Signum may signal Opel's limits

There are limits to every good idea. The key is to know the boundaries

There are limits to every good idea. The key is to know the boundaries. Opel may just have overstepped that mark with its Signum. Four years ago, Opel engineers came up with the Flexispace seating system that allows you to move, fold, recline and flip the rear seats in enough combinations to please former fans of 'Transformer' toys. Since then they have tried to introduce the concept to as many different segments as possible, writes Michael McAleer.

It's stolen the show in the mid-range people carrier market with its Zafira. More recently it moved into the five-seater mini-MPV market in the Meriva. Now the latest move is with the Signum, aimed at bringing MPV versatility to the back seats of the executive market.

In the Signum, Opel aims to package its latest seating arrangements as something akin to aircraft business class for the rear passengers. Sounds like a great idea for a car aimed at high-flying executives. The problem is, for the jet-set exec, the likelihood they will disembark from their latest shopping spree to New York and jump into the back of an Opel is remote, unless it's a taxi.

The upper exec segment is also arguably the most conservative and logo-conscious audience in the market. For them, swapping the likes of the Lexus for an Opel is tantamount to image suicide.

READ MORE

And from the front seat, life behind the wheel of the Signum is too similar to your average Vectra. That's not to take away from the driving traits of the popular fleet car. But at this level executives don't like to have comparisons made between their car and the one driven by their subordinates.

At its launch, engineers involved in the project told Motors of the potential market for such cars on the Continent - one third of all Signums produced this coming year will be sold in Germany - and its appeal to younger more active executives.

These hyperactive high-fliers need an estate. Only that would be too dull and workmanlike. So they opt for something like the Signum. Our problem with this analogy is that it's not exactly new. Such executives who have so much free time at weekends already have a host of models to choose from which, though essentially estates, are nonetheless stylish enough to challenge even the saloon versions.

So to the car itself. Based on the Vectra platform it's 130 mm longer in its wheelbase than its sibling, thanks to the vastly reduced overhang to the rear. Our overall impression is a car of two halves, separated by the b-pillars. To the rear is a well-designed stylish hatchback, roomy and with a nice curving rear window. From the back it's an eyecatcher and even in side profile it looks appealing. Inside, and for all the talk of versatility and flexibility, there's only two rear seats, with the middle bench only suitable for a child and more often than not folded away to offer a drinks tray or armrest. Keeping on the airline theme, the centre of the roof is lined with reading lights and plastic compartments, similar to the ones housing oxygen masks in planes. But they're rather impractical, too small for the usual CDs and maps that clutter up the side pockets in cars.

An optional extra at the back is a travel assistant. No, its not some part-time student with map reading skills, but a large box housing an electric cooler chamber and two fold-out tables, similar to what you find on planes and about as sturdy. The back end of the Signum offers comfortable travel for two rear seat passengers. It also has the benefit of the hatchback format: 550 litres with the seats unfolded and an impressive 1,100 litres with all the seats folded down.

So to the front. Here the driver is very much behind the wheel of a variant of the Vectra. Which is in itself not a bad thing, apart from the fact you are by now wondering why you spent an extra €5,000 - the difference between a Signum and its equivalent Vectra - to give the kids more legroom in the back.

Driving the car, and the steering is sharp if a little uncommunicative, and cornering is well balanced with little body roll, thanks in part to its firm suspension.

The Signum features the same fascia and layout as the Vectra, complete with the annoying rubber stalks that bounce from one signal to the other as you desperately search for the off position, all the while flashing at every passing motorist like some deranged road rager. However, it has some of the strengths of the current Vectra, including its solid looking finish.

We drove the 2.2-litre turbodiesel version and found it punchy enough on Irish roads. Six engines are on offer here: four petrol and two diesel. The three petrol are: a new 2.2-litre direct injection unit offering 155 bhp; a 175 bhp 2-litre turbo taken from General Motors sibling Saab which comes with a six-speed transmission; and the 3.2-litre V6 which features in the Vectra GTS and offers 211 bhp through its five-speed box. There is also an entry-level 1.8-litre unit. Diesel options are a 2-litre 100 bhp and the car we tested, a 2.2-litre 125 bhp unit.

The Signum is a car strong on rear comfort but not sharp enough at the front to really take on the German triad of Audi, BMW or Mercedes. Its executives may aspire to cater for those with whom they share the business class seats on the flights to and from Detroit. But perhaps they've reached the limits of the flexible rear seating system, and need to return their attention to the front.

FACTFILE

ENGINE: A four cylinder 2,172cc turbo-diesel offering 125 bhp and 280 Newton Metres (Nm) of torque between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm.

PERFORMANCE: A top speed of 125 mph with a 0-52mph of 11.2 seconds.

SPECIFICATION: Three versions  are on offer; Elegance, Cosmo and Sport.

FUEL: Urban: 33.2 mpg. Extra-urban: 56.5 mpg. Combined: 44.8 mpg.

PRICE: €33,120 - €50,220 (test car: €39,120).

THE COMPETITION

Opel Signum 2.2DTi. 2172cc; 11.2 (0-62); 125 max speed; 125 bhp; 44.8 mpg combined; €39,120.

Renault Vel Satis 2.2 dCi Expression. 2188cc; 10.9 (0-62); 125 max speed; 150 bhp; 39.8 mpg combined; €42,000.

Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD Sportswagon. 2387cc; 9.5 (0-62); 135 max speed; 136 bhp; 41.3 mpg combined; €37,000.

BMW 32Od Touring. 1995cc; 9.9 (0-62); 128 max speed; 150 bhp; 49.8 mpg combined; €45,500.

Audi A4 1.9 TDI 100 bhp Avant. 1896cc; 12.1 (0-62); 121 max speed; 100 bhp; 51.4 mpg combined; €38,940.