Announced back in December, the Insignia Grand Sport is an opportunity for Vauxhall to fight back against Audi, BMW and Mercedes, as well as Ford’s new Vignale badge.
Vauxhall, to me, have never been a manufacturer that have stirred any desire, whether that’s with the hot hatches or their comfy cruisers. The Focus ST/RS always pipped the Astra VXR and if I wanted a 3 Series then I’d never have decided on an Insignia instead.
The latter point above must be a real problem for Vauxhall so they’ve really upped their game with the Insignia Grand Sport giving it design flare, driver appeal and toys galore.
Looking at the pictures I can see BMW 3 Series, Volvo V90 and Passat CC – not a bad roster to emulate in this sector!
Where it gets interesting for drivers is under the skin. Not only have Vauxhall shod 175Kg from the old Insignia, they’ve also equipped the new car with a torque vectoring all-wheel drive system. This is great for safety but also great for going very very quickly – it’s the same system they use in the Focus RS!
So far there has been very little talk of which engines will be used but we have to keep our fingers crossed that the 2.8-litre V6 from the current Insignia VXR (325PS and 435Nm torque) makes it across.
With the promised looks, weight savings, AWD system and a decent engine this could really tempt a few people away from just ordering another new German car. Price will play a big factor (no news here yet) but we can’t wait to watch the comeback in action.
Sorry, I forgot to mention the toys. So far they’ve told us about LED headlights, HUD, cross traffic alerts, Apple Carplay, and heated everything, including the steering wheel. I wonder how much cheaper these will be than with a new Mercedes…..
