Insignia toughens up in Country Tourer form

The Country Tourer is a “more rugged” version of the Insignia in SUV form, and the off-road makeover has made it “even more handsome”, says Auto Express. The mag recommends “opting for a light paint colour to better contrast with the darker-coloured cladding” and likes the bi-xenon headlights that come as standard. Unique to the model are the 18-inch alloys. Inside, the Country Tourer “benefits from the facelifted Insignia’s revised dashboard, with fewer buttons and an improved central touchscreen”. The 2.0-litre diesel “has a decent mid-range shove and 350Nm of torque to help overcome the car’s 1,757kg weight”, and the six-speed manual gearbox “has long ratios to help undercut the Passat Alltrack’s claimed fuel economy figures”. “The Country Tourer feels very solid and stable on the road. The damping is quite firm, initially at least, and body roll is kept pretty well in check. The big difference comes when you hit a pothole or speed bump and the extra give in the suspension adds noticeable extra comfort.” The electric locking rear diff “boosts traction” by splitting power between the two rear wheels. Vauxhall’s safety and reliability is highly thought of. All Insignia’s have a five-star rating from NCAP and the 4WD system is “quick-acting”. The standard Vauxhall Eye safety kit includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert and a lane-change alert. Practicality is another strong point thanks to the availability of “loads of space” and a towing capacity of 2,100kg. The car is “fairly frugal” for its size and the Vauxhall’s Lifetime warranty offers three-year/100,000-mile cover for the first owner. (Link: Auto Express, 6 January)