Test drive Opel Insignia sedan since 2008 sedan

Already not a caravan

Sports Tourer, not Caravan, as universals from Opel were called until recently - this is a completely transparent hint of priorities, and now the maximum volume of the trunk is no longer the main thing. In addition to the body, the station wagons showed a couple of new engines, one of which we really liked.
The first acquaintance with Insignia took place last fall, and the car was perceived positively by journalists. Indeed, in addition to fresh and expressive design, the creators endowed the new Opel with many innovative systems designed to make life easier for the driver and passengers. We wrote in detail about them in No. 28 over the past year, but briefly recall what was about. The list of novelties included the adaptive system of the AFL+head lighting system, capable of independently changing the direction, shape and intensity of the light beam in very wide ranges, depending on the conditions of movement, the Opel Eye system recognizing road signs and preventing the driver about them, all -wheel drive with a controlled rear differential , capable of changing the degree of lock, blown by the steam nozzle of the windshield washer. And this, of course, is not all. For the short time that Insignia is sold in Europe, more than 7,8500 orders have already been adopted for it, in January and February, it occupied the first place in Europe in Europe. In a word, everything is not bad. And now the station wagon.
Do not shed
Sports Tourer is as squat as a sedan with a hatchback does not look heavy at all, although his rear overhang is as much as 8 cm. The size of the large wheels and a sloping line of the roof, which also allows to achieve the size of the frontal resistance coefficient, only 0, 28 that the station wagon is an excellent result. The luggage volume is not the largest in the classroom, only 540 VDA-liters, but this is not a van for the transportation of furniture. And the golf clubs or a set of suitcases in the trunk are placed. If the back of the rear seat is folded, you can get 1530 liters of volume and a flat area with a length of 191 cm, a decent bed, wish you to sleep in the car. The opening door is impressive, it leans up with the lanterns, opening the opening as much as possible. The developers say that they were inspired by our An-124 transport aircraft, in which, for the convenience of loading, the nose is completely thrown back. For clarity, they even demonstrated the images of Insignia and An-124 with open cargo compartments nearby, they say, you see how it looks. We agree, there is certainly some similarity. But I was much more impressed by a plastic lining in the entire back door, which allows you to save pretty. The station wagons do not even like a light blow from behind, because even minor damage to the rear door leads to its replacement, and it is oh how expensive. The plastic lining is capable of amortizing light blows without damaging, but if it does not withstand and cracks, then replace its pair of trifles, since it is attached to plastic pistons. And its cost is many times less than the cost of the entire door. In theory, this should reduce the cost of insurance, at least in Europe.
Another pleasant novelty of the upholstery fabric of seats, created, of course, on the basis of nanotechnologies. It is noteworthy not only by the fact that it breathes, making the stay of passengers on such a seat more comfortable, but does not absorb moisture, so that the coffee spilled on it can simply be shaken away. And this means that you can order a car with a light salon, not fearing that children will turn it into camouflage. Naturally, such upholstery can be ordered for all types of bodies. Like the orthopedic driver's chair with adjustable lumbar pneumatic sub -sub -sub -sub -sub -sub -sub -sub -breath.
Motors
Earlier for Insignia, seven engines, three diesel and four gasoline were offered. At the presentation of the station wagon, we were presented two more: a turbocharged gasoline with a volume of 1.6 liters and a two -liter diesel with a cunning double boost. This diesel engine will not be supplied to Russia, and, as it was awarded by Russian journalists, in such cases it is worth writing, they say, the motor is very good, and it is a pity that we will not see it. So it’s not a pity at all. During the tests, it was possible to try out cars with four options for power units and it was Diesel that did not make an impression.
After the 220-horsepower 2.0 turbo and the most powerful 260-horsepower 2.8 V6, which seems excessive, there are no claims to the traction characteristics of the latest diesel, and there is no acceleration, and at low speeds, thanks to the second small turbine, the failure is not felt. But vibrations and noise from it are noticeably larger than from gasoline counterparts, and this does not allow them to admire and now other manufacturers have diesel engines even quieter than gasoline. Here you always remember that under the hood, the motor is on diesel fuel.
But the gasoline 1.6 turbo suddenly turned out to be just right, the impressions did not spoil even the more powerful motors that we tested before it. Judge for yourself, 180 forces and 230 nm of torque, available in the range from 2200 to 5500 rpm, allow you not to think about which transmission is now turned on, the motor is confidently pulling, as they say, from top to bottom. To develop such a moment, an atmospheric motor was needed at least 2.4 liters, and still it would not give out such traction in such a wide range. I choose Insignia for yourself, I would buy it with such a motor. And let the diesel go to Europeans.
Personally for me
Rather, not for me. The blame for the roof and the low factor of the frontal resistance is guilty. When I sat behind the wheel, it turned out that from the crown to the ceiling less than a centimeter even with a completely lowered seat, and this is in a car without a hatch. A salon mirror and sloping corners of the roof in order to see something, you have to bend, have to bend to the view. Uncomfortable and inconvenient. The impressions that I still had from Insignia were completely confirmed by the Moscow salon. Horror? I would not say, I just have a height of 187 cm, which is considered above average. Yes, tall drivers, and even accustomed to sitting straight, will not be very convenient, but there are few such drivers. For everyone else, the problems of the roof pressure on the head are not familiar, and that's good. Because otherwise there are no complaints about ergonomics.
Prospects
The cheapest Sports Tourer with a 115-horsepower engine, clearly weak for this machine, will cost 911,000 rubles, and if you choose the 1.6 turbo we like, you will have to lay out at least 1,051,300 rubles. Not such a cosmic price for a well -equipped stylish station wagon almost five meters long, and in Europe, sales are good. Yes, this is not a premium segment, there is a slightly weaker soundproofing, a little simpler finishing materials, but the slogan is more than the car for your money in the case of Insignia Sports Tourer not only to size. Probably, customers of a large German three cannot be turned to Opelian faith, but the rest of the competitors who are many will have to be squeezed. As far as I don’t take much more seasoned analysts, now they shrug their hands in response to questions much more serious.
How two turbines work
Double turbocharging is designed to resolve the contradiction: at low revolutions from the turbine, some characteristics are required, and at high others. As a result, I had to install two and force them to work on a cunning algorithm using a valve system. At low speeds, channels that guide the air and the exhaust gases in a small turbine are opened, which avoids an unpleasant failure of traction. As the speed grows to the business, the second larger turbine is connected, and both of them work in parallel. When the engine accelerates even more, a small turbine becomes an obstacle, only increasing the resistance at the inlet and release, and then the valve blocks its channels, directing the entire flow of air and the exhaust gases through a larger turbine.
Brief characteristics
Opel Insignia Sports Tourer 1.6 turbo
Power, l. With. at rpm
180 at 5500
Moment, nm at rpm
230 at 2200-5500
Maximum speed, km/h
220
Acceleration 0-100 km/h, with
9,2
Fuel consumption, l/100 km
city
10,9
highway
6,2
average
7,9
Length/width/height, mm
4908/1858/2084
Wheel base, mm
2737
Equipped mass, kg
1610
Some configurations and prices
Essentia 1.6
911300 rub
Essentia 1.8
936300 rub
Elegance 1.6 Turbo
1051300 rub
Cosmo 1.6 Turbo
1096300 rub
Cosmo 2.0 Turbo AT
1201300 rub
Cosmo 2.8 Turbo AT
1565800 rub
Pros: stylish design, excellent turbo engines, good handling
Cons: a tall driver rests on the roof of his head
Leonid Klimanovich
 
 
 
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"