Wagons with off-road capabilities are kind of hot this year. There's the new A4 allroad from Audi, obviously, but Mercedes have joined the segment with the stellar new E-Class All-Terrain. Opel is desperate for a bit of attention, and it's given the Insignia Country Tourer a powerful 2-liter engine that runs on gasoline.
It's a similar mill to what was in the Astra OPC, a 2.0 Ecotec Direct Injection Turbo producing 250 PS and 400 Nm of torque. Both numbers are pretty close to what the Audi A4 allroad has from its 2.0 TFSI.
The Country Tourer also has standard 4x4 in this configuration and can be ordered with a 6-speed automatic. But, that's where the similarities end, as not all German technology is equal.
Officially, this model is supposed to get from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds with a manual or 8.4 seconds with the automatic. However, the one being tested (it's a stick) reaches the benchmark speed in just 6.8 seconds.
We think that's a little fishy. Sure, it's got as much power as a hot hatch, but everything else is different. The Insignia wagon body is over 4.9 meters long and taller thanks to the off-road treatment. That means it cuts through the air less efficiently than a Golf GTI.
Opel doesn't want to let us know what the whole wagon weighs, but we think the curb number is around 1.9 tons. So there aren't that many benefits for buying this instead of a regular SUV. But at least it's fast. Ignoring the errors in the dash readout, the 250 hp turbo is by far the quickest version of the Insignia excluding the OPC model.
But if you want a go-anywhere wagon, you'd be better off with something else. Not only is the fuel consumption unreasonably high, but the whole shebang costs around 39,000 euros in Germany. The Audi A4 allroad starts at 44,750 euros, but it should hold onto its value better. But we think both the VW Passat Alltrack and the Volvo V60 Cross Country are within the budget.
The Country Tourer also has standard 4x4 in this configuration and can be ordered with a 6-speed automatic. But, that's where the similarities end, as not all German technology is equal.
Officially, this model is supposed to get from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds with a manual or 8.4 seconds with the automatic. However, the one being tested (it's a stick) reaches the benchmark speed in just 6.8 seconds.
We think that's a little fishy. Sure, it's got as much power as a hot hatch, but everything else is different. The Insignia wagon body is over 4.9 meters long and taller thanks to the off-road treatment. That means it cuts through the air less efficiently than a Golf GTI.
Opel doesn't want to let us know what the whole wagon weighs, but we think the curb number is around 1.9 tons. So there aren't that many benefits for buying this instead of a regular SUV. But at least it's fast. Ignoring the errors in the dash readout, the 250 hp turbo is by far the quickest version of the Insignia excluding the OPC model.
But if you want a go-anywhere wagon, you'd be better off with something else. Not only is the fuel consumption unreasonably high, but the whole shebang costs around 39,000 euros in Germany. The Audi A4 allroad starts at 44,750 euros, but it should hold onto its value better. But we think both the VW Passat Alltrack and the Volvo V60 Cross Country are within the budget.