Test: Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC
Test Drive

Test: Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC

At first glance, it seems that simply creating a good sports car is a power. You add a turbocharger to an already big engine, help Haldex improve traction, apply Brembo brakes, install Recar seats and enjoy Remus tunes. But not everything is so simple.

Test: Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC




Ales Pavletich, Sasha Kapetanovich


Just, of course, not because you need to have a good base in the car. However, if you have a solid foundation, you still need to combine the Italian-Swedish-German parts into a pleasing, manageable and predictable whole. Then we will talk about a good sports car that received the top XNUMX of the Auto magazine from the Užitku v voznje magazine.

At OPC, they have a lot of experience with sports cars, although initially they made the classic mistake of high power with poor traction, as the transmission and chassis could not handle the powerful torque of the forced drive engines. The Insignia did not make this mistake, as they knew that the most powerful production Opel with only big muscles would scare (driver) more than tremble (rivals).

This is why they took the Insignia Sports Tourer family as their basis, although one could think of an OPC-branded four- or five-door version, and the 2,8-liter turbocharged V6 engine was spun up to 221 kilowatts or 325 feet. Horsepower'. For better grip, they opted for permanent all-wheel drive based on the Haldex clutch. The good thing about this system is that the torque is very quickly distributed between the front and rear axles (50:50 to 4:96 in favor of the rear wheels), as well as between adjacent wheels, since the electronics can also allocate as much as 85 percent torque to just one wheel. Highly dynamic drivers will soon point the finger at the eLSD system, which is really just a sign of the electronic differential lock on the rear axle.

Although the basic principle of this drive was once owned by the sister of the SAAB 9-3 Turbo X, traction is excellent despite the ESP disabled. The car may be sticking its nose too far out of the corner, so it can't compete with Mitsubishi's half-race EVO or Subaru's special STI, but it easily follows the Audi S4, which should be its main competitor.

Transmission - mechanical, six-speed; if it were faster, it would be given all points for accuracy, so there is room for improvement. A good driving position is primarily due to the Recaro sports seat, which I would like to see in any car, not just the big Insignia. And as far as size goes, we can't do without the rear seats and trunk.

In cubic centimeters (should I write meters?) The Insignia Sports Tourer is very spacious in the rear seats and especially in the trunk, as it boasts 500 and 1.500 liters respectively. But we also expected this from the almost five-meter family ship. As for the interior, there are two more criticisms: the squeaky plastic on the steering wheel is not a source of pride for the Opel Performance Center, and the center console may get some sporty touches.

The only difference between the CDTi and OPC versions is the three buttons: Normal, Sport and OPC. These buttons control accelerator pedal sensitivity, steering system, chassis, and sensor color (red for OPC, otherwise white). You can also remember them by the expressions "mom doll", "grandfather" and "racer".

Let's start with my mother's daughter. If we put a typical computer scientist in a thick rim, with a tie, or a gentle girl behind the wheel, all three will praise the usability, and only a stronger grip and a slightly resilient gearbox will require a little energy. The consumption will be around 11 liters, excluding the eardrum from the twin tailpipes and the slightly stiffer chassis, and the ride will be very pleasant.

Grandpa will turn on the sports program, will still rely on the assistance of the ESP stabilization system and will drive so fast that it will seem to him that other participants are parked right in the middle of the road. Initial acceleration may not be as sharp as one would expect from 300 or more horses, but the acceleration in fourth gear from 100 km / h as the truck pulls off the highway is whirlwind. A quick salute not only to the trucks, but to all the fluids that are impatiently stuck to the rear bumper. They probably thought it was just a family van ... Consumption? About 13 liters.

Real racers, on the other hand, go to the racetrack, hire the OPC program, and turn off all electronic means. We did it at Raceland and found that the Insignia is actually more like a car on the Autobahn. Grip is great until the front tires overheat, which do most of the work. The chassis, also thanks to the HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) system, when with a shorter McPherson strut (and fixed lower section) and less tilt (smaller lever) does not break out of the steering wheel's grip, it easily digests slow and fast turns, if only one considers the almost two tons of the weight of this machine.

Mass is the main issue. At 7.000 km, Opel replaced high-quality Brembo brakes with additional cooling, which really scare off the competition with their size. Well, previous riders have been ruthless, some even on the race track. Then for two days I drive very calmly, so that the new brakes are thoroughly “lay down”, and on the third day I press the gas on my favorite track, and soon the brakes begin to rumble. They worked just as well, but already showed the first signs of overheating, which was not the case, for example, with the Lancer or Impreza, although the muscles had to point in both directions, not just one.

Therefore, I say: the brakes are the weak side of this car, but in fact only when driving very dynamically. But they are nice to have at home in a conspicuous place. The six-cylinder engine needs time to breathe properly due to the turbocharger. Up to 2.300 rpm, up to 4.000 rpm very fast and up to 6.500 rpm (red frame) really wild. On a full breath, on average, about 17 liters, and the sound is for music lovers. Remus did a really good job, as the Insignia OPC is already pleasantly noisy on start-up, rushes hard at full throttle, and often falls out of the exhaust pipe when the throttle is lowered. That alone is worth several thousand, trust me.

In terms of money, the Insignia OPC costs Opel a lot. A good 56 thousand is not a cat's cough, but if you consider that the Audi S4 is at least ten thousand more expensive, then the price is competitive. Good company costs money, whether it's a bald woman or a woman.

Nothing new, right?

Text: Aljosha Darkness

Photo: Aleš Pavletič, Saša Kapetanovič.

Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC

Basic data

Sales: Opel Southeast Europe Ltd.
Base model price: 47.450 €
Test model cost: 56.185 €
Calculate the cost of auto insurance
Power:239kW (325


KM)
Acceleration (0-100 km / h): 6,9 with
Maximum speed: 15,0 km / h
Mixed flow ECE: 155l / 100km

Technical information

engine: 6-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - petrol - displacement 2.792 cm3 - maximum power 239 kW (325 hp) at 5.250 rpm - maximum torque 435 Nm at 5.250 rpm.
Energy transfer: the engine drives all four wheels - 6-speed manual transmission - tires 255/35 ZR 20 Y (Pirelli P Zero).
Capacity: 250 km/h top speed - 0-100 km/h acceleration in 6,3 s - fuel consumption (ECE) 16,0/7,9/10,9 l/100 km, CO2 emissions 255 g/km.
Mass: empty vehicle 1.930 kg - permissible gross weight 2.465 kg.
External dimensions: length 4.908 mm - width 1.856 mm - height 1.520 mm - wheelbase 2.737 mm - fuel tank 70 l.
Box: 540-1.530 l

Our measurements

T = 20 ° C / p = 1.100 mbar / rel. vl. = 31% / odometer status: 8.306 km
Acceleration 0-100km:6,9s
402m from the city: 15,0 years (


155 km / h)
Maximum speed: 250km / h


(WE.)
test consumption: 16,7 l / 100km
Braking distance at 100 km / h: 35,6m
AM table: 39m

We praise and reproach

engine

traction, position on the road

utility

engine sound (Remus)

Recaro shell seats

Performance Menu program for the racetrack

mass

Brembo brakes for very dynamic driving

slow manual six-speed transmission

squeaky plastic on the steering wheel

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