Driven: 2017 Opel Insignia Grand Sport 2.0 Turbo 4x4

We were invited to get a taste of the newest liftback sedan from Opel just weeks after the oldest car company in Germany was officially acquired by the PSA Group. Yes, we know that Opel didn't start making cars until 1899, but the Adam Opel AG was founded as early as 1863.

Either way, 2017 will be the first time that Opel is no longer under the GM umbrella in 88 years, which should finally signal some good things in its future from some perspectives.

We experienced the all-new Insignia in just about every driving scenario imaginable, from twisty B-roads, de-restricted portions of Autobahn and stop-and-go traffic in the heart of Frankfurt, so we're pretty sure that our conclusion should cover most of the model's qualities and quirks.

Before reaching Opel's hometown of Russelsheim, where we were treated to a bunch of individual Opel engineers and designers that explained the new car from A to Z, we had a chance to experience the all-new Insignia like it had been a rental car that you get from the airport.

Yeah, we know that sounds bad, but bear with us for a moment. Most rental cars are boring for a reason because they have to please a lot of people with different tastes and they have to be quickly accustomed with.

As it happens, it was from Frankfurt's airport that we jumped into a fully loaded Insignia Grand Sport 2.0 Turbo 4x4, just like we would have otherwise rented a mid-size sedan to carry us through beautiful German villages and high-speed highways.

Well, wouldn't you know it, despite the car being decked out with brand new technology feature and us being a little jet-lagged, the drive to Russelsheim was as uneventful as riding a bike through an empty park.

Moreover, thanks to the AGR-certified seats and FlexRide suspension we arrived at the destination as fresh as after a well-made cappuccino. For those not in the know, AGR stands for some weird German words that mean something along the lines of Action For Healthy Back, which is an organization that gave its seal of approval on the technology behind the Insignia's (and other Opels) seats.

On top of it, the second-generation Insignia can now feature a massage function for the driver's seat, which was a welcome addition during the second day of the test drive. The service feels a bit weird during city driving, but on longer drives with not a lot of corners is just what the doctor ordered; pun mildly intended.

We got a chance to sample two differently colored and specced versions of the current top of the range model Insignia, which is powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with plenty of oomph from the get go.

We are talking about 260 PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which is obviously more than enough for a 2.0-liter. Speaking of oomph, the previous generation's Achilles Heel – its enormous weight – is finally something of the past in the new model, and it really shows in a way that the car handles and sits on the road at higher speeds.

Paired in standard with an eight-speed automatic that apparently comes from Aisin (similar to what you can find on a new MINI, for example) and intelligent all-wheel-drive, the 2017 Insignia 2.0 Turbo 4x4 feels very much like a sporty Q-car.

That said, the spec numbers and other details from the brochure wouldn't let you know that. With a naught to 100 km/h (62 mph) time of 7.3 seconds in top spec, it doesn't hold a candle to a Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TFSI 4Motion, which is about half a second faster even though it has 30 horsepower and 50 Nm less.

The specs to engine numbers discrepancy happens because of two things in our view. First of all, the new Insignia is about as large as a 5 Series now, and despite losing up to 175 kg (386 pounds) compared to the previous, slightly smaller model, it's still one of the heaviest cars in its segment.

Second of all, despite the car itself having a “sport mode,” which firms up the FlexRide suspension, makes the steering sharper and improves the acceleration response, there is no sports mode for the automatic gearbox, which is mostly set for comfortable gear changes and excellent fuel economy at higher speeds.

That said, the poor-sounding spec numbers feel completely the opposite in real-life driving, where you will almost never find yourself asking for more power and/or torque during a pass on the highway. We're not sure if this was what Opel engineers intended from this engine version, but the Insignia 2.0 4x4 delivers power in a what you may actually call “effortless manner.” This is despite what the numbers may show you.

Completing the cruiser attitude is the FlexRide suspension, which can transform the car from something that almost feels like a comfortable American land barge in “Tour” mode to a GT that always tells you what the wheels are doing in “Sport” mode. There is also an adaptive “middle mode,” but we wouldn't recommend it for the total lack of drama it delivers in normal driving.

Sadly, we didn't get the chance to experience the sideways action that can now be offered by the Twinster-based all-wheel-drive system, but we can tell you that we tried pretty hard and without success to make the car understeer on twisty German B-roads.

Either way, we can vouch that the torque vectoring capability of the system, along with the fact that it can send more that 50 percent of the torque to the rear wheels does make the car feel like it can dance around its central point with ease.

In fact, the steering feel and the power delivery to the wheels were the two most impressive feats of the car we drove, and we had never expected that from a non-OPC model.

Interior space is much improved, and it doesn't lack any modern comfort features. On the contrary, thanks to the availability of OnStar and 4G LTE wireless Internet, you can pair up to seven different devices to the car and have high-speed Internet on the go.

There is also an optional system that involves four exterior cameras, giving a 360-degree bird's eye view of the car during parking maneuvers, which can also be done without driver input at the push of a button.

The color head-up display is easy to use and more than helpful on unknown roads, while the sat-nav is almost as good as the Waze app thanks to real-time traffic reports.

Inside, we were greeted by an optional brown leather upholstery that feels like it should be on a Bentley or a Jaguar, and those looking for even more luxury should hold on to their wallets until Opel goes full-speed ahead with its brand new Exclusive program.

We were so smitten with what the new customization program can do to a mainstream mid-size sedan that we fail to see why not everyone else is doing it as well. In short, all those stories about Mercedes-Benz designo or BMW Individual somewhat pale in comparison to what Opel will do for its future customers.

For example, if you have a favorite tie or a shirt, you will be able to take to Opel Exclusive and request that your future Insignia Grand Sport comes painted in (almost) the exact same color as your clothing accessory. That is some Rolls-Royce level of customization right there.

Until the program officially starts, you will be welcomed to a full array of standard and optional colors that do their best at showing off the “four-door coupe” lines, of which the new Insignia benefits greatly.

Our single biggest qualms we had with the version we drove may sound a bit childish for some, but we need to explain them nevertheless. Firstly there is the lack of sport mode for the automatic transmission, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but more of an oddity. Pushing the gear knob toward the left simply gets the transmission into manual mode, even though you can also change gear manually via the two steering wheel paddles.

Secondly, despite the new Insignia being exclusively available as a five-door liftback or a station wagon, only the wagon gets a rear-window wiper as standard. Not even the official photos show a model fitted with this feature and our test car lacked it as well.

Other than that, the second-generation Insignia we experienced felt almost scarily good, while also taking into account that it's still probably the best bang for buck in its segment, at least in Europe. U.S. folks will need to wait a little longer, but the 2018 Buick Regal will largely be the exact same model we drove underneath a different grille. Oh, and the sexy but practical Insignia Sport Tourer will apparently also make it across the ocean as the Buick Regal Tour.

We're anxiously awaiting the next generation of the Insignia OPC now, which may or may not be finally accompanied by an actual coupe as a direct descendant of the Calibra and the Monza. Let's keep our fingers crossed!