Opel Insignia BiTurbo comes out on top
The Insignia BiTurbo is available as a five-door hatchback and station wagon in SRi, SRi Vx-line and Elite trim levels.
Ahead of what we might see here from Opel (Holden), news has come out that British brand GM Vauxhall has just introduced its most powerful passenger car diesel engine in the Insignia lineup. That's good for 144kW/400Nm of torque, but CO2 emissions are just 129g/km.
Known as the Insignia BiTurbo, it is available in five-door hatchback and wagon body styles in SRi, SRi Vx-line and Elite trims. The powerful twin-sequential turbo diesel engine is based on the existing 2.0-litre unit used in the Insignia, Astra and the new Zafira station wagon line.
However, in the BiTurbo version, the engine produces 20 kW more power and significantly increases torque by 50 Nm, reducing the acceleration time to 0 km/h by almost one second to 60 seconds.
But thanks to a package of eco-features, including standard start/stop for the entire range, the front-wheel drive hatch reaches 4.8 l/100 km.
What makes the Insignia BiTurbo unique in this class is the use of sequential turbocharging, with the smaller turbo accelerating rapidly at lower engine speeds to eliminate "lag", delivering 350Nm of torque already at 1500rpm.
In the mid-range, both turbochargers work together with a bypass valve to allow gases to flow from the small block to the large block; at this stage, the maximum torque of 400 Nm is generated in the range of 1750-2500 rpm. Starting at 3000 rpm, all gases go directly to the large turbine, ensuring performance is maintained at higher engine speeds.
In addition to this power boost, Vauxhall's smart FlexRide adaptive damping system is standard on all Insignia BiTurbos. The system reacts within milliseconds to the driver's actions and can "learn" how the car is moving and adapt the damper settings accordingly.
Drivers can also select Tour and Sport buttons and individually adjust throttle, steering and damper settings in Sport mode. On all-wheel drive models, FlexRide is integrated with the Vehicle Torque Transmission Device (TTD) and electronically controlled rear axle. Limited slip differential.
These features allow automatic transmission of torque between the front and rear wheels, and between the left and right wheels on the rear axle, providing exceptional levels of traction, grip and control.
Like other models in the Insignia range, the BiTurbo can be equipped with Vauxhall's new front camera system with traffic sign recognition and lane departure warning, as well as adaptive cruise control that allows the driver to maintain a predetermined distance from the vehicle in front. .
