Inspiring
A NEW DIMENSION
A MAN IN BLACK, A SECRET MEETING PLACE AND A RENDEZVOUS IN A REMOTE SCOTTISH FOREST. IT CAN ONLY BE NEW INSIGNIA ON THE MOVE...
WORDS BY CLAIRE EVANS, PICTURE BY VAUXHALL
On arrival at the appointed meeting place, I’m ushered into a blacked out warehouse at the end of a desolate field. I wrap my overcoat tightly round me to keep out the icy air. A tall, slim figure dressed in black appears from the shadows. “I can’t tell you much,” he says, leading me over to a smart car, “but make sure you’re at the destination on time.” He presses a car key and a large brown envelope into my hand and disappears as quickly as he appeared.
The feeling that I’ve inadvertently stumbled into an episode of Spooks grows as I open the envelope. Six black and white photos tumble out, all eerie, misty woodland scenes, some with unrecognisable shapes in the background. Perhaps everything will become clearer when I reach the meeting point at Millarrochy Bay on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond.
I’ve come to Scotland to investigate the Insignia Project, the top-secret engineering and technology centre that has created new Insignia, the Car of the Year 2009.
My transport for this trip certainly looks the part. High-waisted, with sculpted grooves running up the bonnet and blades along each flank, the new Insignia has a distinctive, imposing look that oozes drama. There’s more to the streamlined styling than good looks though. According to our advance intelligence group, it gives the new Insignia a spectacularly low drag coefficient of 0.27 that enhances interior refinement and performance while cutting fuel consumption. The Griffin emblem on the bonnet badge is new, too, another sign that this is the first of a bold new generation of Vauxhall cars.
I sink into the soft, supportive driver’s seat and feel the warm, inviting cabin wrap itself round me. The door clunks shut reassuringly.
Sporadic torrential rain has turned patches of tarmac into small streams. Between showers the low, late afternoon sun bursts out, glinting on the wet road. These are gruelling conditions for any car.
Luckily, the new Insignia isn’t an average mid-sized machine. It has an all-new chassis that’s been fine-tuned at the world-renowned Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire to ensure it is the best in its class. Allied to this is a suspension system that adapts to your driving style. Pressing Sport mode on the new FlexRide system guarantees me optimum capability across the undulating Scottish back roads.
In a less urgent situation, like a motorway cruise, I could have selected Tour for a softer, more relaxed ride.