If you’re not a fan of estate cars with SUV-like body cladding, jacked up suspension and all-wheel drive, then you may want to skip this post, though, there’s a lot to like about these types of vehicles as they try to be a little bit of everything. By everything, I also mean get decent fuel efficiency figures. Just have a look at Opel/Vauxhall’s new Insignia Country Tourer.
Based on the Insignia Tourer, the Country Tourer gets the usual extra body cladding, to fend off the onslaught of pointy sticks, bushes and tree stumps that you may or may never encounter, should you decide to put the car’s turbocharged engines and all-wheel-driven increased ride height to the test.
Engines are familiar, and provide good punch. Two are on offer: the 2.0 SIDI Turbo and 2.0 CDTI diesel with 250 PS and 195 PS or 163 PS respectively. The distinguishing factor for the lower-powered diesel is the fact that it only gets one exhaust pipe, whereas the other two get a dual setup.
The manufacturer is adamant that the Country Tourer can hold its own off-road, thanks to an electronically-controlled 4×4 system. According to Opel, the system, “incorporates a high-quality clutch, operating on Haldex principles, and an electronic limited-slip differential to ensure superb traction on both paved and unpaved surfaces. It constantly adapts to prevailing road conditions and varies torque distribution seamlessly from zero to 100 percent between the front and rear axles, as well as between the rear wheels”.
This car is GM’s answer to the Subaru Legacy Outback for the European market, but who knows, we may also see a Buick badge on the front, as it could work in the US, as well.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
