The new Opel Insignia Sports Tourer showcases the dynamic look of the new Opel midsize class in the station wagon segment and reflects this in its name. Two new engines for the entire Opel Insignia class also make their world premiere at the Paris Motor Show (October 4 - 19). The innovative 2.0-liter BiTurbo diesel with clean tech combustion system has 190 hp, and the downsized 1.6-liter gasoline turbo engine reaches 180 hp. The Opel Insignia Sports Tourer offers the same state-of-the-art technology as the Insignia, including the Opel Eye camera system, AFL+ headlamps, Adaptive 4x4 all-wheel-drive and the FlexRide chassis. This is complemented by station-wagon-specific equipment such as a power tailgate with programmable opening height, a leveling system and the FlexOrganizer cargo management system. The completely flat luggage compartment has a capacity of 540 to 1,510 liters. With a cD of just below 0.30, the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer is the most aerodynamic station wagon Opel has ever built.
The Opel Insignia Sports Tourer addresses a younger target group than the sedan. It is the ideal choice for families and sporty, active people who desire a wagon for their leisure activities and sports equipment, but who don't want to give up the elegant style, superb driving characteristics and low fuel consumption of a midsize car.
The new Opel Insignia Sports Tourer will be introduced to European markets in spring 2009. Opel expects the Sports Tourer to take a high share of sales in strong station wagon markets like Italy and Germany. Like the sedan models, the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer was developed in GM Europe's Design and Engineering Center in Rüsselsheim. It will also be built in the Rüsselsheim plant, one of the most modern and efficient plants in the world.
Sporty design, unprecedented aerodynamics for maximum efficiency
While designers carried forward the sporty, elegant design of the Insignia to the Sports Tourer, they spared no effort in giving the largest Insignia its own unique look. Mark Adams, Vice President of GM Europe Design, says, "This vehicle has its own very unique personality, while still remaining consistent to the new design language that we have developed for Opel, where Sculptural artistry meets German precision. It combines the perfect balance of a practical package wrapped in a dynamic, sporty design."
The result is a dynamic, sporty station wagon that elegantly conceals its high utility value. To achieve this, the designers reinterpreted a number of elements. They pulled the "wraparound" tailgate far into the flanks and accentuated it with large, distinctive, fully integrated tail lights. The chrome strip holding the prominent Opel logo gives the car a note of added confidence.
The rear sweeps down into a rounded bumper, emphasizing the aerodynamic framework that underpins the car's design. The roof spoiler has the same effect, elongating the dynamic sloping roofline that is accentuated by roof rails and thus helping to ensure that the Insignia sedan's sporty proportions are retained with the Sports Tourer. Also, the air is guided longer along the roof reducing the drag. Two vertical fins that bridge the roof spoiler and the rear lights have the same effect. The air flow is sharply cut off which also reduces rear end lift.
As in the Insignia sedan, GM Europe engineers fine-tuned the subtlest details to ensure excellent aerodynamic performance. These include rounding the front bumper corners and adding a flexible spoiler lip to its bottom end, giving the A-pillar a rounder shape, changing the exterior mirror to a wing form, and profiling the lower control arm in the rear suspension. Two underbody spoilers direct air over the rear axle to reduce drag and lift even more, while the three front air inlets have been optimized for efficiency. With a cD of just below 0.30, the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer is the most aerodynamic station wagon Opel has ever built. With a drag area of 0.69 m², it is better than many smaller cars.
Interior: Plenty of space and practical features like the FlexOrganizer system
The new station wagon's dynamic look encloses an interior that offers ample space for five occupants and a highly competitive luggage compartment that offers a volume of 540 liters. The Sports Tourer has retained an identical wheelbase of 2.74 meters as the sedan models and added around eight centimeters to its rear cargo length for an overall 4.91 meters. The load area length up to the front seats is 1.91 meters and when fully loaded, the sporty station wagon has a maximum capacity of 1,510 liters.
The Sports Tourer combines sporty looks with the space and functionality of conventional wagons. The automatic leveling system is just as practical as the closing support for the manual tailgate which pulls the tailgate into the lock when closing; both items are fitted as standard. Also available is a tailgate that can be electrically opened and closed and features a programmable opening height that helps prevent damage to the tailgate even in garages with low ceilings. Added to that are clever ideas such as the familiar FlexOrganizer system that separates and secures cargo loads: A flexible system of nets and foldaway dividers can be fixed to two horizontal rails running along each side of the load area. The host of stowage possibilities in the passenger cell, that are also a feature of the sedan, include molded-in pockets in the front doors that can each hold a 1.5-liter bottle.
With the new Sports Tourer comes a new seat material that is an automotive industry first: It uses "TopTec" nano-technology to help textile upholstery resist staining and prevent liquids from penetrating it, therefore is up to 50 percent easier to clean that conventional upholstery. TopTec material, available with the beige interior, is as breathable as conventional material and makes it easier for families with small children to choose interior trim with friendly, light-colored upholstery.
Nine Engines Available
Two new engines make their premiere in the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer, and join the seven engines already available for the sedan models. The 2.0-liter BiTurbo diesel with 190 hp and the 1.6-liter gasoline turbo with 180 hp will then also be available in the sedan versions. Both engines are part of Opel's rightsizing strategy. This strategy aims to achieve higher performance not through higher displacement, but rather to increase the efficiency of smaller engines with the help of state-of-the-art technology to such a point that they at least rival larger engines in terms of performance, torque and drivability while at the same time consuming considerably less fuel. In addition to these nine engines, an ecoFLEX variant with remarkably low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will also be introduced in the course of next year.
Strong and innovative: The new 2.0 CDTI BiTurbo
The new 2.0-liter CDTI BiTurbo will top the diesel engine family available in the Insignia. With two-stage turbo-charging and clean tech combustion control, it produces 140 kW/190 hp at 4,000 rpm, which corresponds to an excellent power output per liter of 70 kW/95 hp. The maximum torque is 400 Nm at an exceptionally low 1,500 rpm.
The innovative clean tech technology that controls combustion via an electronic closed loop system makes its debut in the common-rail four-cylinder engine. Pressure sensors integrated in the glow plugs are used to measure combustion pressures as high as 180 bar in each individual cylinder up to one million times per minute, within an accuracy of 98 percent. The data is sent to the central engine control system and the fuel injection continuously adjusted. This closed loop system ensures the engine always operates within an optimum range for maximum power output and minimum exhaust emissions, improving efficiency and lowering combustion noise. Long-term stability of the combustion process is another advantage of pressure measurement with the piezo-resistive sensors. Over the service life of the engine, it compensates for wear factors such as inaccuracies in the fuel metering, component tolerances, varying fuel qualities and operating conditions.
The two-phase turbocharging concept ensures a good response at low engine speeds, as well as maximum power output values. Two turbochargers, one small and one large, are connected in series and controlled by a combined throttle system. Up to 1,500 rpm, the exhaust gases only pass over the turbine in the small, low-inertia turbocharger, which forces air into the cylinders at up to 3.3 bars pressure. When engine speed increases, part of the exhaust gas flow is diverted to the large turbine so that both turbochargers become active. Pre-compressed in the large turbocharger, the air is led into the small turbocharger via an intercooler and then forced into the cylinders in a highly compressed state. At engine speeds above 3,000 rpm, the entire exhaust gas flow is directed to the larger turbo, from where the compressed air is forced into the cylinders via the intercooler.
A third generation, common-rail injection system - working at pressures up to 2,000 bars - is another special engine feature. In hydraulic cutting technology, for example, 2,000 bars is sufficient pressure to cut stainless steel blocks up to a thickness of 15 centimeters. In the Opel diesel engine, the high-pressure rail system delivers fuel through high-precision, piezo electrically-controlled injector nozzles which allow up to eight injections per stroke, enabling extremely precise combustion control in terms of noise and exhaust emissions.
An oxidation catalyst, located close to the engine and a standard particulate filter provide after-treatment of the exhaust gas. As with all Insignia engines, the new, highly efficient diesel unit is Euro 5 certified.
Efficient and sporty: The new 1.6 Turbo with 180 hp
The new 1.6-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine in the ECOTEC series also uses turbocharging. It delivers maximum power of 132 kW/180 hp and generates peak torque of 230 Nm from just 2,200 rpm all the way to 5,400 rpm. On top, the standard overboost system delivers a temporary 15 percent torque increase, up to 266 Nm, as required. Electronic control allows a maximum charge pressure of 2.5 bars for up to five seconds, compared to 2.1 bars in normal running. The overboost function is activated when the accelerator pedal is rapidly pressed down all the way.
The cylinder head, oil sump and intake manifold, with a laterally-mounted throttle valve, are all in aluminum. The integration of the turbocharger housing in the cast exhaust manifold - a typical Opel feature - optimizes weight-saving and ensures a rapid response. The turbocharger is water cooled and was developed by Opel in collaboration with specialists from BorgWarner Turbo Systems. It is distinguished by refined flow geometries, improved materials and increased durability.
The compact 1.6 turbo engine is only 15 kg heavier than its naturally-aspirated counterpart, tipping the scales at just 131 kg. It has a bore/stroke ratio of 79/81.5 mm and displacement of 1598 cm3, top values in power-to-weight ratio (1 kg per 1 kW), specific power output (82.5 kW/112.5 hp per liter displacement) and specific consumption: At 2,000 rpm and a charge pressure of two bars, it consumes only 406 grams of fuel per kilowatt hour. This engine also is certified according to the stringent Euro 5 emissions standard.
Typical Opel: Affordable innovations also in Sports Tourer
"Along with leading technologies and high safety standards, the elegant Opel Insignia Sports Tourer clearly expresses Opel's strategy to make innovation and attractive design accessible," says Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer for GM Europe. All of the details designed for the Insignia can also be found in the Sports Tourer.
Developed for front and all-wheel-drive, the chassis is designed to offer a high level of safety and comfort. It can even be enhanced with the innovative, integrated FlexRide mechatronic chassis system which improves stability and provides real time, electronically controlled damping. FlexRide also gives the driver the choice between three driving modes. In addition to the standard adaptive mode, the driver can either opt for a comfort-oriented mode Tour or Sport setting. The Sport mode makes the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer driving experience more active, as it changes the set-up of interlinked functions such as the steering, throttle control and even the ambient lighting of the dashboard. Furthermore, Insignia customers can order the new, sophisticated Adaptive 4x4 system that proactively distributes torque to ensure superb stability while providing optimal traction and enhancing handling performance on all road conditions.
The "Opel Eye" camera, which reads and memorizes traffic signs and warns drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane, also increases safety in the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer. Other innovative features are the new-generation AFL+ headlamps that adjust to prevailing traffic conditions with nine different lighting functions and the particularly back-friendly, orthopedic Ergonomic Sport Seats that are offered at a very affordable price.
