It is as if Opel where going straight for the car of the year hour with their innovative Insignia, a car that beat Ford Fiesta to the prize by just one point. The sleek looker had to convince 20 of the total 59 jurors for first place while the Fiesta was just one shy with 19 journalists giving it first place.
In third place was the Golf 6 followed by Citroen C5 and fith place was the MiTo by Alfa Romeo. It is interesting to note that no BWM model has ever one car of the year while Mercedes Benz only managed on win way back in 1974. Models winning this award are to meet a number of criteria such as higher than average safety levels, technical innovation and fresh styling.
However the winning formula seems to be a model that can balance all admirable features at a relatively low price for the average buyer. The BMW is a manufacturer that highlights pricing as a soft spot for jurors. BMW has won awards for technical breakthroughs in engines and they have a number of gizmos they can claim "you say it first in a BWM". The issue remains, Opel or VW are more affordable cars.
Not to say the Insignia is very cheap but more like the sensible buyer’s alternative to the entry luxury sedans(C Class, Used BMW 3 Series). And this means the car is competing against the Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Citroen C5, Ford Mondeo and any car of the category.Definately the best Opel to date and complements the more affordable Opel Corsa for sale in terms of market reach.
The car has 7 different engine options 4 petrol and three diesel with power outputs ranging from 85kW/113hp from the 1.6 litre and top of the range 2.8 V6 producing 191kW/256hp. Conservative looks that borrow a lot from other cars but sill manage to appear fresh. Opel took a very carful aproach with the interior to make it elegant at the same time lovable.
Just how did Opel pip Ford for the hounours with a single point? Difficult to pin point any one aspect as Opel work hard to provide quality at a fair price. The car has some respectable talking points
FlexiRide System
Not really classified as innovation, the FlexiRide sytem allows the drive to set chassis configuration as sport or for a normal drive. The System also has sensors that make the drive as smooth as possible by continuously auto adjusting. For instance the system can react to a rough bump so quickly the driver will not feel any discomfort. More expensive cars have had this sort of system in some incarnation or another for some time now and for the Opel only the high end models will come standard with FlexiRide.
Adaptive 4X4
Sophisticated dynamic traction control that works to provide the most efficient torque to the wheels. Just as with the FlexiRide system Opel goes into details how this feature is “ground breaking”. But from a driver’s point of it really is just smart electronic assists that are getting better.
Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
By using smart light cameras couple with microprocessors the Insignia takes another step into the futuristic realm of cars that will one day drive themselves. With TSR the driver is alerted to react to approaching road sign for instance, reducing speed in a limited zone. The driver is also alerted when veering off the lane by mistake by the LDW
Efficient lights
Adaptive Forward Lighting system (AFL) is the head lamps that have nine different light settings that automatically adjust themselves according to the luminosity needed. Opel claims that Insignia's headlamps are super efficient to the extend of producing 0 emission compared to 6g/km in the predecessor.
Looking at the car a couple of times does not make it look better but rather like any of the modern design one would expect. In other words the cars looks might looks normal in a few months time and just fail to make the all time icons. Surely the competition will follow soon with their own traffic sign readers and dynamic chassis electronics.Still the Insignia is one of the significant new cars for sale in 2009.
Does the Opel Insignia deserve the award? Yes partly because it is not a Porsche, BWM, or Mercedes as these models seem destined not to win. But mostly because it serves as a symbolic reminder that elegance, quality and innovation need not cost a fortune.
By: M.E Bapela
www.CarSeller.co.za
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