My new Insignia Select

[peterdw]

Hi All - picked up my new Insignia Select (petrol) from Opel Parramatta yesterday afternoon. So far very good! :yesnod: Can recommend Chris and the guys at Parramatta. A couple of pics (hopefully the links work):

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/DSC06064Edit.jpg

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/DSC06065Edit.jpg

Happy to answer any questions.

Cheers,

Peter

[kabel]

Nice !
And the links work.

[Nurb608]

Welcome to the site mate

[faneca]

Welcome to the forum! Think your the first on here with an insignia.

[poita]

Welcome to the forum, out first Insignia owner.

I am in the process of setting up the Insignia section, should be live in a day or two,

[mickos]

Looks good mate!

[daves_cally]

Welcome! Looks very nice

[guy 27]

nice one :)

[dutchy]

ohhh nice. This colour is technical grey right ?

[peterdw]

ohhh nice. This colour is technical grey right ?

Correct. Was also looking at a white one, but the wife likes this much better (and therefore so do I)!

[peterdw]

After 2 days of driving and 420 pages of manual reading, here are some initial observations on my new Insignia Select. I make these in the context of my previous vehicles – most recently 9 months in a 2007 VW Passat V6 4Motion (which I traded in on the Insignia) and prior to that, 6 years in a 2003 ZC CDXi V6 Vectra (which I liked very much and had me hanging out for the Insignia).

I’ll put the positives in the next post. In this post, the niggles.

Noting that Opel Australia have the VW Passat firmly in their sights, and I’ve just come out of a Passat, here’s some free market research for them. (And before you say, “Why didn’t you just stick with the Passat then?” I’m very happy to be in the Insignia! But the following are some things that are a bit puzzling to me).

1. Bluetooth – The Bluetooth implementation in the “Infotainment System” doesn’t have A2DP, so you can’t stream music from your phone via the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth adopted the A2DP profile in May 2003, so to leave this out of a Bluetooth equipped vehicle built 9 years later is absurd. My 5 year old Passat had it. Yes, the Insignia has USB and Aux (3.5mm) inputs which is great, but who wants cables strewn around the centre console.

2. SD Card Reader – The SatNav data is stored on an SD card which goes into the reader in the centre console. I was told by two dealers that you should be able to play music stored on an SD card if you were to swap out the SatNav SD card (obviously the SatNav wouldn’t work without its SD card in the reader). This is not the case – the “Infotainment System” doesn’t consider the SD Card Reader as a source for music. My 5 year old Passat had this.

3. Wing Mirrors – The manual supplied with the car is generic, so it provides details on all options which aren’t necessarily implemented in the Australian build spec. One of these is the dipping of the passenger side mirror when reversing. The Passat had this and it was good for avoiding curb rash. Not sure why, if this option is available from the factory, you wouldn’t put this on the top spec model here? It also misses out on electric folding mirrors. Note too, the mirrors are quite tapered in shape – more triangular than rectangular – so your field of view seems a bit restricted.

4. Glovebox – the space inside is quite limited (compared to the Passat), which is in part due to a fuse box taking up a chunk of the left hand side. This isn’t an issue on the left hand drive version because the glovebox is on the other side. I guess moving the fuse box for the right hand drive variant was too hard.

5. Memory Seats – These are available, as detailed in the manual, but aren’t included in the Australian build spec. The Passat had this, but I rarely used it, so no big deal (for me), but wonder why you wouldn't include it on the top spec model?

Other things the manual says are available, but which didn’t make it into the Australian build spec (which could have been differentiators, although with cost): Adaptive Cruise Control; Flex Ride (Sport/Tour/Normal – guess this will be on OPC versions); Advanced Park Assist (for those who can’t parallel park); Traffic Sign Assistant (for those who can’t read); Lane Departure Warning (for those who can’t stay awake).

[peterdw]

Here are some of the positive impressions and things I’m really enjoying about the Insignia Select.

1. Seats – As per the brochure: “The ergonomic sports seat is approved and recommended by AGR (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.), a German medical association that has set orthopaedic requirements for car seats.” They are very, very good. I haven’t done a long country drive yet, but they feel very comfortable with good side support. Enjoyed using the ventilation on Friday afternoon when it was 38C. My wife has never liked my cars because I usually get leather and she can never get comfortable in the seats. All this weekend she has been saying how comfortable the Insignia is, so there’s a ringing endorsement for the seats!

2. Adaptive Forward Lighting – I’ve managed to drive around corners at night for many decades without getting into too much trouble, so didn’t think too much about having this. However, last night I was in an unfamiliar suburb cutting through side streets and the lights are phenomenal. It looks pretty cool as the lighting swivels around the road and into corners, giving you light where you need to be looking.

3. Engine – It doesn’t have the kick in the back from stationary that the V6 of the Passat or Vectra had (obviously), but once you move off and get some revs on, it pulls away very strongly.

4. Ride – quite firm; more-so than the Passat, but similar to the Vectra. Feels very sure-footed, and combined with the engine, just does what you want it to do; a really enjoyable drive.

5. Infotainment System – Despite the shortcomings I noted in the earlier post, this is a good system. The sound is good; the radio reception is good; displays RDS (radio station name and song info); SatNav works well; the multifunction wheel in the centre console is easy to use; can even display pictures off a USB stick! Only has a single CD player though, rather than a 6 stacker.

[Wraith]

Nice o/a, congrats on the new car...:)

[Silver Surfer]

Nice ride mate! Agree BT & SD capabilities not upto 2012 standards :ninja1:

[Greg K]

Welcome to the site, and thanks for the write-up... I know a few members (including myself) are looking into the Insignia.

Congrats on the purchase too!

[peterdw]

A couple of other things:

1. High Beam Assist - when you turn this on (over 40km/h) it automatically switches to high beam when appropriate (country road, or dark street) and switches back to low beam if it senses a vehicle ahead. Haven't tried this on a country drive yet, but will be interesting to see how well it judges the dipping point when another vehicle is coming towards you.

2. Indicators - not sure if this is a plus or a minus (!): same on the Passat, but opposite to the ZC Vectra - the indicator stalk is on the left hand side. Interesting that with the right hand drive variant of the Vectra, Opel chose to put the stalk on the right, but not on the Insignia.

[Ice]

My astra g had it left and the H on the right ...... I prefer the stalk on the left but then have predominantly driven Euro cars. Just seems to depend on how easy it is for that model.
re the Bluetooth sound. ... that would drive me nuts and a cable is inconvenient and get with the time for gods sake.... it's not hard to implement it right ? Although annoying its not one of those deal breakers.... the alternative is to have an iPod dedicated in the centre console and to think no more of it. Had the adaptive lighting on my previous merc and now only have stock bulbs in the new one and I can't believe how used to them I got. If I were to buy a car now that's the first option ide buy as it really is worth its weight and not just a cool toy. How was the gear box ? I know it'd be hard coming from the dsg.

[poita]

It's great to see the stalk has gone back to the left hand side!

[faneca]

It's great to see the stalk has gone back to the left hand side!

+1 feels in unnatural on the right hand side

[peterdw]

How was the gear box ? I know it'd be hard coming from the dsg.

I was never a fan of the DSG gearbox in the Passat. Always twitchy and snatchy from take-off, and held gears too long in Drive (ie. ground along at low revs) but revved too much in Sport mode. Very smooth and rapid changes though, once on the move. I therefore find the Insigna a much better drive - I'm happy to be back with a torque converter! I'd probably have a different opinion if I was driving hot hatches.

[Red AH SRI T]

For the music, do I what I've done in the Megane. I got a mini USB stick (it's about the size of your fingernail) for about $30 and it holds 16GB. No need for cables and no need to keep an iPod in the car.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/ozastra/photo.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/ozastra/photo-1.jpg

[Vectracious]

Do we know whether there is a limit on how many songs the infotainment system can read off a USB stick? Eg in my dad's ve calais it will only read the first 999 songs of a usb stick...

[poita]

If you separate them into different folders it shouldn't be an issue.

[Vectracious]

If you separate them into different folders it shouldn't be an issue.

Still is with the infotainment system in the Calais - maximum of 256 items in each folder and no more than 999 items in total.

Just asking the question because both being GM they may have similar programming in each unit.

[peterdw]

Thanks for the suggestion of the USB memory stick Red AH SRI T, which is what I'll probably do. The down side is my phone has all my music (without song number limitations) as well as podcasts, so it's a bit primative having to put podcasts onto a memory stick when they are already in the car with me on the phone.

Here's the relevant page from the manual:

http://sdrv.ms/RmWta0

Looks like 1,000 songs is the limit.

PS - Why can't I get this image to come up in the post like the one above?

http://sdrv.ms/RmWta0

[faneca]

you need to copy the image code across into the post, i dont think skydrive has it (well i didnt see it when i looked) photobucket is an easy one you can use if you want to post things up on the forum.

I wish i had 1000 songs lol i dont even think i have 100 yet lol in my car i ran a permanent usb cable from the head unit, would you not be able to get another phone charger cord, leave it in the car permanently and have it connect that way?

[Vectracious]

Peter - look at this link on how to use photobucket

http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthread.php?15910-How-to-Post-Photos-on-the-Forum-Using-Photobucket

Skydrive doesn't allow hosting of images for forums as far as I can tell.

The scan from your manual is identical to what is in the manual for the Infotainment system in the Calais, so looks like theres an "OS" that GM cars use which have this limitation for music stored on USB memory.

Does the Insignia have iPod connectivity, thats the way Dad gets around the 1000 song limit in his car.

[peterdw]

Skydrive doesn't allow hosting of images for forums as far as I can tell.

OK, thanks.


Does the Insignia have iPod connectivity, thats the way Dad gets around the 1000 song limit in his car.

I'll try my daugher's iPod in the car tomorrow and see what happens.

[peterdw]

Page from manual via Photobucket:

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/InsigniaUSB.jpg

[peterdw]

The iPod implementation seems to be good. Looks like my daughter has lost her iPod! Here's a picture of the display in the car with the iPod connected and playing. All control is via the Insignia buttons, not the iPod.

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/InsigniaiPodDisplay.jpg

[2002_XC]

Ooo so i can drool at Mr Thomas while im driving :p

[poita]

Ooo so i can drool at Mr Thomas while im driving :p

Yep cause you won't have to worry about what gear your in

[2002_XC]

:( .

[Vectracious]

Cool, pulls down more info and the album art as well. Nice :-)

[peterdw]

Phone address book issue – thought I’d note this in case anyone with an Insignia faces this problem in the future.

The Insignia Infotainment system will suck your address book off your phone via Bluetooth so you can access it via the screen in the car. The problem with mine was that random entries were missing – maybe 20%. They were in the phone address book (Samsung Galaxy SII) but not in the car address book. Despite unpairing and doing factory resets on the car system, the missing entries would not come across.

Long story short, after spending all yesterday afternoon on it, I suspect there is some flag on entries to indicate whether they are new or not, which isn’t working properly – most likely on the phone – and therefore they don’t get transferred to the car. To overcome it, I deleted all entries from Outlook (after saving); synced my phone to Outlook (which meant there were no entries in the phone); reloaded the contacts into Outlook; synced my phone to get them all back again; factory reset the car phone settings; connected the phone to the car via Bluetooth; the address book then had all entries. It shouldn’t be this hard!

[Vectracious]

Yep - had svery similar issues with my phonebook and dad's Calais. Problems with both Blackberry and Android devices. It's not really imperative that I have contacts saved in the Infotainment system so didn't bother pursuing it to fix it, but it would get stuck with transferring entries across - plus with my Android phone, my contacts are saved in google rather than the phone itself and that just confused the car completely.

[MattJelonek]

I like this thread. Love the color of the car too.

I'm waiting for the OPC version and want the Tourer in White! :)

[peterdw]

I'm waiting for the OPC version and want the Tourer in White! :)

Yes, that should be quite a beast ... 2.8-litre turbo V6 with 239kW and 435Nm, takes six seconds to reach 100km, top speed of 250km/h. Will it be 4 x 4 in Australia?

[Feelinlucky75]

Yes, that should be quite a beast ... 2.8-litre turbo V6 with 239kW and 435Nm, takes six seconds to reach 100km, top speed of 250km/h. Will it be 4 x 4 in Australia?

I bloody hope so. Imagine the torque steer lol

[peterdw]

Yes, that should be quite a beast ... 2.8-litre turbo V6 with 239kW and 435Nm, takes six seconds to reach 100km, top speed of 250km/h.

Have a listen!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPJoAs8sQxI

[poita]

The OPC Insignia only comes in AWD ;)

[ChrisMaz]

Have a listen!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPJoAs8sQxI

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbxzts4nGh1qjgrf7o2_r1_500.jpg

[Chris R]

Hi All - picked up my new Insignia Select (petrol) from Opel Parramatta yesterday afternoon. So far very good! :yesnod: Can recommend Chris and the guys at Parramatta. A couple of pics (hopefully the links work):

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/DSC06064Edit.jpg

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q711/peterdw1/DSC06065Edit.jpg

Happy to answer any questions.

Cheers,

Peter

not bad.

looking for how to add images to the posts. I have one that will interest you.

[dglewis80]

not bad.

looking for how to add images to the posts. I have one that will interest you.

Have a look here: http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33185

[Chris R]

thanks,

i put a reverse camera on one two days ago. will load the image on my shop site and link it back here.

[peterdw]

This is a good guide for linking from Photobucket:
http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthread.php?15910-How-to-Post-Photos-on-the-Forum-Using-Photobucket

Not all hosting sites allow images to be linked to the forum (as per page 3 of this thread).

[Chris R]

www.audioexpress.com.au/opel

http://www.audioexpress.com.au/opel/DSC_8260.JPG

http://www.audioexpress.com.au/opel/DSC_8284.JPG

http://www.audioexpress.com.au/opel/DSC_8240.JPG

thats what I was trying to link.

[peterdw]

Good work! Can you describe what's involved? Like the ladybird on the dash ...

[Chris R]

its all interfacing. the unit is a module I import for wholesale use. had a retail(who owns a shop) customer want two cars done.

as to exactly what is involved - not going there :) just take it that a camera has been done on one and it can be done.

if you wanted another source to display on that screen then that can be done as well.

[peterdw]

as to exactly what is involved - not going there :)

Thanks - wasn't looking for a step by step guide on how to do it :wink5: Just interested to know if the Infotainment unit has the appropriate interfaces and doesn't require major surgery. It's good to know you can add some features if desired.

[Chris R]

Thanks - wasn't looking for a step by step guide on how to do it :wink5: Just interested to know if the Infotainment unit has the appropriate interfaces and doesn't require major surgery. It's good to know you can add some features if desired.

if you mean can the screen be hacked to display other things , yes it can. no major surgery on the system for the most part it will plug in.