Car Of The Year 2009 - Vauxhall Insignia

VAUXHALL'S ALL-New Insignia has won Europe's car of the Year for 2009,beating the heavily favoured Ford Fiesta by a solitary point.GM's new family car was awarded 321 points in the competition,which brings together votes from59 motoring journalists in 23 European countries. The Fiesta scored 320 points,while Volkswagen's M6K Golf, the third of the contest's seven finalists,polled 223.


The result was revealed in Monday to Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe,by Autocar's Steve Cropley, Car of the year execetive vice presidentfor 2009."The Insignia and Fiesta are both brilliant cars," said Cropley,"and commiserations to Ford for just missing out.I hope the strength of the support thier car received will be some kind of compensation." The closeness of the 2009 decisionis further illustrated by the fact that while the Insignia won most votes from 20 jurors, the Fiesta was placed first by 19 of them.

The Fiesta's defeat is a particular bitter blow for Ford,whose Mondeo lost out in 2001 by single point to the Alfa Romeo 147. The 2009 conpetition's other finalists were the Vitroen C5,Alfa Romeo Mito, Skoda Superb and the latest Renault Megane.The victorious Insignia team will received the Car of the Year perpetual trophy at a speacial ceremony in January.
The Vauxhall Insignia elegant styling combines sculptured artistry with technical precision, illustrated by wing and blade themes which integrate with the car's rakish, but graceful silhouette.

The body's sculpted shape is punctuated by sweeping front and rear light designs and fronted by a bold radiator grille, which displays the refreshed Griffin logo in a new, circular surround carrying Vauxhall's name.Another benefit brought by the Insignia's flowing lines is a spectacularly low Cd of just 0.27, bringing with it benefits in fuel consumption, cabin refinement and performance. All body variants have an identical wheelbase of 2737mm, while the Sports Tourer adds around 80mm to the 4830mm length of the saloon and hatch models.

Vauxhall Insignia saloon and hatch models will hit UK dealerships at the end of 2008 with a broad range of two diesel and three petrol engines. The Sports Tourer - due in 2009 - will bring with it two further powertrains, a 1.6-litre, 180PS petrol and a new 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo with a maximum output of 190PS. An ecoFLEX version with lower C02 emissions, but with no performance compromise, will join the line-up in 2009. All powertrains will come with either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmission.

A range of new or improved features on the Vauxhall Insignia enhance everything from dynamics to comfort and safety. The FlexRide system, available on selected models, allows drivers to personalise their suspension set up at the press of a button, or if left alone will automatically adapt to different driving styles.

Complementing FlexRide is Adaptive 4X4, which improves handling and stability in all conditions. Standard with both turbocharged petrol powertrains, the system uses electronically controlled hydraulic disc clutch plates to distribute torque from 0-100 per cent between the front and rear axles. On SRi models, an electronic limited slip differential which balances rear wheel torque left to right is also standard.

Vauxhall's Front Camera System will appear as an option on Insignia soon after launch. This leading technology uses a small camera, positioned inside the car's windscreen to read and memorise both speed warning and no-overtaking signs, the details of which are relayed back to the driver from the instrument panel.

The system also incorporates a lane departure warning, alerting drivers if they unintentionally leave their lane.The Vauxhall Insignia is also the first Vauxhall to use the latest generation Adaptive Forward Lighting. This clever system now uses nine lighting functions which automatically adapt to information relating to road profile, driving status and general visibility. Models fitted with Intelligent AFL are also equipped with LED daytime running lamps.

With its groundbreaking design and sophisticated technology, the new Insignia takes Vauxhall's new-found design language to another level. The premium styling of the new five-seater clearly defines Vauxhall's philosophy of making advanced technology and attractive design affordable.

Vauxhall has a long and successful tradition of building aerodynamic cars - remember the 1990 Calibra with its Cd of 0.26? With a drag coefficient of 0.27, the Vauxhall Insignia is more streamlined than competitors. The Insignia's fuel consumption and driving dynamics benefit from its sleek, flowing styling which was optimised during more than 650 hours in the wind tunnel, in addition to 290 computer simulations.

In addition to its streamlined body shape and sporty roofline, the Vauxhall Insignia boasts numerous details designed to improve aerodynamic performance. These include the front bumper corners, boot-lid spoiler, the exterior mirror's wing form and the profiled rear axle's lower control arm. The future ecoFLEX version, designed to produce low CO2 emissions, will take these improvements a stage further, to a cd at only 0.26.

Like the signature crease on the bonnet, a blade form can be seen in the side of the car, highlighting a styling element that will become a defining characteristic of future Vauxhalls. Other design elements of note include a distinctive front grille with a newly-designed Vauxhall Griffin badge, as well as sweeping front and rear light lenses.

The shapes and surfaces of the exterior are also echoed in the Insignia's interior. Crafted in high quality materials, the new car's dashboard wraps around from the instrument panel to the door, embracing the occupants. The bold exterior "blade" graphic is picked up in the shape of the interior door grab handle, the steering wheel and the gear-shift surround.

An all-new chassis underpins the Vauxhall Insignia. Its MacPherson strut front suspension has dual path top mountings in the body structure turrets, separating the transfer of spring and damper loadings. To reduce unsprung weight, the combined steering knuckle and strut carrier is made from aluminum, and the anti-roll bar from hollow section steel.

Steering and lower suspension arms are attached through two mountings to a substantial front sub-frame, which is bolted via four bushings to the front structure's longitudinal members. This isolated mounting technique helps reduce the transfer of road shocks and noise to the cabin. The hydraulic damping of the rear arm mounting also adds to ride comfort.The rear suspension comprises an independent, four-link layout, with the second lower link in aluminum.

For all-wheel-drive applications, a lower H-arm is used. The bushes in the rear-most arms are hydraulically damped to help prevent road shocks and vibrations from being transmitted through the steering wheel.The new FlexRide system enables drivers to choose a chassis setup that matches their own particular driving style.

In addition to the Standard ride setting, FlexRide enables the driver to select a relaxed (Tour) setting or a firmer suspension set-up (Sport) by pressing one of two buttons on the instrument panel. Deactivating the Sport or Tour mode returns the ride to the Standard setting.

In all modes, the chassis management system automatically adapts damping in real time to the driving and road conditions.In Sport mode, FlexRide not only provides stiffer damping, but also swifter throttle response. It also changes the valving in the Variable Effort Steering (VES), raises the shift-points of the automatic transmission to a higher rpm and adjusts the Adaptive 4X4 system for more rear-wheel drive.

In Sport mode, the Intelligent AFL system reacts more quickly, and the lighting on the instrument panel changes from white to red to add to the driving experience.

In the customisation menu, accessible via the infotainment display (available with satellite navigation), the driver can personalise the Sport mode by specifying which functions are activated when the Sport button is pushed. For instance, the electronically controlled dampers, VES, and all-wheel drive can be added or switched off.

At the heart of FlexRide is the Driving Mode Control (DMC) which oversees and executes the system's settings, allowing the car to react to sudden changes in driving style or emergency situations. For example, if an obstacle must be avoided when the car is in 'Tour' mode, various chassis sensors convey this to the DMC and the dampers are adjusted within a split second, optimising acceleration, braking and cornering.

The new Vauxhall Insignia is designed, engineered and built to make it not just one of the safest cars on the road, but one of the most comfortable, too. The Vauxhall Insignia is built with a stiff body structure to withstand the toughest crashes. Its seats are among the best in class not only in terms of ergonomic comfort but also safety.

Moreover, the mid-size car offers an advanced chassis and an Adaptive 4x4 all-wheel drive system that enhances stability even in challenging road conditions. Finally, Vauxhall has added extra assistance and safety systems - like its Front Camera System - to make the driving experience more relaxing, comfortable and secure.