New 2020 Opel Insignia GSi Has 230 HP, Looks Sexy but Obsolete

4 years, 10 months ago - 13 January 2020, autoevolution

Opel presented a minor mid-life facelift for the Insignia about a month ago.

Today, the updated Insignia GSi was also shown, at the 2020 Brussels Motor Show.

Opel used to have potent performance models. The Astra OPC was usually the most powerful car in its class while the Insignia OPC was alone in offering a turbocharged V6 alternative to the Audi S4. But the Insignia GSi is nothing of the sort.

Jumping straight into what powers the beast, we now get a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine burning petrol and delivering 230 horsepower. This is sent to a nine-speed automatic gearbox and a "Twinster" all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring, both of which are new.

Opel wouldn't release performance numbers at the moment, but it's bound to be slower than the old GSi which had 260 horsepower and a 0 to 100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds. Price-wise, it should cost about €46,000, which is probably a good deal if you're after a full-spec sedan or wagon.

The new engine is probably a revised version of the old one, since Peugeot doesn't make a 2-liter turbo for Opel to borrow. Regardless, a little bit of tech has been added, as the four-cylinder turns into a two-cylinder under light loads, resulting in a combined WLTP fuel consumption of about 8.5 l/100km (6.9 l/100km on NEDC).

The rest of the Insignia range has also been detailed. The base unit is a 1.4-liter turbo with 145 hp and 236 Nm, matched only to a manual 6-speed, just like the new 1.5-liter diesel with 122 hp and 300 Nm. Your only other choice is a 200 hp 2.0T with a 9-speed auto which gets about the same consumption as the GSi but isn't as pretty.

Looks-wise, you can stare at this for an hour and not know what they've done. The main grille is supposed to be slightly different, but the only easy-to-notice change is the boomerang-shaped daytime running lights.

We predict this could be one of the last performance cars Opel tried to brand, at least until it fully transitions to electric powertrains. According to the latest rumors, the Insignia will even be changed into a crossover.