Opel has announced an addition to the broad Insignia lineup with the rugged Insignia Country Tourer. The all-wheel-drive, all-purpose estate stands out with lower body cladding, swollen wheel arches, extra protection for the underbody, and a lifted ride height compared to the standard Insignia Sports Tourer.
The Country Tourer will offer the 184 kW/250 hp, 2.0-liter SIDI direct injection gasoline unit or a high-performance 2.0L BiTurbo CDTI – both generating 249 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.
Torque vectoring is present in this latest Haldex all-wheel-drive system, with multiple sensors constantly feeding individual control modules with information on yaw rate, acceleration, steering angle, wheel speed, gas pedal position, engine speed and torque. From this multitude of factors, front/rear power distribution is calculated.
Ultimate stability and higher dynamics are ensured by the electronically-controlled rear-axle Limited Slip Differential (eLSD). The eLSD controls the distribution of torque between the rear wheels, transferring drive torque to the wheel that has the most grip. While offering better traction in slippery conditions, the sophisticated operation of this adaptive 4×4 drive system guarantees the highest levels of driver control and active safety in all situations. The Insignia Country Tourer can even provide propulsion when three wheels are on loose or slippery ground, with only a single rear wheel having traction.
Look for it to grace the stage during the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show this September.
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Comments
It seems like even though they lift the ground clearance, it still seems lkkd a bit low compareto the outback
“Only what they let th have”
That’s not the facts as I see them.
Try and count how many wagons have been offered and bit the dust.
Accord. Camry. Magnum. CTS. Cross tour. Venza.
The Venza is still in production. Over 43K sold in the US last year. Priced from $27,850:
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/toyota-venza-sales-figures.html
Over 117K Subaru Outback models sold in 2012 as well. Priced from $23,495:
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/subaru-outback-sales-figures.html
I thought the same thing that you did that there wasn’t a market because American’s don’t buy wagons. After a tip from another forum post and a little research, I discovered that there IS a market!
As Buick & Opel become more aligned (the closest thing to GM badge engineering since the 80s), Buick just might offer it. I think that Subaru has the market cornered at this point. This could be one more step in broadening Buick’s market appeal, however, it is based on the Regal sedan platform which is not exactly selling like hotcakes. Priced at $35K, the Regal is much more expensive than either the Toyota or Subaru offerings. In addition, more premium wagon offerings from Audi (A4 Allroad) and Volvo (XC70) are priced north of $30K and do not sell nearly as well as the Venza or Outback.
I think 150,000 wagons a year would be considered a niche market. And I really doubt a Regal wagon would do much against a Subaru.
Subaru has their own niche market of rugged outdoors vehicles for those folks in the upper north east. Would be really hard to convince them to look at a Buick. But maybe Buick could sell 10,000 units here?
With it being an Opel rebadge, Buick wouldn’t have to take the hit for all the development costs. They may sell 10K units a year, maybe more if it cost under $30K. Actually, 10K units would help with Regal sales which fell to 24,616 in 2012 from over 40,000 in 2011. So far this year they have only sold 8,800. At any rate, 10,000 units is 10,000 units. Just trying to be optimistic!
We’ll never see it because “Americans don’t buy wagons. Americans don’t want AWD. Amercans only want what we let them have.”
I think if they lifted this like a Porsche Cayenne and toss in a 290 HP Turbo 2.0 they would sell a lot of these as a Buick.
If you want to sell it here you have to make it look like a SUV or CUV and then people will buy it.
I never thought the Cayenne would ever sell here but they are all over here in Ohio and not just the cheap ones either. It is ugly and heavy but people will still pay big bucks for one. If GM could do one for a lot less on a smaller scale I think it would draw interest.
I’d say this is more desirable than a SUV vehicle
I do not understand that why the ratio is raised a little clearance when making such an offroad machine.
  would be interesting to see a comparison with other machines heights.
VW Passat alltrac is 30cm higher than normal setting, but what are the final results, we expect to accurate data.
  However, 20 cm instead of 30 cm taller to do, after all, should not be a big problem
Opel Mokka front bumper also has a terrible low
It’s a nice car, too bad we’ll never see it because of this country’s fixation with gas sucking crossovers.
Very desirable car, makes me wonder if this type of car will eventually replace the SUV. Showing it off before the motorshow gets me wondering perhaps there is another surprise for the motorshow.
I suggest the surprise will be the OPC/VXR-version at the motorshow…perhaps with 400 hp! 😉
I am interested in either a normal Insignia OPC is the old way better now also changed. 400hp Insignia OPC would be great but who knows how he really have to be when it comes. But when it reaches the stories told, they also need to do something.
ADAM OPEL OPC topic has become very quiet
This car is very much in trend at the moment I think Vauxhall has been watching this segment of the market for some time because several years ago car magazines was saying Vauxhall was going to import Holdens Adventura 4×4 although this never happened, as for the surprise IF there is one (big IF) I think it could be a new Omega.
OPC I wouldn’t say OPC has gone quiet at the moment I’m sure they will have lots planned for the future maybe a performance Adam as well as a new Calibra hopefully 🙂 maybe the 400bhp Insignia will see the light of day too.
I like this car it’s growing on me it looks very prestige
I would like to buy a Buick Cross Tourer with diesel and AWD.
Just read an article that the compact crossovers are selling like mad. Retirees are selling their mid sized/large sedans and buying rav4, escape and equinox.
Father in law just turned in his impala and traverse and love their new equinox. Mother in law complains though that it is too tight. He likes the better mpg over the traverse yet can just fit the stuff in the back (but he foes complain it gets tight). They do not need the third row for passengers.
Wagons will not sell in the US in anything more than a niche segment. CUV’s just have so much more utility than a wagon.
This is not a new trend by any means.
Case In point the HHR also was really a Cobalt wagon but they made it taller and it sold in numbers 5 times what a Cobalt wagon would have ever sold.
The wagon dies with the Minivan and today the Minivan is dying due to the smaller crossovers. Even the larger SUV’s are not selling as they once were due to the CUV.
The Minivan took the utility of the wagon to the next level. Then the CUV has combined the Minivan utility and SUV utility into a package that feels like a truck, has the MPG of a Minivan and still can haul things a small sedan can not touch today.
Customer preference and gas prices have created the new CUV segment as has car prices with Tahoe’s now well over $50K.
The trick now is for each company to make something that people want but is not like the others. They are all searching for the hot buttons in this segment with new ideas like the Encore etc.
The one key the CUV also has is they are liked by men. Most men who drove a Minivan did because they had too. The wife wanted it or the kids needed it but it was not a manly vehicles. a CUV is not an over the top $X$ but it at least is to a level a guy has no issue being seen in one. While men are no longer 90% of the market they are sill 50% and this counts if you can include both sexes in one segment as you could double your sales.
Since all the people on the web who cry for a wagon only would see 20% of them follow through the MFGs have to take what the market is willing to give them in customer by providing what they want.
MPG is up in these vehicles too over the past SUV so it is a second gain here for the MFG.
why they make stuff like this to trick people that they now can do off roading in this is stupid. It has awful off roading angles, and while that is not the overall purpose of this vehicle, it could be raised a little more, new bumpers to improve angles and real 4wd and off road tires, instead of just raising it a little and putting Adaptive 4wd (AWD) . (Now I understand that this vehicle is not trying to be a jeep, it could be a little better than a standard insignia with body cladding.)
Sean, most people don’t do off roading almost all SUVs are for show & not serious off roading (if they was they’d be SWB with no front or rear overhangs and using a 4.0 V8 engine, for example) most are very opposite to this. I see the Insignia Country Tourer’s appeal with people living in rural areas such as Scotland for example that need such a viechle to get down uneven or muddy roads, that extra ground clearance and 4wd coming into its own. It would also appeal to dog owners wishing to take their dogs and car off the beaten track it is ideal vehicle for the weekday commute and weekend outdoor hobbys/needs such as those mentioned and many more besides.
Yes the needs in Europe are not for off road as much as unimproved roads.
Anyone who have visited Scotland and other countries with a lot or rural areas or extreme weather conditions like Austria, Southern Germany and northern France and Italy can attest that small AWD wagons like this are a help since they do travel on many muddy or snow covered roads. In fact in may cases they need them more than most Americans.
They are not so much trying to get around on the hill sides as they are just on the roads they have and the conditions they may be in. Too many here have no idea how parts of Europe can be and the conditions some meet. Much of Europe is farther north than Canada so that may give you an idea of the climate they may face.
This is also why wagons are popular there as they do not want large vehicles there as their villages and back roads at times can be small and the city driving can be difficult do to congestion. Smaller is popular there also due to fuel cost that are nearly double ours.
The fact is Europe is not America and they have needs and factors that we do not face here.