In Vauxhall showrooms now, the Insignia has a number of new active and passive safety technologies available, and Euro NCAP made special mention of two of the car’s innovative safety features. The active bonnet, which lifts up in milliseconds in the event of a collision increasing the distance to the engine for improved pedestrian protection. Testers at Euro NCAP commented that it: “operated robustly for a variety of pedestrian statures and over a wide range of speeds.”
It was also noted that the Automatic Emergency Braking system, which can detect pedestrians and other vehicles, “performed well and showed good performance at highway speeds, with accidents avoided or mitigated.”
“The five-star rating from Euro NCAP helps to demonstrate the design and innovation that can be found throughout the new Insignia, making it one of the safest models in its class,” said Dougie McColm, Vauxhall’s Brand Manager - Insignia. “The latest technologies included within the new Insignia work together to provide ultimate safety, not only for the car’s driver and passengers, but also for other road users and pedestrians.”
The new Insignia features a wide range of intelligent safety technologies in addition to the active bonnet and Automatic Emergency Braking systems. One such technology is the next generation of Vauxhall’s innovative and award-winning IntelliLux LED matrix light, with 32 LED segments, all integrated in the new slimmer headlights of the Insignia.
The increased number of LED elements enables the various light patterns to adapt to the prevailing traffic situation with seamless transitions between each mode. This results in an improvement in both the quality of light distribution and light intensity.
New functions, including curve and spotlight illumination, improve long-range visibility especially when driving at night. If drivers find themselves taking a curve with the full beam engaged, the light intensity automatically rises based on the steering angle, in order to increase illumination and help the driver to see the road situation ahead. Each headlight also features a high-beam spotlight for additional illumination of up to 400m, further improving the Insignia Grand Sport’s long-range visibility.
Head-up-Display technology is also available. This displays information on speed, traffic signs, speed limiter setting and navigation direction onto the windscreen in the driver’s direct line of sight ensuring that their eyes remain on the road.
Available as part of the standard spec, the Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning (LDW) provides gentle steering wheel movements (and LDW alerts if necessary) to help drivers avoid accidents by unintentionally drifting out of their lane. The new Insignia is available with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which measures the distance to the vehicle in front and adapts the speed accordingly. ACC will initiate automatic emergency braking if the distance decreases abruptly.
The optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert system uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects coming from up to 20m at 90 degrees from the left or right side behind the vehicle. Forward Collision Alert assists drivers in avoiding or mitigating the impact of front-end collisions with situation-dependent emergency braking settings. If the Insignia nears the vehicle ahead too quickly, the system warns the driver with a loud audible alarm, a visual warning in the instrument cluster and an LED projection on the windscreen.
Parking is easier too thanks to Advanced Park Assist. Ultrasound sensors on the Insignia’s front and rear bumpers identify suitable parking spaces and detect possible obstacles. When the parking spot is calculated, the system automatically parks the vehicle without the driver needing to touch the wheel, only requiring the driver control the pedals and gears.