This is the new Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer

So few people bought the last Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer that production of right-hand drive cars was halted after just two years, when Vauxhall/Opel decided it couldn’t be bothered to engineer it to accept its then-new diesel engine. Welcome, then, to what will probably be a pretty rare sight here in Britain – the all-new Insignia Country Tourer.

Yep. Not put off by past failures, Vauxhall's having a second crack at the Audi A4 Allroad-style lifted estate thing. A token 20mm increase in ground–clearance, much protective cladding and front and rear skid plates deliver a more rugged look, while standard all-wheel drive (much the same system you get in a Range Rover Evoque. Google ‘GKN Twinster’ for the techy details) means it should have at least a modicum of off-road ability. 

Three drive modes – Standard, Sport and Tour – govern the steering, damping, throttle response and, in the auto, the gearbox. Engines are TBC but Vauxhall does say the CT’s engine range will be “broad”, and that a “brand new, top-of-the-range diesel” will be available. So will the new eight-speed automatic transmission. Headline tech includes Vauxhall’s clever LED headlights, a HUD and many active safety systems as well as a CarPlay-compatible infotainment system. 

We’ll see it for the first time at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, by which time we’ll have no doubt forgotten it ever existed. Poor thing.