April 18, 2008

Vauxhall's handsome replacement to the Vectra has been given it's first public outing, and it's left everyone eager for more.  The Insignia will hit the showrooms in October, after basking at every summer show on the calendar.
It’s the first Vauxhall to use GM’s new Epsilon 2 platform, which will eventually underpin as many as thirteen different models.  The Epsilon 2 is seen as the natural evolution from the Epsilon 1 platform (who’d have thought it!), but the styling of the new Insignia is all new.  The Insignia will be the first model to sport the new look Vauxhall badge and from the new logo on the front grill it’s an all new Vauxhall, and an exciting prospect too.

Mark Adams, GM’s European design boss, said: “There’s nothing of the Vectra in here and that’s deliberate. We’re not going to take baby steps. We wanted this car to be distinctive and dynamic.”
The styling is inspired by the GTC concept car which opened last years Geneva motor show.  At 4.82m long the Insignia is 21cm longer than Vectra, but is almost the same height and just 50mm wider. Inside the car generous levels of leg and head room are claimed.  There will be three bodystyles on offer with saloon, hatch and estate models all in the pipeline. “We don’t have a separate look for the saloon and hatchback – they’re almost identical and even use the same rear doors,” commented Adams.

The Insignia is available with five engines at launch. All meet the Euro 5 emissions standard and come with either manual or automatic six-speed transmissions. The three petrol engines range from a four-cylinder 140PS unit to a V6 with 260PS. Two new 2.0-litre direct-injection diesels engines will be offered with power outputs of either 130PS or 160PS. In time, the Insignia engine line-up will be extended with an EcoFLEX version offering ultra-low CO2 emissions in addition to other, more powerful variants.
The new Insignia does more that just give rivals Mondeo, Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Citroen C5, something to worry about.  It heralds a new era for Vauxhall.  Other models that are revised will no longer be bigger or smaller versions of one central platform but instead they will adopt elements of this car. “No more Russian dolls!” said Adams. “Future Vauxhall designs won’t necessarily have the same combination of features”.

There are rumours of an Insignia VXR, A twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 laying down 300 horsepower through the all wheel drive system that debuted with the GTC concept car in Geneva.  Frankly we’re all salivating at the thought of one of those.

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