole car feels and drives at the push of a button.

On our test car it was linked with the Adaptive 4x4 system, which means that you could even set how many functions could be programmed to be influenced by the FlexRide system. Any person with half of a gadget lover genes in him will absolutely love this stuff.

Another high point in the gadgetry offensive on the Insignia we drove was most likely the Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) system, which is as advanced as on any premium car. With the AFL, the light beam distribution of the headlights automatically adjusts to the road profile and visibility conditions. The system offers no less than nine headlight settings - city, traffic-restricted road, country, highway, adverse weather, static cornering, dynamic curve, high beam and daytime running light. And it's all done automatic, without the driver pushing any buttons.

The Opel Insignia is one of the safest cars in its segment. If a five-star rating after the new and improved EuroNCAP crash testing procedures isn't enough to convince everyone, you should learn that the Insignia has managed to get good or great marks at every single chapter from the new NCAP testing methodology.

The car we drove was equipped in standard with six airbags – two frontal dual-stage, two side airbags for the front seats and two head airbags for the front and rear outside occupants. As far as the active safety goes, our test car was equipped with anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and a highly capable and intelligent all-wheel drive system.

If all those assist systems, the army of airbags and the EuroNCAP result aren't enough to convince everyone this is a very safe car, then how about the Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), which automatically switches from nine different beam settings according to the visibility and the road conditions ahead. Plus, our Insignia was also equipped with the so-called "Opel Eye", which is a system based on a camera that helps drivers stay under the speed limit and/or unintentionally veer out of the driving lane.

The high-resolution camera, positioned behind the front windshield, takes thirty pictures per second and then relays them to one of the two systems it's connected with to analyze them. The first system is called Traffic sign Recognition and it can practically "read" speed limits and no-passing signs, therefore informing the driver of their existence on the instrument panel. The other function is called Lane Departure Warning and it alerts drivers if they are veering out of the driving lane without signaling.

After testing the Insignia 2.0 Turbo 4x4 in not exactly the greatest conditions ever we can positively say that its best feature has got to be intelligent all-wheel drive system. The last Opel sedan to feature rear-wheel drive was the Omega, whose production ended in 2003. Not to say that the Insignia we drove is RWD, but in certain driving situations it can actually offer power just for the rear wheels in a split second. The all-wheel drive system, along with the FlexRide programmable chassis control, can give quite a thrill to sporty drivers.

The bad part about the Insignia we drove was most likely the fuel consumption. Sure, the driving conditions didn't help one bit, on the contrary, but still. The 2.0 Turbo 4x4 is one thirsty car. As we mentioned in the "City" chapter of our test drive, the main reasons for the increased fuel consumption are the car's weight, the all-wheel drive system and the long-geared automatic transmission, which is also slow.

As far as the ugly part goes, we have to say that it's the interior space. As we said before, Opel's offering in the medium sedan segment no longer caters for the family but for the sporty drivers. Because of this, the interior space, especially in the rear, is suffering. In other words, the four-door coupe look has taken its toll on taller passengers. But hey, at least it looks cooler, right?