The new Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport is a fine-looking machine, though I may be a little bit less hot on it than some of the more enthusiastic commentators on the web. In particular, I feel that its detailing is a bit under-resolved, the rear is bland, and the whole looks less sporty than the model it replaces. One thing that I have to say I like a lot on the new model is the new prominent grille, which gives the car an aggressive aura that was maybe missing from the previous model. It also gives it, however, a more than a passing resemblance to one of its more premium competitors…
…the post-facelift Volvo S60. While the rest of the two cars’ design is pretty different, the grilles on the Opel and Volvo are remarkably similar. They share a similar shape, a similar upright angle, and both have a prominent position at the front. In fact, both grilles remind me of a big favorite of mine: the upright grilles on BMWs from the late-1980s, as well as the often-forgotten Mitsubishi Galants from the 1990s. But just as an aggressive grille turned the otherwise-forgettable Galant into a car worth a second glance, as well as giving the post-facelift S60 more personality, so I feel the grille on the Insignia is the only truly interesting thing about its design.
Volvo S60 post-facelift