FIRSTDRIVE: OPEL INSIGNIA OPC: The Opel OPC puts on a magnificent performance - but PADDY COMYNcan't quite see an audience for it
IT WAS nice to sit in a press conference where the word “emissions” wasn’t used once. In fact, it had probably been banned.
We recently brought you news of Opel’s Ecoflex range, where Opel had sheared a few grams of CO2 off its clean diesel cars, including in the Insignia, as a result of lowering fuel consumption. Opel’s range, by and large, is pretty good when it comes to the environment. Most of its mainstream models, and certainly the ones coming online from the brand, don’t require too many visits to the pumps or too hefty an annual payment to your local motor tax office. But things are different with Opel’s latest incarnation of its OPC range.
OPC stands for Opel Performance Centre, which has been making fast Opels for some time now. Think of it like you would the M division in BMW or AMG’s links with Mercedes-Benz. The cars are not for everyone. They are for those who want the most performance from what would otherwise be mainstream models.
They have been pretty successful with some versions. The Astra OPC is a fast, if slightly unruly, hot hatch. The Vectra OPC was a hugely under-rated car, but at the other end of the scale they turned the OPC wand on cars like the Zafira and, less successfully, the Meriva mini-MPV.
The new Insignia has been a big success across Europe, even in a deflated market, but even with this good news, one would have to question the merits of giving the OPC treatment to the winner of the European Car of the Year title.
But Opel has done just that, and if your bank balance allows, one can be yours this autumn.
Opel has taken the standard car, available with a good all-wheel drive system, and used the 2.8-litre V8, turbocharged it and fitted it with monster 18” Brembo brakes.
Visually, there is just the right amount of performance styling. Opel has resisted the urge to fit spoilers, but instead has given the car a very subtle look, using styling cues from a previous GTC concept shown at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It is a very good-looking car in basic form, so with these added adornments it looks fabulous. It comes with 19” wheels, but the optional 20” wheels fitted to our test car was magnificent.
There is a trick new front suspension system called HiPerStrut, designed to reduce torque steering. It allows for the steering to be separated from the bottom of the suspension arm. It works in a similar manner to the Ford Revo Knuckle suspension in the Ford Focus RS, but is a little more straightforward. This, combined with all-wheel drive, means the power should go to the ground and spin the wheels hideously.
Start it up and there is a decent rumble, but it doesn’t sound ferocious, and the interior layout is pretty similar to a standard car, but with some sports seats that support brilliantly and an extra FlexRide button on the dashboard.
As well as the Sport button to increase throttle response, there is an OPC button which makes the steering more direct, the throttle more responsive and the chassis set up for performance.
This is a car that is blessed with a vast amount of grip and it’s quietly, assuredly fast.
On unrestricted stretches of autobahn, the car reaches close to its maximum speed with relative ease, all the time feeling very stable and going about the business of being very fast, very easily. But it is when you come off the high-speed straight and venture to the back roads that the main, fatal flaw of the Insignia rears its head.
While handling is fine – excellent, in fact, the car is mournfully lacking in steering feel. Having such power and feeling assured enough to use it is very much linked to what you can feel through the wheel and there simply isn’t enough feedback, even in OPC mode. This is a real shame, as it blighted what was an otherwise good experience of what is a fast, fast car.
But, coming away from the experience of the Insignia OPC, you are left with questions – the most overwhelming of which is really where this car fits.
Ford took the decision not to build a high-performance version of its Mondeo quite simply because nobody bought it and when Ford, with such a heritage in performance cars, chooses not to, you have to wonder why.
If you are going to spend quite a large amount of money on a fast four-door saloon or five-door hatchback, you might want it to have a more prestigious badge.
A 2.8-litre V6 petrol turbocharged engine naturally means that it is going to be costly to run. Try €2,100 per year to tax it for a start.
And, with the car likely to cost close to €50,000 in Ireland, you would have to imagine that it will be seriously rare. Cars like the Subaru Impreza STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X have become so expensive that they are almost extinct
Granted, even at this price, you are getting a hell of a lot of performance for the money. To put it in context, a BMW 325i with 218bhp will cost you over €56,000 before you start choosing options. It will cost you over €51,000 for a 211bhp Audi A4 2.0-litre TFSI with Quattro all-wheel drive – and if you want something that is about a match on power, such as an Audi S4, you will need to pay €76,500 before any options.
So for those that want a €50,000-ish turbocharged, petrol V8 family saloon with a non-prestige badge that will cost €2,100 to tax each year and will most likely depreciate as fast as it accelerates, this car is for you.
That is presuming, of course, that you exist. The new model will come to Ireland in the autumn as a four-door saloon, five-door hatch and a very useful Sports Tourer version.
There is no word on pricing yet but we can expect it to start off at around €48,000, not helped by the 36 per cent VRT that will be applied to the OPC.
Factfile
Engine: 2,792cc turbocharged putting out 325bhp and 435Nm of torque
Transmission: six-speedmanual, all-wheel drive, electronic limited slip differential
0-100km/h: 6 seconds
Top speed: 250km/h
L/100km: 11.4
CO2 emissions: 268g/km
Motor tax band: G
Annual road tax: €2,100
Price: €48,000-€50,000 (estimated)