Insignia OPC Road Test

[MatsHolden]

Don't think this has been posted.
It's in German/Dutch/whatever but has English sub titles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyYYKK_3KyU

[sooty]

Not a bad overall review, funny how they bag out the gearbox, is it another m32 variant?
BTW, i think it's in dutch, not german...(possibly)

[MatsHolden]

Not a bad overall review, funny how they bag out the gearbox, is it another m32 variant?
BTW, i think it's in dutch, not german...(possibly)

No idea. I just assumed.

[dieselhead]

What a car! If it lands here at $60k, you'd be mad to buy anything else in that budget range. I mean, V8s are so '90s now and the Liberty looks even older than that. The Passat is not bad but the Insignia looks much better in my opinion. Audi and BMW with similar performance would easily cost twice as much.

Yes, the guy speaks Dutch, that's why we need subtitles :)

[Wraith]

What a car! If it lands here at $60k, you'd be mad to buy anything else in that budget range. I mean, V8s are so '90s now and the Liberty looks even older than that. The Passat is not bad but the Insignia looks much better in my opinion. Audi and BMW with similar performance would easily cost twice as much.

Yes, the guy speaks Dutch, that's why we need subtitles :)

Speaking of which - have you seen the new Passat ????

Just saw it today (in the metal) for the 1st time and I love it !!!!!

Reminds me of the Mercedes CLS class...

It's priced around high 60's I think, tough choice if that's the same price range of the Insignia but from what I saw today, just on looks the Passat wins especially the front end IMHO the Insignia is weird looking front on - don't know about the performance of it though ???

[[OPCSRi]]

How HOT! is that thing? Bring it here GM.

[poita]

i want!

[MatsHolden]

The Holden 6 sounds the goods too.

[gmonkey]

I would even be happy if they just put that engine in the vf for something like a sv6. If cruze sales go good maybe we will get it hopefully.

[HoldenAstra]

Speaking of which - have you seen the new Passat ????

Just saw it today (in the metal) for the 1st time and I love it !!!!!

Reminds me of the Mercedes CLS class...

It's priced around high 60's I think, tough choice if that's the same price range of the Insignia but from what I saw today, just on looks the Passat wins especially the front end IMHO the Insignia is weird looking front on - don't know about the performance of it though ???

you mean Passat CC?i love that car!

[Vectracious]

325HP and 435Nm and 0-100 time of 6.0sec???

would have expected mid 5's considering thats a fair amount more power than a R36 which is only 295 HP/350 Nm

[sooty]

325HP and 435Nm and 0-100 time of 6.0sec???

would have expected mid 5's considering thats a fair amount more power than a R36 which is only 295 HP/350 Nm
manual though as opposed to DSG? perhaps...might account for the added few tenths..

[Vectracious]

almost half a second though? sedan does it in 5.6 - the Insignia must be a bit heavy as well....

[dieselhead]

No, we were talking about the Passat R36 (http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_au/New_Cars/Passat_Index/Passat_Sedan/trim_lines/R36.html), Insignia OPC's competitor. I hope that was what Wraith was talking about, too :)
Sorry, but even leaving looks aside, the R36 won't get me too excited with 25 kW and 100 Nm less than Opel's medium sized beast.

[sooty]

No, we were talking about the Passat R36 (http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_au/New_Cars/Passat_Index/Passat_Sedan/trim_lines/R36.html), Insignia OPC's competitor. I hope that was what Wraith was talking about, too :)
Sorry, but even leaving looks aside, the R36 won't get me too excited with 25 kW and 100 Nm less than Opel's medium sized beast.
i believe Ange was talking about the Passat CC, sounds most like the merc he described, i believe it shares the r36 running gear, but different body shape?
http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_au/New_Cars/PassatCC.html

[Vectracious]

No, we were talking about the Passat R36 (http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_au/New_Cars/Passat_Index/Passat_Sedan/trim_lines/R36.html), Insignia OPC's competitor. I hope that was what Wraith was talking about, too :)
Sorry, but even leaving looks aside, the R36 won't get me too excited with 25 kW and 100 Nm less than Opel's medium sized beast.

R36 does not look like a Merc CLS - Wraith is indeed talking about the Passat CC.

Passat CC has the 3.6 from the R36 but with slightly less power - so still pretty quick.

Insignia looks better (and not as boring as the Passat) - but the VR6 in the Passat sounds a lot better than the V6 in this.

[BEK-46P]

Meh. I'd still prefer the 330i.

Still a nice car though!

[dieselhead]

Sorry, my bad... But why would you compare a CC with a sedan or wagon, anyway?! :D

Can you buy a new 330i for about $60k? Where, surely not in Oz?

[poita]

Sorry, my bad... But why would you compare a CC with a sedan or wagon, anyway?! :D

Can you buy a new 330i for about $60k? Where, surely not in Oz?

where can you buy an insignia, surely not in aus? :p

[Vectracious]

Sorry, my bad... But why would you compare a CC with a sedan or wagon, anyway?! :D

Can you buy a new 330i for about $60k? Where, surely not in Oz?

the cc isn't essentially a sedan? :confused: dont understand your question....

no such thing as a "new" 330i - except in diesel.

and poita is right... not going to come to oz anyway..

[dieselhead]

the cc is a 4 door coupe, if that makes any sense. not exactly a sedan then.
Insignia will come here sometime next year. if there's still Opel to make them that is...

[Vectracious]

the cc is a 4 door coupe, if that makes any sense. not exactly a sedan then.
Insignia will come here sometime next year. if there's still Opel to make them that is...

i know what they are trying to make the cc to be, but at the end of the day, its still a sedan - so why wouldnt you compare it?

Where is the definitive answer about the Insignia coming over? It's all just speculation. Opel will probably have been sold by then so GM can survive - so its unlikely to be through Holden....

[Wraith]

you mean Passat CC?i love that car!

Yeah guys, sorry for any confusion, I was talking about the new Passat CC :)

As said, saw one earlier this week on the road - looks great, very classy, I actually thought it was a Merc. until I saw the rear end and the VW logo LOL :)

Here's some info...looks like it more than matches the OPC Insignia on performance and looks heaps better IMHO and priced similar or cheaper too ;)

Engine: 3597cc V6, dohc 24v
Max Power: 220kW @ 6600rpm
Max Torque: 350Nm @ 2400-5300rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automated manual
0-100km/h: 5.6sec (claimed)
Price: $65K (estimated)
On sale: First quarter 2009

For: It's a good looker; availability of advanced options
Against: Coupe style compromises headroom; only four seats

Here's some pics, which don't do it justice, having seen it in the metal, it definitely looks better in real life...

http://i27.tinypic.com/14vtljm.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2nn3n9.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/352nij5.jpg

[GreyRex]

Gotta pic your colour right with the Passat CC

I've seen one in a dark brown/bronze colour, which definately made me look twice

[HoldenAstra]

I saw a black one at Burwood Palaza,really nice.

[rjastra]

Where did this delusion that an imported Insignia OPC/VXR whateva would be 60K?

[dieselhead]

Um, that has to be Top Gear a couple of months ago. They were suggesting that HSV would have some top spec Insignia for about $60k.

[Wraith]

Um, that has to be Top Gear a couple of months ago. They were suggesting that HSV would have some top spec Insignia for about $60k.

The U.K price list has been put up in the other Insignia thread - base model starts at just over 30k pound sterling - no way 60k $AUD ' if ' it ever comes dowm under !

You'll be needing the better part of 80k for the top model !!!

As I've said before IMO you get enough car for the price point, but there's also better choices out there at that price point too...the Passat CC for one :) or maybe even a S/C Walkie Clubbie ;)

http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22171&page=7

[dieselhead]

Actually, the R36 cost about 1,000 EURO more than Insignia OPC sedan in Europe, while that smashing OPC Sports Wagon cost about the same. Just checked, the R36 goes here down under for $71,690 OTR (http://www.discountnewcars.com.au/volkswagen/volkswagen-passat-type-3c-r36-sedan-4dr-dsg-6sp-4-motion-3-6i-volk09cj.aspx) while an HSV Clubbie is $70,580 OTR (http://www.discountnewcars.com.au/hsv/hsv-clubsport-e-series-r8-sedan-4dr-6-2i-hsv-09aa.aspx).
I'm pretty sure that a top spec Insigna OPC will be a tad cheaper than the R8 Clubbie, so there you have it, $60k plus taxes.

[Red AH SRI T]

Omg me want!!!

[kabel]

Apparently an Insignia is making it`s way to Australia to do the showcar circuit........................................... .............................................

[poita]

Apparently an Insignia is making it`s way to Australia to do the showcar circuit........................................... .............................................

says........?

[Calibrated]

i wouldnt care if it was priced closely to a commodore. they have less than zero appeal to me.

[kabel]

says........?
Aussie (Shane) at VXR online.

[poita]

linkage?

[kabel]

http://www.vxronline.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=51506&page=3

[poita]

thanks mate

very interesting indeed.

they might be testing the waters to see what the reaction is like.



pls pls pls pls pls pls pls

[Shaun]

I recently emailed HSV about the Insignia VXR coming to Australia . The response was it is only talk in magazines at this point. They had the same response with the VXR Astra . Romour has it though out of the uk a VXR Insignia and Corsa VXR are heading our way for evaluation . If they do come to Australia and spec's and price are right I would consider buying one as the replacement for my current VXR

[Shaun]

Aussie (Shane) at VXR online.

I too have heard that from reliable sources in the uk that Aussie is linked too

[Wraith]

I recently emailed HSV about the Insignia VXR coming to Australia . The response was it is only talk in magazines at this point. They had the same response with the VXR Astra . Romour has it though out of the uk a VXR Insignia and Corsa VXR are heading our way for evaluation . If they do come to Australia and spec's and price are right I would consider buying one as the replacement for my current VXR

The Insignia VXR will have a ' real ' chance ' if ' GMH will stock the normal Insignia variant or range...

The Corsa VXR will have absolutely no chance unless the same is done for that model - at this stage there is no intention by GMH to stock the current Opel Corsa...

HSV have always and will always only have 'done up' variants of whatever Holden sells...

[MatsHolden]

HSV have always and will always only have 'done up' variants of whatever Holden sells...

I thought the same until this...

"We don't necessarily have to replicate the range that Holden brings in," Crennan told the Carsales Network. "There are other alternatives to broaden our portfolio."

"There are some other European cars in the GM family we're having a close look at," Crennan admitted.


Although I still see it difficult for HSV to do so anyway. They are afterall called HOLDEN Special Vehicles even if they are a company in their own right.

[Wraith]

I thought the same until this...

"We don't necessarily have to replicate the range that Holden brings in," Crennan told the Carsales Network. "There are other alternatives to broaden our portfolio."

"There are some other European cars in the GM family we're having a close look at," Crennan admitted.


Although I still see it difficult for HSV to do so anyway. They are afterall called HOLDEN Special Vehicles even if they are a company in their own right.

I've heard that line from as long ago as when I purchased my 1st HSV back in '99 at the many HSV launches, focus group meetings etc. that I participated in thereafter...

It quickly became apparent to me that what HSV would like to do and what they actually can do are 2 different things...GMH runs the whole show, maybe that's changing recently because of the whole economic climate thing ?? but in terms of business sense, there's not much of that if HSV which is essentially just a sporting arm of GMH sell a unique model that isn't part of the 'normal' range, especially in this case whereby both the Insignia and Corsa would be a part of a very small niche market or small volumes...

[Shaun]

HSV have been looking to become a stand alone importer and export now for some time now and I believe that HSV Vauxhall and walkinshaw are in negiations
at this point in time on pricing the insignia VXR at a reasonable price . All VXR / OPC models are " NAV " models meaning they are fitted with sat nav units . Meaning the cars are well equipped but the price factor is the issue . I believe from my sources ( which I can assure you are reliable and true) pricing is the issue at this point in time .

[kabel]

I will be happy if they just bring in the next gen Astra VXR !
Failing a small Hot 3 door hatch from HSV I will be jumping ship to another brand .
Be it VW GTiR (?) or Audi S3.
Mind you not in a real hurry and one VXR will remain in the household while the other is traded.

[Wraith]

but the price factor is the issue . I believe from my sources ( which I can assure you are reliable and true) pricing is the issue at this point in time .

Correct !

Pricing has ALWAYS been the issue with HSV vehicles, for the most part they have always been a blatant rip off and relied heavily on loyal fans for their turn over, I'm not having a go either as I too have purchsed and owned HSV's in the past - just telling it as it is...

Now if you consider or factor in the plan of trying to go in a 'stand alone' type venture without parent company GMH in the picture with a base model or range of the same vehicle, there's only going to be one outcome...an even higher price point for any such vehicle !

The Opel Insignia VXR sells in the U.K for between 30-40k pound sterling, that's at least 65-80k $AUD already...if HSV sells them exclusively without the type being imported and sold also by GMH there's already one huge price jump on that price point and because the volumes will be small, there's another jump again on that price point...

I hope we do get some exciting new fully imported vehicles coming through, but also hope GMH stocks them as well...that's the only way they will be priced anywhere near reasonable once they've had HSV badges stuck on them, because after all that's all they're doing with any imported VXR vehicle...

[Wraith]

I will be happy if they just bring in the next gen Astra VXR !
Failing a small Hot 3 door hatch from HSV I will be jumping ship to another brand .
Be it VW GTiR (?) or Audi S3.
Mind you not in a real hurry and one VXR will remain in the household while the other is traded.

Agree...

New Astra is looking really good - VXR variant will no doubt be hot...lots of reports suggesting a 200kw jobbie too...

As for your alternative choices, if your going into S3 money territory, don't forget about the 135i :)

And most certainly a Mk6 Golf GTiR IMO would be a great choice too, basically an S3 or TTS in drag :)