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Photo of a Opel Insignia

Opel Insignia

The flagship that beat the Ford Fiesta to 2009 Car of the Year by one point.12

Researched November 1, 2026 from 25 sources

Also called

  • flagship of the regionMoses Pelham's affectionate name for the Insignia Sports Tourer in his song Insignia.3

At a glance

0200400
108–321 hpPower
07.515
5.6–13.9 s0–100 km/h
0150300
186–270 km/hTop speed
0250500
155–480 N·mTorque

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.124811

Engine
1.4–2.8 L gasoline; 1.5–2.0 L diesel; OPC/VXR: 2.8 L turbo V617
Layout
Front-engine; front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive1
Gearbox
6-speed manual; 6/8-speed automatics; later GSi: 9-speed automatic189
Built at
Adam Opel AG Werk Rüsselsheim, Germany1
Units built
Insignia A: 944,67010

The story

Opel's 2008–2022 flagship replaced Vectra and Signum, borrowing a 2003 concept's name. Abroad it wore Vauxhall Insignia, Buick Regal and Holden Insignia badges; generation two also became Holden's Commodore ZB.1

2008: London launch, Epsilon II debut20082009: Car of the Year by 321–320 · OPC: 321 hp and HiPerStrut20092011: OPC Unlimited reaches 270 km/h20112013: Facelift and first Country Tourer20132017: Grand Sport sheds up to 175 kg20172018: GSi claims 12 seconds over the OPC20182020: Facelift swaps engines and gearboxes20202022: Last cars leave Rüsselsheim2022 Opel Vectra A / Vauxhall Cavalier (A): 1988–1995AOpel Vectra B (B): 1995–2002BOpel Signum: 2003–2008Opel SignumOpel Insignia A (G09): 2008–2017G09Opel Insignia B (Z18): 2017–2022Z18 19901995200020052010201520202025
GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones1781718
Show the numbers
YearWhat happened
1988–1995Opel Vectra A / Vauxhall Cavalier (A)
1995–2002Opel Vectra B (B)
2003–2008Opel Signum
2008–2017Opel Insignia A (G09)
2017–2022Opel Insignia B (Z18)
2008London launch, Epsilon II debut
2009Car of the Year by 321–320
2009OPC: 321 hp and HiPerStrut
2011OPC Unlimited reaches 270 km/h
2013Facelift and first Country Tourer
2017Grand Sport sheds up to 175 kg
2018GSi claims 12 seconds over the OPC
2020Facelift swaps engines and gearboxes
2022Last cars leave Rüsselsheim
  1. 2008

    London launch, Epsilon II debut

    The July 23 London debut introduced the first production car on Epsilon II; Opel chose Sports Tourer over its traditional Caravan name for the wagon.1

  2. 2009

    Car of the Year by 321–320

    The Insignia took the title by one point over the Ford Fiesta, ending Opel's 22-year wait for another win.2

  3. 2009

    OPC: 321 hp and HiPerStrut

    The OPC combined a 321 hp, 435 Nm 2.8-liter turbo V6 with all-wheel drive, HiPerStrut front struts and standard FlexRide adaptive suspension.1

  4. 2011

    OPC Unlimited reaches 270 km/h

    Removing the limiter let the manual sedan reach a claimed 270 km/h. Blue Brembo logos and revised instruments identified the Unlimited.14

  5. 2013

    Facelift and first Country Tourer

    June's facelift brought a redesigned cockpit and new engines; September added the crossover-styled Country Tourer wagon at Frankfurt.1

  6. 2017

    Grand Sport sheds up to 175 kg

    Grand Sport brought more space and premium ambitions, with refinement among its strengths and up to 175 kg saved model for model.5

  7. 2018

    GSi claims 12 seconds over the OPC

    Opel claimed the GSi beat its OPC predecessor by 12 seconds on the Nürburgring north loop, helped by a 160 kg weight reduction.6

  8. 2020

    Facelift swaps engines and gearboxes

    New turbo engines and gearboxes arrived with the facelift, including a 143 hp 1.4-liter gasoline engine and 120 hp 1.5-liter diesel.7

  9. 2022

    Last cars leave Rüsselsheim

    Grand Sport and Sports Tourer ended on November 25. Weak sales and a shift toward SUVs closed Opel's last joint development with GM.18

Every generation

  • Opel Vectra A / Vauxhall Cavalier
    A1988–1995
  • Opel Vectra B
    B1995–2002
  • Opel Vectra C
    C
  • Opel Signum
    Opel Signum2003–2008
  • Opel Insignia A
    G092008–2017
  • Opel Insignia B
    Z182017–2022

Power over the years

From 158 hp to 321 hp in 1 year.

0100200300400 20082010201220142016201820202022 hp 2008 · 158 hp · 2.0 CDTI A20DTH2008 · 217 hp · 2.0 Turbo A20NHT2009 · 321 hp · OPC/VXR 2.8 V62011 · 247 hp · 2.0 Turbo 4x42012 · 192 hp · 2.0 CDTI Bi-Turbo2013 · 247 hp · 2.0 SIDI Turbo A20NFT2015 · 134 hp · 1.6 CDTI2017 · 207 hp · GSi 2.0 twin-turbo diesel2017 · 256 hp · Mk2 2.0 Turbo2020 · 143 hp · Facelift 1.4 Turbo2020 · 197 hp · Facelift 2.0 Turbo2021 · 228 hp · GSi 2.0 Turbo 321 hp OPC/VXR 2.8 V6 158 hp 2.0 CDTI A20DTH
17912
Show the numbers
YearHorsepowerModel
20081582.0 CDTI A20DTH
20082172.0 Turbo A20NHT
2009321OPC/VXR 2.8 V6
20112472.0 Turbo 4x4
20121922.0 CDTI Bi-Turbo
20132472.0 SIDI Turbo A20NFT
20151341.6 CDTI
2017207GSi 2.0 twin-turbo diesel
2017256Mk2 2.0 Turbo
2020143Facelift 1.4 Turbo
2020197Facelift 2.0 Turbo
2021228GSi 2.0 Turbo

Versions

12 versions worth knowing, with their power.

  • Insignia A sedan, liftback and Sports Tourer

    Standard

    Insignia A sedan, liftback and Sports Tourer

    2008–2017

  • Standard

    Insignia B Grand Sport / Sports Tourer

    2017–2022

  • ecoFLEX / BiTurbo / 1.6 CDTi (Insignia A)

    Standard

    ecoFLEX / BiTurbo / 1.6 CDTi (Insignia A)

  • Country Tourer (Insignia A)

    Special

    Country Tourer (Insignia A)

  • Country Tourer (Insignia B)

    Special

    Country Tourer (Insignia B)

    2017–2020

  • Special

    Opel Exclusive (Insignia B)

    2017–2019

  • Insignia B GSi (early engines)

    Performance

    Insignia B GSi (early engines)

  • Performance

    Insignia B GSi (2021)

    2021

    228 hp
  • Insignia OPC / VXR

    Performance

    Insignia OPC / VXR

    321 hp
  • Insignia OPC Unlimited

    Special

    Insignia OPC Unlimited

    321 hp

  • Performance

    Insignia VXR SuperSport

    320 hp
  • Bitter Insignia

    Limited

    Bitter Insignia

    17 built

How to spot one

Look for

  • Insignia A: four-door sedan or near-identical five-door liftback; Sports Tourer is the wagon.12
  • Facelifted Insignia A: a low chrome bar reaches into the taillights and houses slim reverse lights.113
  • Insignia B Grand Sport: a lower, coupe-like roofline and a wider, longer body than the A.158
  • OPC Line offered styling kits; the OPC itself has Brembo calipers and twin vertical front intakes.10
  • GSi has chrome-edged front intakes; the B's SRi VX-Line Nav also wears a bodykit.178

Year by year

  1. 2009

    Cosmo gained body-colored handles; 2.0 CDTi cars in Sport or Cosmo trim lost their visible exhaust tips.10

  2. 2013

    Insignia A gained a wider, lower grille, a thinner badge bar, revised headlights and a lower rear chrome strip reaching into the taillights.113

  3. 2013

    Insignia A's cabin gained a simpler control layout, with optional eight-inch infotainment and instrument displays.113

  4. 2017

    The new Grand Sport hatchback brought a lower roof, wider stance and shorter front and rear overhangs than the Insignia A.18

Don’t confuse it with

  • Photo of a Opel Insignia
    Insignia
    Photo of a Volkswagen Passat
    Volkswagen Passat

    Volkswagen Passat

    The Passat is a sedan with a separate trunk; the Insignia B Grand Sport uses a hatchback tailgate.716

Against its rivals

  • Skoda Superb

    Insignia vs Skoda Superb

    Trunk capacity

    Insignia490 L
    Skoda Superb625 L
    16

  • Insignia vs Volkswagen Passat

    0–96.6 km/h lower is better

    Insignia7.8 s
    Volkswagen Passat8.6 s
    16

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

  • Versions

    • Why each of the 12 versions matters

  • Legend

    • 14 stories from its legend
    • “321–320: a one-point Car of the Year win”
    • “Opel's fastest production car: 270 km/h”

  • Generations

    • The story of each of the 6 generations

  • Market

    • 6 things to check before buying one
    • Where prices are heading, and why
Read the full file in SPOT

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 25 sources
  1. Opel Insignia - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  2. Car of the Year 2009: Opel Insignia caroftheyear.org
  3. “The Car is Freedom: Hit the Road, Listen to Music” - Opel POST opelpost.com
  4. Opel removes governor on Insignia OPC 'Unlimited', runs to 168 mph - Autoblog autoblog.com
  5. 2017 Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport review - is the new family car more fun than its predecessor? | evo evo.co.uk
  6. Rendezvous in Provence - Opel POST opelpost.com
  7. Used Vauxhall Insignia (Mk2, 2017-date) review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
  8. Insignia B opel-niedersachsen.de
  9. Vauxhall Insignia GSi 2021 review – throwback family fun | evo evo.co.uk
  10. Insignia A opel-niedersachsen.de
  11. Vauxhall Insignia VXR SuperSport: 270 km/h for £30k - paultan.org paultan.org
  12. The Vauxhall CDTI engine - Alderley Autos blog alderleyautos.co.uk
  13. Vauxhall Insignia | 2014MY caricos.com
  14. Used Vauxhall Insignia (Mk1, 2008-2017) review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
  15. Vauxhall Insignia VXR review - Vauxhall's middle-class performance hatch | evo evo.co.uk
  16. Skoda Superb vs Volkswagen Passat vs Vauxhall Insignia: which is the ultimate used family car? | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
  17. Opel Vectra - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  18. Opel Signum - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  19. Touring Car Register : NGTC : Vauxhall Insignia WPMS NGTC 001 touringcarregister.com
  20. Jack Goff back with Tony Gilham Racing for 2014 campaign – TouringCarTimes touringcartimes.com
  21. Mission Insignia - Opel POST opelpost.com
  22. Forza Gets Road & Track Pack | TheSixthAxis thesixthaxis.com
  23. A Pair of Hot Vauxhalls Make Their Way to Forza Horizon 4 Today – GTPlanet gtplanet.net
  24. Opel Insignia (Sports Tourer): Darauf beim Gebrauchtkauf achten autozeitung.de
  25. 2009 Vauxhall Insignia Wagon – Review – Car and Driver caranddriver.com
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • caroftheyear.org
  • opelpost.com
  • autoblog.com
  • evo.co.uk
  • autoexpress.co.uk
  • opel-niedersachsen.de
  • paultan.org
  • alderleyautos.co.uk
  • caricos.com
  • touringcarregister.com
  • touringcartimes.com
  • thesixthaxis.com
  • gtplanet.net

Photo credits

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