It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally put Vauxhall’s replacement for the Vectra on the road! By giving its Ford Mondeo rival a new name and making bold claims about its ‘premium feel’ and enhanced driving experience, the maker has raised expectations.
But against rivals such as the Honda Accord and Citroen C5, that won’t matter if the Insignia doesn’t cut it on the road. So the big question is: does it?
Before we answer that, let’s admire the looks. Anyone who visited the recent British Motor Show will have been impressed by the attractive shape, with the steeply raked windscreen and tailgate, big wheels and bold front grille. Inside, the stylish feel continues. The cabin is full of premium materials and the dash is neatly designed, with sporty, Alfa Romeo-like dials.
The Insignia is bigger than the Mondeo, so there’s plenty of space, although the sloping tailgate eats into rear headroom.
Under the skin, things have really moved forward. In comes an all-new chassis, featuring aluminium links in the front and rear suspension, higher-strength steel in the body and bigger dampers and bushes.
There are still things to iron out before the Insignia goes on sale in the UK later this year, but initial impressions on the pre-production Opel-badged prototype we drove in Germany are good.
At its core is the new FlexRide system, which offers Normal, Comfort or Sport settings. Each adjusts the suspension, handling and throttle response. The main difference is the greater steering and throttle precision in Sport mode.
Our route combined twisting back roads with fast autobahns. Switching between the modes didn’t offer big changes to the car’s handling, and that’s to its credit – we couldn’t catch it out in a tight bend in Comfort mode.
In reality, FlexRide is constantly at work, adjusting the settings to suit your driving style – so even if you ignore the buttons, once you push the Insignia into corners, it automatically adopts the Sport setting. While that may make the three buttons on the dash superfluous, the system and chassis impress.
The new car rides well, taking rough surfaces in its stride. Yet at the same time, body roll is limited; only in tight bends does it understeer. That’s where the Ford has an edge, but the Insignia is a world apart from the Vectra.
As well as a responsive chassis, it has good steering. At motorway speeds it tightens up to give you the confidence and precision needed, while in town it’s light, although it’s not quite as sharp as the Mondeo’s. Rear visibility could be better, too. But refinement is superb, so long distances pose few problems. Our car had a 217bhp 2.0-litre turbo driving the front wheels. It’s punchy, but lesser-engined models may struggle with the Vauxhall’s 1,600kg kerbweight.
Other petrol units will include a 138bhp 1.8, a 158bhp turbo 1.6 and a 256bhp V6 flagship. Diesels will comprise 128bhp and 158bhp 2.0 litres. A twin-turbo with 187bhp will follow, as will a four-wheel-drive variant.
While there’s a little way to go before UK-spec models are finished, the signs are promising. We’ll give our definitive verdict when the first production cars arrive – but for now, it’s clear the Insignia means business.