UK Drive: Vauxhall’s Insignia Country Tourer adds better all-weather capability without taking away comfort
The Country Tourer is a go-anywhere alternative to the regular Vauxhall Insignia Tourer. Jack Evans finds out what it’s like to live with
What is it?
Perhaps you fancy the go-anywhere ability of an SUV, but don’t want to be hampered by the extra size that comes with one. That’s where the four-wheel-drive estate car comes in and, to be more precise, this – the Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer. Offering up the capability that comes with four-wheel-drive but in a usable estate car form, it’s there for drivers who want a little more traction in poor conditions.
What’s new?
As we mentioned, the Country Tourer is based on the regular Insignia Tourer – and that’s a great place to start, as the regular Vauxhall estate is a capable and comfortable mile-muncher. However, whereas that car sends power to just the front wheels, the Country Tourer puts drive through all four – making it a decent car for more difficult conditions.
What’s under the bonnet?
The Country Tourer uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine pushing out 168bhp and a usable 400Nm of torque. Performance is decent enough, with the sprint to 60mph taking just over nine seconds before hitting a top speed of 135mph. Economically speaking it’s on-par with rivals too, thanks to a combined consumption figure of 51.4mpg and emissions of 145g/km CO2.
What’s it like to drive?
The regular Insignia feels impressively well-planted out on the open road, and the Country Tourer feels like an extension of that. However, thanks to the adaptive dampers and increased ride height, it manages to deliver a much more comfortable ride than we’d expect. Even larger potholes and bumps in the road fail to unsettle it, and that makes it adept at covering big miles. You can firm up the damping by switching the car’s mode dial into Sport, but this firms it up just too much – it’s best in the comfortable Tour setting.
Our car’s six-speed manual had a smooth enough action to it, and a light clutch made for easy shifting. Of course, if you’re planning on doing more miles then the auto would be a more suitable choice.
How does it look?
In our eyes at least, the Country Tourer is a stylish and well-finished estate car. Our car, in Abalone White, definitely stood out while large 18-inch bi-colour alloy wheels helped give it plenty of stance.
It’s worth mentioning that the paint our car was finished in was a ‘tri-coat premium’ coat, and this brought with it a £725 premium. That said, the Country Tourer looks just as good in no-cost shades, too, so there may be no need to go ticking more options boxes.
What’s it like inside?
The Country Tourer’s interior has, for the most part, been finished to a high standard. There are some harder plastics to be found on the ventilation controls and audio buttons, but it’s not a bad place to be. The leather-trimmed steering wheel feels good in the hands, while gloss black plastic used to surround the switchgear looks classy – though it is a bit of a dust magnet.
What’s the spec like?
The Country Tourer is essentially a top-spec Insignia in terms of kit, which means it gets boatloads of on-board equipment as standard. Standard features on our test car include 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and that important adaptive damping system. The main infotainment system is centered around an eight-inch touchscreen, which houses media functions and satellite navigation.
Verdict
The Vauxhall Country Tourer is a genuinely good alternative to other more established four-wheel-drive estate offerings currently on the market. It’s comfortable thanks to the inclusion of a well-judged adaptive damper system, and is spacious enough for the whole family. General kit levels are impressive too, while the entry price of just over £25,000 makes it a bit of a bargain. Other rivals may feel a little more ‘premium’, but if you’re after a dependable load-lugger with added all-weather capability, then you could do worse than go for the Country Tourer.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Model as tested: Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer
Price (as tested): £30,605
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel
Power (bhp): 187
Torque (Nm): 400
Max speed (mph): 135
0-60mph: 9.3 seconds
MPG (combined): 43.5
Emissions (g/km): 172
