THERE was a time when cars like Vauxhall's Insignia and the Ford Mondeo did battle as only estates or hatchbacks, tempting company car drivers with heaps of goodies, loads of space for all the paraphernalia that went with the job, a comfortable ride and attractive economy figures.

But Vauxhall have moved the game on with the sort of car that was previously the domain of premium offerings like the Audi A4 Allroad and the Volvo XC70.

This newest version of the Insignia looks like its been dipped into a tub of steroids, It's a rugged SUV-inspired all-purpose estate and it's name is the Insignia Country Tourer.

Such a beast would have been unheard of a few years ago, but our SUV love affair shows no sign of abating and Vauxhall have seen a gap in the market for a more capable form of transport without the premium class price tag.

The Country Tourer gets all-wheel drive, higher ground clearance and tougher styling to cope with the worst of the weather, yet retains the load-lugging attributes of a large estate.

Protective cladding on the side sills and lower body sections give the wheel arches a more pronounced look that gives extra presence, while the headlamps, with embedded chrome accents, incorporate wing-style LED daytime running lights.

It's most certainly eye-catching, and provides a winning combination for those drivers looking for estate practicality and and SUV capability,

The four-wheel drive system that underpins the Country Tourer is an electronically-controllled set-up that automatically directs torque to the rear axle when it detects slippage, ensuring decent traction when the going gets a bit slippery. In normal road conditions, the car defaults back to front-wheel drive mode, which helps cut fuel consumption and emissions.

The Country Tourer gets two of the best engines in the Insignia line-up. Both are punchy 2.0-litre CDTI units, one a 163PS variant with start/stop and the other a 195PS BiTurbo unit. The 163PS engine is available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and the BiTurbo comes with the automatic gearbox only.

Like the rest of the revised Insignia range, the Country Tourer benefits from the latest round of updates that have made this mid-sized Vauxhall one of the best-riding cars in its class.

Damper and anti-roll bar settings have been revised for better ride and control, while the electronic power steering system has been reprogrammed for better feel. Noise, vibration and harshness levels have also been reduced for enhanced occupant comfort. The 20mm of additional ride height also helps when tackling off-road tracks, although it's worth remembering that the approach and departure angles are still quite shallow, so it's best to away from terrain best-suited to a Land Rover.

There's a wider and deeper front grille, as well as the underbody protection at the front and rear. There's cladding on the side sills and around the wheel arches too, plus bi-xenon headlights.

Inside, you will find all the revisions that have benefited the regular Insignia. The centre console has been simplified and now has fewer buttons for more intuitive operation of common functions, such as air conditioning and infotainment, while the instrument cluster has new dials and a cleaner look.

Customers can choose between two trim levels, Country Tourer and Country Tourer Nav. Standard specification includes the bi-xenon adaptive front lighting, a power tailgate and front and rear parking sensors. On top of this, Country Tourer Nav gets Navi 900 IntelliLink sat nav with eight-inch colour touch screen, a multi-function touch-pad controller and an eight-inch digital instrument cluster as standard.

Additional gear includes a digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity, USB connection and aux-in socket, LED daytime running lights, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control and trip computer, electric four-way lumbar adjustment and height adjustment on the driver's seat, six airbags, electronic stability control, electronic climate control, automatic lights and heated door mirrors.

The Country Tourer is a welcome addition to a market that's got room for a talented mainstreamer with an attractive asking price. Most of the non-premium marques hesitated while looking at this genre of cars because they were clearly so lifestyle, and by extension, badge-oriented, but Vauxhall has built a model that may well have the talent to convince the sort of customer who might never have previously considered an Insignia. The styling's not too overblown, the engines are both excellent, the four-wheel drive system is right on the money for the sort of use this model will see and the prices look good.

Both 163PS and 195PS versions of the 2.0 CDTi engine are available the Insignia Country Tourer, with the manual-transmission 163PS model coming with Start/Stop as standard, reducing emissions and improving economy still further. This model achieves a combined 50.4mpg, with C02 emissions of 147g/km (44.1mpg and 169g/km for the 163PS auto).

The Country Tourer 2.0 CDTi 165PS unit sprints from 0-62mph in just 10.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 127mph.

Available with automatic transmission only, the Country Tourer’s engine range is topped by the 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo (195PS). Despite its 0-62mph time of 9.9 seconds and 130mph top speed, the Country Tourer BiTurbo can still achieve 42.8mpg on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of just 174g/km.

Adaptive 4x4 & Chassis

Country Tourer prices range from £25,349 to £29,709, while the Country Tourer Nav is priced from £26,499 to £30,859.

At a glance

Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer Nav 2.0CDTi 4X4 Start/Stop

Price: £26,499

Engine: 2.0-litre diesel, producing163PS 4X4

Transmission: SIx-speed manual, driving all four wheels

Performance: Top speed: 127mph; 0 to 62mph in 10.9 seconds

Economy: 50.4mpg combined

CO2 emissions: 147g/km