Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo review
Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer is a good choice, but BiTurbo version is thirsty
Verdict
There’s a charm and desirability to the Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer that the standard car simply can’t muster - it looks great, grips and corners well and the recently-facelifted interior feels right up to date. However, with poor fuel economy and unremarkable performance, this BiTurbo engine and auto gearbox combination is flawed. We’d stick with the 163bhp manual version and save yourself £5,510 - the cheapest version is also £3,881 less than the entry-level VW Passat Alltrack.
It’s easy to see why jacked-up, 4x4 Audi Allroad-style estates have become so popular - they offer all the space, off-road ability and styling flair that most modern families could wish for. So it’s hardly surprising that Vauxhall has followed suit.
We’ve already driven the entry-level 163bhp Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer with a manual gearbox, but this is the range-topping 192bhp BiTurbo model only available with a six-speed auto, which is a bit of a shame. It’s all well and good having an extra 29bhp and 50Nm of torque to play with, but the gearbox never feels sporty enough to make it worth your while.
Settle into a cruise and it slides between ratios smoothly enough, but plant your right foot and it’s slow to kick down. Although you can change gear manually by pulling and pushing the gearlever, there are no paddles on the wheel to truly engage you with the driving experience.
The engine pulls strongly, as you’d expect, but is a bit gruff during acceleration and is certainly no hot-rod. When you consider it’s an astonishing 20mpg thirstier than the 163bhp manual model that’s ultimately more engaging to drive, it’s hard to make a case for it.
As an overall package though, the Country Tourer is an easy car to like. The cladding around the arches and sills, plus a 20mm increase in ride height make it a bit of a head-turner - especially if you go for a lighter paint colour. Most of the time the ride feels reassuringly firm, with tight body control for a tall car in the bends, but over larger lumps and holes extra cushioning becomes apparent. The four-wheel drive system only sends power to the rear when needed, but it’s a seamless process - not once did it scrabble for traction even during a torrential downpour.
All Country Tourers come with an electric tailgate, adaptive headlights and parking sensors as standard, while our top-spec Nav models added Vauxhall’s latest IntelliLink sat nav, complete with a futuristic, but fiddly to use track-pad controller.
Based on the Sports Tourer, the Country Tourer has the same spacious interior and one of the biggest boots in its class at 540 litres, or 1,530 litres with the rear seats down.
Go for the Country Tourer Nav specification, and Vauxhall throws in an 8-inch colour touch screen, a track-pad and an 8-inch digital instrument cluster behind the wheel.
Key specs
- Price: £30,859
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel
- Power/torque: 192bhp/400Nm
- Transmission: Six-speed auto, four-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 9.9 seconds
- Top speed: 130mph
- Economy/CO2: 42.8mpg/174g/km
- On sale: Now
For an alternative review of the latest Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk
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saw one of these In Selva Gardena in February in a light gold colour looked fantastic ,everyone commented on its looks. Watch out Audi and VW a new kid on the block and to my eyes is the best looking in this group and best value to
it will lose money. In six months it will be worth half of it's value mebbe more as Vauxhalls always do
Waiting for the New Octavia Scout in June - Insignias are just repmobiles that depreciate like stones.
The efficiency figures for this car read like those of a decade ago... astonishing.
What a pathetic and uncritical review - "one of the biggest boots in its class"? Rubbish - the Octavia estate (4x4 or Scout) has 610/1740 litres.
The Octavia is also lighter, MUCH faster (even with the 150PS engine), cleaner, more economical and really great to drive. No-one with any sense should buy an Insignia Country Tourer while the Octavia 4x4 or Scout exists.
Vauxhall need to pull their fingers out and develop or buy in a decent auto with the DSG's from VAG and the 8Spds ZF's in Ze Germans (JLR aswell) leading the way (the new 9spd ZFs in the transverse applications now aswell in the Evoque and Jeep)
The auto's are really letting them down. Same thing with Pug/Citroen. Their dated 6 spd tq boxes are really embarrassing giving 10-20mpg losses against the manuals and big performance drops when the other auto boxes actually improve economy and performance.
Skoda owner or employed at VAG dealer - 1st example (see below for more).
Skoda owner or employed at VAG dealer - 2nd example (see below for more)......
Skoda owner or employed at VAG dealer - 3rd example.
Getting a picture folks? Propaganda of the German kind me thinks.
Discuss.
I hate to embarrass you more than being an owner of a Vauxhall does, but erm, Skoda is a Czech car maker, not a German one, it is only owned by a German car maker. And VAG ceased to exist over a decade ago, it has been VW Group for years. And would you really REALLY pay 30k+ for that Insignia?
Aren't the Astra and Insignia German designed? Just goes to show that not all German cars are good!
^Warning Bell-end alert. 1st example (see below for more).
Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to take the opportunity to remind you that this nutter is a bell-end - 2nd example (see below for more).....
To whom it may concern...the naughty little boy above is a bell-end - 3rd example.
Getting a picture folks? Propaganda coming out of his backside me thinks.
Discuss.
Sorry but I'm with DC on this. We have just read that a ducking octavia 4x4 gets 5*. I right??!! Propaganda of the Herman Ze German def!!
BTW nearly everyone still refers to VAG - it's quicker to write for a kick-off!
Actually mate, by replying to him in the 1st place renders you a bit of male appendage yourself. Go on admit it - you can't drive yet can you?
AE needs to filter out these 14-16 year old lads from commenting (i.e. they like their dad's car)
Don't know. Need to check. Didn't think they were?
Any ideas?
Adam Opel AG is the parent company of General Motors UK Limited, better
known as Vauxhall, and various other General Motors subsidiaries.
Some Opels are built in the UK, but it's in Germany where the designs and decisions are made. Vauxhall is now just a badge stuck onto Opels for the UK market. Of course, GM is American owned.
It's a similar story with Ford Europe. Largely German designed.
Hope this helps.
VW stopped using VAG because an American woman said she was offended.
Skodas use VW engineering and components and merely assemble.
Vauxhalls are actually very good these days.
DSG are heavy and unnecessarily complex and a maintenance time bomb. Simpler is better.