Opel has landed in Australia and introduced four of its latest vehicles; the entry level Opel Corsa, the Opel Astra, Opel Astra GTC, and the company’s flagship Opel Insignia. The new models will arrive in showrooms on September 1.
Opel is a European arm of General Motors, based in Russelsheim, Germany. In Australia, the brand is being marketing as a sporty, semi-premium, youthful marque with a clear ‘German’ and ‘innovation’ focus.
All cars have been designed following the same styling philosophy that debuted on the Opel Insignia Concept car; ‘Sculptural Artistry meets German Precision’. Distinguishing highlights include the ‘kink’ line in the body work, darkened headlights, and a relatively low point of contact at the front.
Starting with the entry-level model, the Opel Corsa. The Corsa comes in three different trim levels; the base model three-door, the Colour Edition three-door, and the Enjoy five-door.
All three are powered by the same 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine producing 74kW and 130Nm. The engine is matched up to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed auto (available only on the Colour Edition and Enjoy).
Stepping up a model ranking is the Opel Astra. Like the Astra of yesteryear, this is a small segment car ready to take on the likes of the Toyota Corolla, and, more seriously, the Volkswagen Golf. It’s available in two main trim levels – the Astra and the Astra Select – with three different engine options.
There’s a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol producing 103kW and 200Nm; a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol producing 132kW and 230Nm; and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder producing 121kW and 350Nm.
For sports car enthusiasts there’s the Opel Astra GTC. This has been a well received vehicle overseas, offering sporty dynamics and sleek award-winning coupe/hatch styling. It comes in two trim levels – the GTC and GTC Sport – both featuring their own engine.
For the base model GTC power comes from the 1.4-litre turbo petrol as seen in the normal Astra. It produces 103kW and 200Nm. If that’s not enough there’s the GTC Sport. This comes with a 1.6-litre turbo petrol producing 132kW and 230Nm, like the Astra Select.
Fuel economy is rated at 6.0L/100km and 7.3L/100km, respective to engines mentioned above (with the manual transmission). Acceleration from 0-100km/h is possible in 9.9 seconds in the 1.4, and 8.3 seconds in the GTC Sport.
(2012 Opel Astra GTC review from the Australian launch here)
Lastly there’s the Opel Insignia. This medium sedan is targeted at the semi-premium mid-sized sedan segment, rivalling the likes of the Volkswagen Passat and Honda Accord Euro.
This multi-award-winning car claimed the 2009 European Car of the Year Award. It’s available in two main trim levels – the Insignia and Insignia Select – with either petrol or diesel power. They come in sedan or Sports Tourer (wagon) format.
With the petrol engine you get a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing a very reasonable 162kW and 350Nm. It’s able to sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while offering a combined cycle fuel economy rating of 8.8L/100km.
For the diesel enthusiasts, the Insignia is available with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder producing 118kW and 350Nm. It’s able to cover 0-100km/h in 9.6 seconds, while offering an average fuel economy of just 5.7L/100km.
(2012 Opel Insignia review from the Australian launch here)
In terms of its performance division, Opel Performance Cars (OPC), the local arm hasn’t made any confirmation on a potential introduction. It will first gauge how well these initial cars go in terms of sales and interest.
Pricing for the Australian range of Opel cars is as follows (excluding on-road costs):
2012 Opel Corsa 1.4 three-door hatch – $16,490
2012 Opel Corsa Colour Edition 1.4 three-door – $18,490 (auto $20,490)
2012 Opel Corsa Enjoy 1.4 five-door hatch – $18,990 (auto $20,990)
2012 Opel Astra 1.4 turbo-petrol five-door hatch – $23,990 (auto $25,990)
2012 Opel Astra 2.0 turbo-diesel five-door hatch – $27,990 (auto $29,990)
2012 Opel Astra 1.4 turbo-petrol Sports Tourer wagon – $27,990 (auto only)
2012 Opel Astra 2.0 turbo-diesel Sports Tourer wagon – $31,990 (auto only)
2012 Opel Astra Select 1.6 turbo-petrol five door – $28,990 (auto $30,990)
2012 Opel Astra Select 2.0 turbo-diesel five door – $31,990 (auto $33,990)
2012 Opel Astra Select 1.6 turbo-petrol Sports Tourer wagon – $32,990
2012 Opel Astra Select 2.0 turbo-diesel Sports Tourer wagon – $35,990
2012 Opel Astra Sports 1.6 turbo-petrol five door – $33,990 (auto $35,990)
2012 Opel Astra GTC 1.4 turbo petrol – $28,990 (auto $30,990)
2012 Opel Astra GTC Sport 1.6 turbo petrol – $34,990 (manual only)
Opel Insignia 2.0 turbo-petrol sedan – $38,490 (auto only)
Opel Insignia 2.0 turbo-diesel sedan – $39,990
Opel Insignia Sports Tourer wagon 2.0 turbo petrol – $40.490
Opel Insignia Sports Tourer wagon 2.0 turbo diesel – $41.990
Opel Insignia Select 2.0 turbo-petrol sedan – $45.490
Opel Insignia Select 2.0 turbo-diesel sedan – $46.990
Opel Insignia Select Sports Tourer wagon 2.0 turbo petrol – $47.490
Opel Insignia Select Sports Tourer wagon 2.0 turbo diesel – $48.990
