Currently reading: Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer axed in the UK

Rugged version of the Vauxhall Insignia has been dropped in the UK

The Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer is no longer being offered on sale in the UK, less than two years after it was launched. It has been dropped due to high re-engineering costs of fitting the new 'Whisper' diesel engine.

The Insignia range is being offered with the new 2.0CDTi 170 diesel engine, known as the ‘Whisper’ diesel, but the costs for engineering this engine to fit with the four-wheel drive system of the Country Tourer were deemed too high to make a case for offering this version in right-hand drive markets given low sales numbers to date.

The new Euro 6-compliant engine could have been offered with front-wheel drive versions of the Country Tourer, but it was not seen as being appropriate to only offer a two-wheel drive model of a car that comes with lots of off-road styling and a raised ride height.

Opel will offer the Country Tourer with the new engine in left-hand drive markets, but the small sales numbers in the UK mean it will no longer be offered over here.

Vauxhall still has cars in stock, so the Country Tourer will be sold in dealers for the time being, but no more will be offered after they have gone. The regular Insignia Sports Tourer is unaffected.

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