A NEW, more rugged, flagship version of Vauxhall's Insignia load-lugger is on the way to satisfy drivers who need a car with the ability to do some light off-road work as well as providing luxurious highway cruising.

With 20mm extra ground clearance, black protective cladding all round plus front and rear skid plates, the new Insignia Country Tourer certainly looks the business, but with all wheel drive and an optional eight-speed, dual-clutch auto transmission under the skin, it will clearly do the business too.

Vauxhall says that the new Country Tourer, which is due to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in the Autumn - will be more spacious and considerably lighter than its predecessor, thanks to all-new architecture.

It will also come with a wide range of innovative technologies including slimline adaptive headlights with 16 LEDs, head up display, adaptive cruise control (ACC) with automatic emergency braking, Lane Keep Assist with automated steering correction and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

And there's also an adaptive chassis system which changes the damper settings, steering, throttle response and shift points - on automatic models - independently or based on the ‘Standard', ‘Sport' or ‘Tour' modes, which can be selected by the driver. New central ‘Drive Mode Control' software is at the heart of the system and continuously analyses the information provided by the sensors and settings, recognising individual driving styles.

"We wanted our new Insignia Country Tourer to be robust in every respect, while simultaneously displaying the typical elegant Vauxhall philosophy of sculptural artistry and technical precision," says Mark Adams, Vice President Design. "It has the presence of a true flagship, combining a sophisticated athletic shape enhanced by rugged off road detailing."