Photo: SB-Medien
Those who like their family cars to be fast wagons should look forward to the debut of the Insignia Sports Tourer GSi. Only a short while after the sports sedan came out, we have the first photos of the wagon, and it's completely undisguised.
Knowing Opel, both are going to be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show and go on sale around the same time. While the GSi treatment is a little disappointing when compared to the old Insignia OPC, there's no denying that this is a car of our times - sacrificing a little bit of displacement and offering a bewildering array of technology.
The best parallel we can think of right now would be the Megane GT, which is also sold as a wagon. The French car went from a 220 HP 2.0-liter turbo to a 1.6-liter making 205 HP. However, it gained a Tesla-like infotainment system, Porsche-like 4-wheel steering, and DSG-like automatic gearbox.
Likewise, the GSi comes with a 2.0-liter turbo producing 260 HP instead of the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 its predecessor had. We're not too frustrated with the output, which is slightly higher than that of a Focus ST, while 8-speed auto and AWD are both tricks Ford doesn't know yet.
Styling is another thing the Insignia Sports Tourer GSi has going for it. This large alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, red paint, silver-tinted body kit, and dual exhaust makes us want to ask "where do we sign?"
According to the Russelsheim carmaker, the GSi is 160 kilograms (353 lbs) lighter than the Insignia OPC. The Opel director of Performance Cars & Motorsport, Volker Strycek, also said it set a faster Nurburgring lap time than its predecessor. But is that really relevant for a family car?
While the sports sedan has a V6-powered American brother, the new 2018 Buick Regal GS, we don't think a wagon version is going to happen. But the TourX, which is Buick version of the Country Tourer, does come with this exact powertrain already.
The best parallel we can think of right now would be the Megane GT, which is also sold as a wagon. The French car went from a 220 HP 2.0-liter turbo to a 1.6-liter making 205 HP. However, it gained a Tesla-like infotainment system, Porsche-like 4-wheel steering, and DSG-like automatic gearbox.
Likewise, the GSi comes with a 2.0-liter turbo producing 260 HP instead of the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 its predecessor had. We're not too frustrated with the output, which is slightly higher than that of a Focus ST, while 8-speed auto and AWD are both tricks Ford doesn't know yet.
Styling is another thing the Insignia Sports Tourer GSi has going for it. This large alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, red paint, silver-tinted body kit, and dual exhaust makes us want to ask "where do we sign?"
According to the Russelsheim carmaker, the GSi is 160 kilograms (353 lbs) lighter than the Insignia OPC. The Opel director of Performance Cars & Motorsport, Volker Strycek, also said it set a faster Nurburgring lap time than its predecessor. But is that really relevant for a family car?
While the sports sedan has a V6-powered American brother, the new 2018 Buick Regal GS, we don't think a wagon version is going to happen. But the TourX, which is Buick version of the Country Tourer, does come with this exact powertrain already.
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