Spy Shots: Opel Insignia five-door hatch caught
Over in Europe, midsize cars like the Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna and Ford Mondeo have long been offered in multiple body configurations including four-door sedans, station wagons and, of course, five-door hatchbacks. Unlike Americans, who for some reason are averse to a fifth body opening unless the vehicle rides 4 to 6 inches higher than it should, Europeans have always appreciated the extra utility. The Opel Vectra is being replaced this summer by the redesigned and renamed Insignia, but so far we've only seen photos (either spy pics or official GM shots) of the four-door sedan that will likely land here later next year as the next Saturn Aura. A sharp-eyed photographer, however, has captured what may be the first shots of the new hatchback Insignia. The five-door version doesn't look radically different from the sedan, the main variance being the shorter rear deck that's attached to the rear glass. Will the hatchback arrive as an Aura at Saturn dealers? Highly improbable, but then so was the Astra, so anything is possible. We more likely might just get a wagon version that we haven't yet seen.[Source: Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DKB_SATX 11:17AM (5/11/2008)
Or (less likely but more interesting) will the WAGON come to Saturn dealers, getting Saturn on my list of possibles. My beastie's travel kennel wouldn't fit under that hatch with the rear seats up, so it's barely better than the sedan to me.
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UH2L 11:43AM (5/11/2008)
A lot of the capacity for a hatch or wagon depends on the floor height. Of my two Saabs, my 1997 900 allows for more cargo height than my 2006 9-3 SportCombi and the larger opening area makes it easier to put larger things in and take them out. Hatchbacks tend to be more aerodynamic so I like them for that, plus they're not "stationwagons".
Garythepowers 2:02PM (5/11/2008)
I'm liking the US getting some of the formerly "Europe Only" cars.
http://www.caroftheday.org
DKB_SATX 12:00PM (5/11/2008)
Stupid comments system. The only way to notify someone you've replied to their comment is to click the timestamp on their comment... but if they're not the original commenter in a subthread your comment gets placed somewhere random. BROKEN. BROKEN. BROKEN.
It's hardly fair to compare a Trollhattan Truck to ... well, anything. A friend of mine in college had one, and we carried a loveseat in the back at one point. I don't think we got the hatch closed over that one, but it did fit in. The current Sportkombi suffers from GMification compared to the quirky but iconic 900s.
While I don't doubt I could get Trudy's travel kennel into the Insignia hatch, I'd bet money that the hatch wouldn't close unless at least one seat was folded down and the kennel was resting on the folded seatback.
And I LIKE the shape of a well-designed wagon, and might buy one even if I didn't have a big dog.
Natural Selection 1:24PM (5/11/2008)
Homer Simpson called - he wants his proportions back!
I certainly hope the dude driving is a leprechaun. This thing has the same dopey proportions as the 500/Taurus. Looks to me like the roof and belt line need to be lowered about 50-75mm. The wheel openings are too small for such a big car. BMW gets away with the small openings because the car is shrink-wrapped to the chassis. This thing looks inflated with the same size openings.
john riley 7:33PM (5/11/2008)
"...Hatchbacks tend to be more aerodynamic so I like them for that..."
Is that true? I think a squared off (in the back) wagon might be better aerodynamically, even though the hatch _looks_ sleeker. Looking like an airplane wing is good for an airplane, not so good for a car? My theory is that this is why someone like porsche, who cares about drag and lift and such, has such elaborate spoilers.
UH2L 11:21AM (5/11/2008)
"Unlike Americans, who for some reason are averse to a fifth body opening unless the vehicle rides 4 to 6 inches higher than it should..."
That crystallizes the SUV craze/stupidity perfectly.
On the other hand, this 5-door doesn't look nearly as good as the sedan photos I've seen far. Perhaps that's because this is mule and not fully trimmed out, but still, it looks more like a Camry hatchback. I think it's the Euro standard pedestrian-friendly front hood.
UH2L
http://www.thingsivenoticed.com
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TBlueMax 11:26AM (5/11/2008)
I would take the wagon over the hatch and the hatch over the sedan assuming Saturn provides the same options that Mazda provided with their Mazda6 (before discontinuing the wagon and hatch for the US market of course).
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DKB_SATX 11:52AM (5/11/2008)
It's hardly fair to compare a Trollhattan Truck to ... well, anything. A friend of mine in college had one, and we carried a loveseat in the back at one point. I don't think we got the hatch closed over that one, but it did fit in. The current Sportkombi suffers from GMification compared to the quirky but iconic 900s.
While I don't doubt I could get Trudy's travel kennel into the Insignia hatch, I'd bet money that the hatch wouldn't close unless at least one seat was folded down and the kennel was resting on the folded seatback.
And I LIKE the shape of a well-designed wagon, and might buy one even if I didn't have a big dog.
VWsat 12:28PM (5/11/2008)
Holy overhangs batman!
I like the 5-dr, but with overhangs that large, will it handle any better than the car-based CUV's. (Assuiming the pictures aren't distoring the dimensions of the car)
Personally, I prefer wagons, because you gain some extra room over a 5dr.
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AMcA 1:00PM (5/11/2008)
Very pretty hind end on that sedan.
I wonder if Americans are maybe ready to accept hatchbacks again. I think they got a bad name in the gas-starved '70s, when people paid up for cheezy, ugly hatches like the Datsun B210.
But those days are far behind us. And hatchbacks are totally practical (I once moved a full-size sofa 180 miles in the back of my sister's '87 Saab 900).
Time for a comeback?
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3cubed minus 3squared plus1 2:05PM (5/11/2008)
No thanks. The rear end looks so unattractively bloated. I'd rather they bring us over a wagon version rather than this. Especially if they can make it as attractive as the the rest of the car and the new Mazda 6 wagon.
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JW 2:35PM (5/11/2008)
I think we need more hatches like this unlike the "wagon wannabe hatches" everyone is so crazy for. The Impreza, Caliber, Mazda3, Vibe, Matrix, PT Cruise, HHR are all wagons and not hatches. Mazda had a good thing going withe Mazda6 hatch, I personally really liked the car.
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nagmashot 4:29PM (5/11/2008)
better pictures.. from Autobild
http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/57246342_f3eee786dd.jpg
http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/57246841_c74e1cac51.jpg
http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/57246343_672a929c0d.jpg
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nagmashot 4:35PM (5/11/2008)
and some more
http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/57246838_9cf3a53e4e.jpg
http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/57246344_f623f80788.jpg
cars like the Isigma 5door are called Fliessheck/fastback in Germany not Steilheck/hatchback ...
according to Autobild the Isigma fastback will get the same 7engine option like the sedan 110hp FWD to 260hp AWD with a IDS Plus suspension as option
Kotse 8:07PM (5/11/2008)
Isn't that Insignia hatch "der cousin" of the Passat CC.....
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RockStoneSteel 8:55PM (5/11/2008)
Here we go again with that unjustified comment about Americans being "averse" to hatchbacks. That's a bunch of BS. Sure, Americans are averse to stupid ugly hatchbacks, that typically originate in Europe, but hatchbacks in general are very desirable. I have NEVER heard anyone state that they wouldn't drive a hatchback. The hatches on 350Zs have never hurt sales, nor on the previous generations of the Honda Civics and Accords. I'm just trying to think of a manufacturer that makes a hatchback that's not a hot-seller that would cause Autoblog and other entities to make such ridiculous statements. I can't think of any failed attractive hatchbacks.
If it's the sawed off backend of the BMW Z cars are Mercedes hatches, sure, those are losers. But make it streamlined as this Opel, and it's a winner.
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Cire 9:16PM (5/11/2008)
This looks cool, but I'm not sure how well it will go over here in the States. Midsize hatchbacks have never sold well here. I think most people in the U.S. equate "hatchback" with smaller compact and subcompact vehicles. I like it because it offers a sedan look in a more practical and versatile package (much like the first generation Mazda6). Maybe with gas prices on a perpetual rise and some cool Eurocentric marketing from GM (I still don't understand the "Rethink American" and Aura/Accord/Camry comparisons when GM gave Saturn an Opel based Euro styled lineup; why not create an image of Euro chic for the brand instead?), this type of car might finally catch on in the U.S.
When this design debuts in the U.S. as the next generation Aura, I would like to see more variants offered here. I think the sleek styling is begging for two doors with a "TwinTop" roof, which is also known as a coupe-cabrio. I would also like to see the 5-door and/or wagon offered here, also. In fact, I would like to see Saturn offer more variants of their car models, overall. I see the next generation Corsa being sold in the U.S. as a 3-door, 5-door, and "TwinTop" roadster. I see the next generation Astra being sold here in 3-door, 5-door, sedan, and "TwinTop" coupe versions. I think if Saturn offered more variants of their car lines, added 2 or 3 MPVs (including the next generation Meriva and Zafira, hopefully with sleeker styling than the current models), and discontinued the bulky crossovers, I think Saturn could differentiate itself more from Chevy and reinforce its Eurocentric image. The crossovers are too redundant with products sold at other GM divisions. The Sky could eventually be discontinued since Saturn would be selling the "TwinTop" products and the next generation Solstice could be aligned stylistically with the other global versions of this car (Opel/Holden/Daewoo; a luxury retractable hardtop version could be developed for Cadillac). Since Pontiac should rightfully be GM's affordable RWD performance car division, it should be the only division to carry an affordable RWD roadster and 2-seater coupe.
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Astro 10:39AM (5/12/2008)
this is the image i always get of American midsize hatchbacks.
yikes!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Oldsmobile_Cutlass_Salon_front.jpg/800px-Oldsmobile_Cutlass_Salon_front.jpg
ugg.tryptophan 11:05PM (5/11/2008)
but i want a two-door
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