Vauxhall Insignia GSI

Under closer scrutiny, the Gsi‘s chassis continues to impress

NOT SO MANY MILES THIS MONTH, but those I have driven in the GSI have been on more entertaining roads. It’s given me a chance to try the different dynamic modes, and to drive with and without the selectable ‘Twinster’ all-wheel-drive system engaged.

Working through Normal, Tour and Sport modes is less than dramatic. It’s all very mildmannered in the first two, while the step up to Sport does elicit a welcome and noticeable increase in powertrain response and tautness in the damping. I’m used to firmly suspended cars, so Sport tends to be my default as there’s still plenty of pliancy. There’s also Competition, which relaxes the stability control thresholds, but – I suspect – was really used as a kind of cheat code for Opel’s test drivers to wring the best possible Ring time from the car.

The overall polish of the Insignia’s chassis remains impressive. Vauxhall/opel must have spent a fortune to achieve such a sense of completeness. There’s something reminiscent of turn-of-the Millennium Ford models like the Ka, Mk1 Focus and Puma in the way it feels so poised at speeds and on roads you perhaps wouldn’t expect mainstream cars to shine.

This ride/handling is backed up by excellent Brembo brakes, with potency and pedal feel that are both spot-on. What the GSI lacks is a powertrain to do all of this justice. There’s little in the way of character, but it’s the lack of poke that’s the main issue. It’s one of those cars that feels like it should have something meaningful in reserve, but when you go looking for what you imagine to be the remaining 40 per cent of its performance you find there’s actually a fraction of that left to explore.

Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise when there’s only 228bhp and 258lb ft propelling a large, 1710kg saloon. It’s hauling itself out of the corners where the GSI comes undone, because it simply doesn’t have enough grunt to do much more than gain momentum.

And that all-wheel-drive system? There’s an uptick in the way the Insignia rotates into corners but, in the dry at least, I’m not convinced it’s worth the added weight and complexity. At least not with such modest torque to transmit. It just backs up my theory that Opel’s engineers hacked the company’s procurement system and went on a spending spree. If only they’d managed to sneak a better engine by the CO2 counters…

Richard Meaden (@Dickiemeaden)

Date acquired April 2021 Total mileage 2705 Mileage this month 701 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 28.1