Opel’s Insignia is the biggest car in the range and it received a styling boost in 2017 with the introduction of the Grand Sport versions. Big cars are coming under market pressure as car buyers are opting more for SUVs. The latest registration figures show the extent of the fall in big car demand, with a 29% drop in new car sales among the segment leaders in 2018 compared with the previous year.
Why are big cars going out of favour when they have space advantages and have become more economical? That’s the question that faced me when I took Opel’s Insignia Grand Sport for a test drive.
There is so much about this car that’s attractive, from the styling to the engine performance. I had the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel version on the road with its 170bhp performance backed up by 400Nm of torque.
The dash layout for the Opel Insignia Grand Sport is clean and uncluttered but it gives a low seating position that’s not going to be comfortable for all drivers.
Those figures delivered good road performance from the six-speed manual machine, making it one of the fastest cars in this segment. The Insignia competition includes the Volkswagen Passat, Skoda Superb and Ford Mondeo, all of which sell in more numbers in Ireland.
There’s a big-car feel to this Insignia that’s noticeable both inside and out. The car is almost 5 metres long, similar to the rest of the competition, though the Passat is marginally tidier.
Big cars are more difficult to park and parking sensors are a big help in keeping the rear bumper intact.
I found that the seat position in the Opel Insignia Grand Sport was low, adding to the parking visibility challenges. When I took the seat up higher, the steering wheel was limited in its height adjustment, so it was difficult to get the ideal seating position.
While all of the controls are easily accessible, I preferred the higher dash design of the older Insignia and it helped me to get a more ideal driving position. There is a large infotainment screen that’s easy to navigate and easy to connect to your mobile phone, in my case through the Apple CarPlay.
On the road, it took some time to get used to the car’s fuel saving start/stop system. Maybe it was the gearing or my new driving experience, but it took me more than a day of driving to get acquainted with it.
The car’s 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine is smooth and powerful. I had a range of over 900km from the full 62-litre fuel tank and that also impressed. That was close to the rated fuel economy figure of 19km/litre (5.3l/100km or 53mpg), so I was happy with the car’s running cost, which is very comparable with the competition.
The test car came with loads of comfort kit including leather seats costing a modest €500 extra. On the motorways, the driving comfort was very good, while smaller rural roads revealed a more sporty harshness to the suspension.
This Insignia has a good safety rating and comes with Isofix safety mounting points on all three rear seats. And there’s almost room for three spacious child seats too. That’s not something that’s found in many mid-range SUVs.
The Insignia boot is massive and comes with a spare wheel. The hatchback effect gives easy loading and great boot opening height. The car comes with an impressive 2.2t towing rating that puts it top of the class in this respect.
The test Opel Insignia Grand Sport came with the powerful 170bhp turbo-diesel engine that’s lively and still relatively economical with rated figure of 19km/litre.
The entry price for the Opel Insignia Grand Sport with its bigger engine is €38,095 or £25,075 in Northern Ireland. More basic and lower-power 1.6 litre versions are available at lower prices. Compared with the competition, this Insignia is well equipped including the Opel OnStar and a full European sat-nav system, which in some senses is rendered obsolete with the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.
This is a big car which is a little cumbersome for town and city parking. It is modern and well equipped but for some modern drivers it will be too big and too low to the road.
Opel’s Insignia is the biggest car in the range and it received a styling boost in 2017 with the introduction of the Grand Sport versions. Big cars are coming under market pressure as car buyers are opting more for SUVs. The latest registration figures show the extent of the fall in big car demand, with a 29% drop in new car sales among the segment leaders in 2018 compared with the previous year.
Why are big cars going out of favour when they have space advantages and have become more economical? That’s the question that faced me when I took Opel’s Insignia Grand Sport for a test drive.
There is so much about this car that’s attractive, from the styling to the engine performance. I had the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel version on the road with its 170bhp performance backed up by 400Nm of torque.
The dash layout for the Opel Insignia Grand Sport is clean and uncluttered but it gives a low seating position that’s not going to be comfortable for all drivers.
Those figures delivered good road performance from the six-speed manual machine, making it one of the fastest cars in this segment. The Insignia competition includes the Volkswagen Passat, Skoda Superb and Ford Mondeo, all of which sell in more numbers in Ireland.
There’s a big-car feel to this Insignia that’s noticeable both inside and out. The car is almost 5 metres long, similar to the rest of the competition, though the Passat is marginally tidier.
Big cars are more difficult to park and parking sensors are a big help in keeping the rear bumper intact.
I found that the seat position in the Opel Insignia Grand Sport was low, adding to the parking visibility challenges. When I took the seat up higher, the steering wheel was limited in its height adjustment, so it was difficult to get the ideal seating position.
While all of the controls are easily accessible, I preferred the higher dash design of the older Insignia and it helped me to get a more ideal driving position. There is a large infotainment screen that’s easy to navigate and easy to connect to your mobile phone, in my case through the Apple CarPlay.
On the road, it took some time to get used to the car’s fuel saving start/stop system. Maybe it was the gearing or my new driving experience, but it took me more than a day of driving to get acquainted with it.
The car’s 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine is smooth and powerful. I had a range of over 900km from the full 62-litre fuel tank and that also impressed. That was close to the rated fuel economy figure of 19km/litre (5.3l/100km or 53mpg), so I was happy with the car’s running cost, which is very comparable with the competition.
The test car came with loads of comfort kit including leather seats costing a modest €500 extra. On the motorways, the driving comfort was very good, while smaller rural roads revealed a more sporty harshness to the suspension.
This Insignia has a good safety rating and comes with Isofix safety mounting points on all three rear seats. And there’s almost room for three spacious child seats too. That’s not something that’s found in many mid-range SUVs.
The Insignia boot is massive and comes with a spare wheel. The hatchback effect gives easy loading and great boot opening height. The car comes with an impressive 2.2t towing rating that puts it top of the class in this respect.
The test Opel Insignia Grand Sport came with the powerful 170bhp turbo-diesel engine that’s lively and still relatively economical with rated figure of 19km/litre.
The entry price for the Opel Insignia Grand Sport with its bigger engine is €38,095 or £25,075 in Northern Ireland. More basic and lower-power 1.6 litre versions are available at lower prices. Compared with the competition, this Insignia is well equipped including the Opel OnStar and a full European sat-nav system, which in some senses is rendered obsolete with the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.
This is a big car which is a little cumbersome for town and city parking. It is modern and well equipped but for some modern drivers it will be too big and too low to the road.
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