News: Can GM's new plan save Opel?

In a week when rumours once again surfaced that Opel was up for sale to PSA Peugeot Citroen, the German firm's US masters at General Motors have come up with (another) new plan to turn around the loss-making car company.

Interestingly, GM Europe boss Steve Girsky admits that this is the first Opel turnaround programme "not to include hope as part of the package" and the 10-year plan centres on cutting costs (Opel needs to get its fixed costs down by about €500-million, and make around €1-billion of savings in its parts-and-platform sharing agreement with PSA) and to introduce 23 new models (along with a bevy of new, more efficient engines) by 2022. The plan, rather playfully, is called Drive! 2022. 

If everything works, Opel will hit break-even in a couple of years and move back into profit by around 2018. Some of the plan has already been implemented; the tie-up with Peugeot and Citroen is already well progressed, the decision to close the loss-making factory in Bochum has already been taken and several key new models, including the Astra saloon, Adam city car and Mokka compact SUV, have already been introduced.

Opel actually had quite a good year in 2012, finishing up as Europe's third best-selling brand and going a long way to winding down stocks of unsold models. Next up will be to start building non-Opel-badged models in Opel's German plants, to take up the slack in capacity. Expect to see Buicks for China (China is now a massive market for this classic American brand) and mechanically-identical Chevrolets for Europe built in Russelsheim and elsewhere. And, although the plan doesn't overtly admit it, expect too to see the next-generation of Citroen C5 and Peugeot 508 built on a common platform with the Opel Insignia in Germany.

Road Test: Opel Insignia 2.0 CDTI EcoFlex

Price as tested: €29,680

+ Cracking diesel, looks, sharp chassis, quality
– High price, noisy, stiff ride
= Opel finally makes the diesel grade

OK, can we just start here with an oft-heard complaint? GM in general (pardon the pun) and Opel especially, really needs to work on its diesel engines. With the Detroit-based bosses still thinking that diesel is something you put in a Kenworth or Peterbuilt, Opel has always lagged behind its rivals in DERV development.

Er hang on, we may just have to revise that old cliché as the updated engine in the Insignia EcoFlex is one of the best you’ll come across.

On paper, it’s very impressive, with 160bhp yet 115g/km of Co2 emissions, one of the best power-to-emissions figures you can find, and a match for the 1.6 diesels that you’ll find in most of the competition, none of which can match the Insignia EcoFlex’s punch. How does 0-100kmh in 9.5secs grab you?

It is surprisingly noisy though, grumbling and rumbling away to itself almost constantly, a fact which could damage its prospects were it not for one facet of its performance; its fuel consumption. Opel claims 4.3-litres per 100km (about 65mpg) on average and, amazingly, we reckon with a bit of  care, you could actually manage that. Leave off the aircon, turn down the heated seats and make full use of the stop-start system and you might be able to crack a 60mpg average on a long-ish journey. That is massively impressive for such as big car, and the Monopoly card in its back pocket that keeps the Insignia EcoFlex out of noisy diesel jail.

Elsewhere, updated as it is the for new year that’s in it, the Insignia feels and looks just as impressive as it did when launched in late 2008. It’s still a seriously handsome car, looking very Secret Service-y if you get it in a dark metallic, or very Garda-y if it comes in the same shade of bright white as our test car did. Still, with Brendan Gleeson making Guards iconic these days, maybe it’s a look that could catch on.

Inside, there are some minor trim updates that keep things feeling fresh and it has to be said that the Insignia is, along with the Skoda Superb, one of very few ‘mainstream’ cars that can seriously challenge the premium brands for cabin fit and finish. The seats are a bit narrow and perched-up though, which is a shame, but space in the back is good (in legroom terms if not in headroom; that swoopy roofline eats into space for taller passengers) and the 500-litre boot os generous. Mind you, we’d go for the five-door liftback over our four-door saloon test car. You get an extra 30-litres in the boot, plus the added versatility of a liftback and from the outside, only the most finely trained car anorak could tell the difference.

To drive, the Insignia has actually benefited from the fitting of a new electric power steering system. Now, normally we moan about electric steering as it tends to rob you of road feel and feedback, and that’s once again the case here. But it’s actually better weighted and quicker to respond off-centre than the old hydraulic steering set up, so on balance, it’s an improvement. And it helps the Insignia retain its fluid, flowing chassis feel; not quite a match for the mighty Ford Mondeo in driver entertainment terms, but the gap is fag paper thin these days. A shame that the ride quality hasn’t been improved. It’s not terrible, but it bucks and bangs a bit too much on poor surfaces, and that does rather spoil the Insignia’s quasi-premium pretension.

It is a bit pricey though, indicative of Opel’s intention to become a semi-premium brand. €29,680 is a lot for a car that’s supposed to be the economy model, and that’s on top of a range that starts a good €1k above the level of most of the competition. And even with a diesel engine as good as this one, that might just be too much for the Insignia to carry.

Facts & Figures

Opel Insignia 2.0 CDTI EcoFlex SC
Price as tested: €29,680
Range price: €27,380 to €54,280
Capacity: 1,956cc
Power: 160bhp
Torque: 380Nm
Top speed: 221kmh
0-100kmh: 9.5sec
Economy: 4.3-100km (65mpg)
CO2 emissions: 115g/km
VRT Band: A. €160 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 94% adult, 79% child, 40% pedestrian, 71% safety assist