This time, the Opel Insignia Country Tourer with two-litre diesel and four-wheel drive is the pinnacle of the Opel range.

The entire Insignia range has been completely redesigned, with one sedan (Grand Sport) and two station wagon models (Sports Tourer and Country Tourer).

In terms of appearance, the Insignia has been dramatically redesigned compared to the previous model. Where the previous model was a little chunky and shapeless, the new Insignia’s lines exude a confident elegance with a touch of sportiness.

The front and rear lights, in particular, have been made graceful and striking, sending out a determined design signal.

Enjoy and Innovation

In terms of starting price, the new Insignia is very competitive. The starting price of the Insignia with the more affordable Enjoy trim level is €28,563 for the 1.5-litre Ecotec Grand Sport model with manual gearbox.

The standard equipment list is already very comprehensive in the Enjoy model. It comes with good safety and comfort features such as automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and start, cruise control, distance-to-front detection, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, low-speed automatic emergency braking and a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The starting price of the Innovation-equipped Insignia is €31 214. In addition to the Enjoy equipment, the car comes with automatic high beam headlights, front and rear parking sensors, tinted rear windows and chrome window sills. In addition, the 7-inch Intellilink entertainment system (Enjoy) has been replaced by an 8-inch Intellilink Navi navigation/entertainment system.

Country Tourer – 25 mm higher ground clearance for off-road driving

The Country Tourer on test drive is a raised off-road model of the Insignia. It’s not really an off-road vehicle, of course, but with 25 mm of ground clearance, it’s easier to negotiate the cottage road.

There’s also underbody armour to protect the chassis and helmet guards to protect the fenders and helmet from light impacts. It’s the helmet protectors that best distinguish the Country Tourer from the standard Insignia.

The test car was equipped with the most powerful diesel engine. The two-litre twin-turbo produces 210 horsepower and the eight-speed automatic transmission handles its duties with elegance. The combination moves the car along at a leisurely pace.

The chassis is snappy and grip is good on spring-smooth roads, thanks to the 245-wide friction tyres and four-wheel drive. The test conditions were not the most challenging for four-wheel drive.

However, Opel’s new all-wheel drive system, called Twinster, handled the conditions perfectly. Four-wheel drive is available on all Insignia models with the most powerful engines.

Overall, the driving experience and dynamics are well under control in the new Insignia, although not quite up to the level of premium brands.

The Country Tourer has the feel of a larger car and a stable ride, certainly helped by its curb weight of just under 1,800 kg.

The best bits are the interior and the AGR seats

Opel has clearly invested in the interior. Quality has been taken to a new level and ergonomics have been considered.

However, in contrast to the current trend, there is no desire to do away with buttons in the cabin. For the most part, the buttons have been positioned with good ergonomics in mind, but a few less frequently used buttons have been placed awkwardly either behind the gear stick or under the instrument panel and next to the steering wheel.

There are a wide range of buttons for different purposes and their size makes them easy to use, even with winter gloves on. The touchscreen, neatly integrated into the dashboard, requires touching with a bare finger, though.

The light-coloured cabin feels very spacious and roomy. A panoramic sunroof adds to the brightness of the cabin. The rear seats offer plenty of space for a passenger of 185 cm.

The interior is crowned by a spacious and well-shaped 560-litre boot. Loading is easy, as the cargo opening does not restrict the shape of wide objects.

The Insignia is available with the AGR Premium equipment package, starting at EUR 1 840. The equipment package includes features such as cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree reversing camera and traffic sign recognition. The most important equipment, however, is the AGR seats included in the package.

AGR is the acronym for the German association’s back health campaign, which is supported by doctors and therapists. The AGR stamp indicates that the seats are ergonomically certified.

The AGR is not just a stamp on the side of the seat, the seats actually feel very ergonomic and even the four-hour continuous test drive did not make the seats feel numb. The seats can also be combined with heating, air conditioning and massage features according to the customer’s needs.

Opel Onstar brings help and security

Opel Onstar is standard on all new Insignia models. With Onstar, you can make hotel reservations, find a parking space or a restaurant by calling the service directly by pressing the button above the rearview mirror, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Onstar is available in most European languages, including Finnish. The service area covers almost the whole of Europe.

Onstar also helps owners in the event of accidents and incidents. For example, if one of the car’s airbags has deployed, the car will automatically connect to Onstar’s customer service and, if necessary, the service will send emergency personnel to the car’s Gps location.

Opel is offering a 12-month free trial of Onstar for new car buyers, after which the service can be extended for around €100 per year. For more information on Onstar, visit opel.fi/onstar.

Pros:

• Size and quality of the interior
• Improved appearance compared to the previous model

Cons:

• Price can easily get high for those who want a lot of extras

Opel Insignia Country Tourer 2.0 CDTI BiTurbo 4×4 A8

Maximum engine power: 210 hp.
Maximum torque: 480 Nm.
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 8.2 s.
Combined consumption: 7.1 l/100km.
Curb weight (incl. driver): 1807 kg.
Starting price (Country Tourer 1.5 Turbo M6 165 hp): €35 182.
Price for test drive with options: €61 231.