Opel Insignia Sports Tourer — The New Wagon in Elegant Sportswear

[thegriffon]

Opel Insignia Sports Tourer — The New Wagon in Elegant Sportswear

* Insignia's third body variant to debut at Paris Motor Show

* Introducing two additional engines, available for entire Insignia family

Rüsselsheim — Due to be unveiled at Paris Motor Show (October 4–19), Opel's new station wagon offers leading technologies wrapped in a sporty, premium body and reflects this in its name: Insignia Sports Tourer.

The Insignia Sports Tourer, available in European markets in spring 2009, boasts the same athletic, powerful and elegant design as its sedan counterparts. “However,” says Mark Adams, Vice President of GM Europe Design, “this is a stand-alone model and not simply a wagon version of the sedan. In fact, all the bodywork aft of the B-pillar is unique to the Sports Tourer. We've also ensured that its design combines the sculptural artistry and technical precision found in the notch- and hatchback models.” …

Full release and photos at AutoReport

Edited August 14, 2008 by thegriffon

[ZL-1]

I wonder if it's the taillights that remind me of the VelSatis... I don't know why, but the Renault instantly came to mind when I saw the rear end pics...

[Drew Dowdell]

Audi at the price of an Opel?

[GMTruckGuy74]

I wonder if it's the taillights that remind me of the VelSatis... I don't know why, but the Renault instantly came to mind when I saw the rear end pics...

I get a Subaru-feeling from the rear shots of this new Opel...

Does anyone know if this is coming to North America as a Saturn???

[Guest aatbloke]

Audi at the price of an Opel?

Over the past twenty years throughout EU markets, Audi, Mercedes and BMW have each massively expanded their model ranges to the point where significant numbers of their models are priced well within mainstream Vauxhall/Opel, Ford, VW and PSA territory. This is one reason why many mainstream European and Japanese manufacturers have pulled out of the E-segment in Europe altogether. In this country, back in the 1970's a BMW 3-series was a expensive small executive car and would never be considered by a Ford Cortina driver. These days, the 3-series outsells Ford's Mondeo by a significant margin - which is why they're known here as "Bavarian Cortinas."

[deftonesfan867]

Bring it here!!!

[Robert Hall]

Audi at the price of an Opel?

Yeah, I definitely see some Audi in the rear..the way the hatch wraps around the sides is very similar to the Q7.

[loki]

Bring it here!!!

wasn't there a "rumor" they were, about 1-2 years ago.... an aura wagon.

[PurdueGuy]

that's a pretty good looking wagon, IMO.

wasn't there a "rumor" they were, about 1-2 years ago.... an aura wagon.

Yeah, and then they canceled it. At that point, they were talking about bringing the current gen wagon over to sell alongside the current gen Aura, but they've dropped that plan, apparently. Next gen is still up in the air as far as I know.

Edited August 14, 2008 by PurdueGuy

[Intrepidation]

I really like this, looks much better than the sedan. Bring it over and don't water it down!

[Drew Dowdell]

$50 says it can't be federalized as is with the bumper being part of the rear hatch.

[thegriffon]

You haven't seen a CR-V lately then.

[Drew Dowdell]

I see your point, but on the CRV the bottom of the door that is part of the bumper is a separate piece.

[pow]

The back is a bit Renault and Audi, but I like it. Hot.

[toesuf94]

Let's see: It is attractive as hell...looks to be the right size and configuration for my family. The styling is stunning, clean, and really does not scream 'wagon'. Like someone said above, Audi at an Opel price tag. All of this makes me want to stand up and cheer for a wonderful design from GM... then I realize that they probably will NOT bring it to and I will be left without another fine product to drive.

Sadly, if they DO decide to bring it here, it will be 3 years from now and this design will already have been copied by the Japanese and Korean automakers for years, so it will be old news and not desireable.

I am going to go drink a beer and wonder WHY I LOVE GM when they keep doing this to me over and over and over again.

[thegriffon]

Talk your local Saturn dealer, but bear in mind the European versions will be expensive.

[!!!TED!!!]

It looks like they intended for the tail lights to extend upwards, but resisted in the last minute.

Very Audi meets Volvo at the back!

[ocnblu]

The CR-V is classified as a "truck" here in the US though, right? A truck still doesn't legally need to have a rear bumper at all, AFAIK. Not sure how they can justify a design like that on a "car" though. There'll be a $h!load of liftgates replaced on these in rear-end hits, an unneccessarily expensive proposition.

It looks like it is trying to resemble the Commodore wagon. Put them side by side, and I'd take the RWD Commodore INSTANTLY over this.

[cire]

This is one gorgeous wagon. GM should bring it here to show people that a wagon can be both attractive and practical. I personally prefer the "estate" classification that is commonly used in Europe (hey, if Toyota can call the upcoming Venza a "crossover sedan", then I can call this wagon an Insignia "estate").

Now they need to develop a "TwinTop" coupe version of the Insignia. The car's sleek lines are just begging for a retractable hardtop variant.

[thegriffon]

"Estate" is a fancy way of saying "farm wagon", which this is most certainly not.

"Shooting Break" is a wagon for carrying guns and game. Not sure I'd want to put a brace of pheasants or a deer carcass in the back either, nor will most buyers. Bith are strictly British, not European terms, although Break is common in France. The standard European term is some variation on Combi—a vehicle for hauling both people and cargo—a Carryall that can do the duty of a Station Wagon. Of course the Germans go in for all kinds of weird terms that have no direct reference to the vehicle's function at all—Opel's Caravan, Ford's Turnier (Tournament), VW's Variant, Audi's Avant, BMW's Touring—many with a similar theme to Pontiac's Safari, implying the cargo room makes them perfect for touring, traveling or going on safari.

[VenSeattle]

"Estate" is a fancy way of saying "farm wagon", which this is most certainly not.

"Shooting Break" is a wagon for carrying guns and game. Not sure I'd want to put a brace of pheasants or a deer carcass in the back either, nor will most buyers. Bith are strictly British, not European terms, although Break is common in France. The standard European term is some variation on Combi—a vehicle for hauling both people and cargo—a Carryall that can do the duty of a Station Wagon. Of course the Germans go in for all kinds of weird terms that have no direct reference to the vehicle's function at all—Opel's Caravan, Ford's Turnier (Tournament), VW's Variant, Audi's Avant, BMW's Touring—many with a similar theme to Pontiac's Safari, implying the cargo room makes them perfect for touring, traveling or going on safari.

You know what, I really appreciated this explanation... Thank you griffon!

[ocnblu]

I always saw it spelled "shooting brake".

[Guest aatbloke]

"Estate" is a fancy way of saying "farm wagon", which this is most certainly not.

"Shooting Break" is a wagon for carrying guns and game. Not sure I'd want to put a brace of pheasants or a deer carcass in the back either, nor will most buyers. Bith are strictly British, not European terms, although Break is common in France. The standard European term is some variation on Combi—a vehicle for hauling both people and cargo—a Carryall that can do the duty of a Station Wagon. Of course the Germans go in for all kinds of weird terms that have no direct reference to the vehicle's function at all—Opel's Caravan, Ford's Turnier (Tournament), VW's Variant, Audi's Avant, BMW's Touring—many with a similar theme to Pontiac's Safari, implying the cargo room makes them perfect for touring, traveling or going on safari.

Estate and Shooting Brake are indeed both British terms, although an estate car in everyday usage is basically any standard three-door or five-door station wagon. Alongside the traditional British term "estate", traditional terms elsewhere in Europe include "Break" in France and "Kombi" in Germany. German manufacturers have long specifically used their terms to denote their estate models as you say - such as Variant, Avant, Turnier and Caravan, and Weekend and Sportwagon from Italian manufacturers. Britain's Rover used "Tourer" extensively. Peugeot have used "SW" for a number of years now to denote their wagons.

A shooting brake tends to be reserved for either sporty or 4x4 three-door wagons, usually more expensive machines owned by the upper classes, and including those with a split rear hatch ... the 1970 Range Rover, for example, was originally billed as a shooting brake, and the Reliant Scimitar was probably one of the longest running production shooting brakes built. Both were common with the game set, especially this time of year after The Glorious Twelfth, or 12 August, the start of the grouse-shooting season!

Edited August 15, 2008 by aatbloke

[turbo200]

with design like this, who needs the G8 wagon. [well, I know there'd still be groups who would appreciate an affordable cleanly styled RWD wagon]. this just looks so fantastic. what a great looking car, it's a shame it will once again never arrive here in its original form, and even if it does eventually it will be too late.

[Robert Hall]

with design like this, who needs the G8 wagon. [well, I know there'd still be groups who would appreciate an affordable cleanly styled RWD wagon]. this just looks so fantastic. what a great looking car, it's a shame it will once again never arrive here in its original form, and even if it does eventually it will be too late.

I'd to see all 3 in the US...CTS wagon, G8 wagon, and this as an Aura wagon, with a diesel option.. I'd love to see wagons make a comeback in the US over CUVs..

[thegriffon]

I always saw it spelled "shooting brake".

The OED lists both spellings. Apparently the word break/brake referred to a carriage frame used for breaking horses. It was then applied to a large wagon, and finally to the enclosed wagon we recognize today. A shooting break/brake, is then a variant sold for shooting game, or at least, a way of selling a commercial vehicle to the leisure class.

Peugeot tends to use "break" for it's station wagons, with the SW originally used on a passenger version with an optional third row of seating and panoramic roof, as opposed to the standard Break with two rows of seats and steel roof.

[Guest aatbloke]

Peugeot tends to use "break" for it's station wagons, with the SW originally used on a passenger version with an optional third row of seating and panoramic roof, as opposed to the standard Break with two rows of seats and steel roof.

The French use the term "break" in general for estate cars, and "berline" for saloon cars. The terminology isn't merely used by Peugeot, who began using the "SW" nomenclature to denote its estate cars with the 206, and since followed by the 307 and 407.

A shooting break/brake, is then a variant sold for shooting game, or at least, a way of selling a commercial vehicle to the leisure class.

In this country, the generally accepted spelling was "shooting brake" although the term as you say descends from brake/break which was an open horse-drawn carriage. They're specificaly targeted at the country set for carrying game, and were typically three-door bodyshells in nature with either a 4x4 or sporting bent. The original Range Rover and the Reliant Scimitar GTE were prime examples, and indeed the term has largely gone out of fashion since the 1970's. Modern day examples typically would be the Volvo C30 and the latest Volkswagen Scirocco.

Edited August 17, 2008 by aatbloke

[GMTruckGuy74]

with design like this, who needs the G8 wagon. [well, I know there'd still be groups who would appreciate an affordable cleanly styled RWD wagon]. this just looks so fantastic. what a great looking car, it's a shame it will once again never arrive here in its original form, and even if it does eventually it will be too late.

Umm, I do. While the Insignia Sports Tourer is nice and is one wagon I'd like to see for sale in North America, if the G8 SportsWagon was available too, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the Pontiac over the Saturn in a heartbeat.

I'd to see all 3 in the US...CTS wagon, G8 wagon, and this as an Aura wagon, with a diesel option.. I'd love to see wagons make a comeback in the US over CUVs..

+1