RE: Driven: Vauxhall Astra VXR

[whitevancam]

Not mentioned in the article is that all new Vauxhall's are availble with 0% finance and their lifetime warranty.

So it may not 'breathe with the road' but it a rapid family hatch with LSD and trick front suspension and a warranty for life ( or 100,000 miles ) and 0% finance.

Tempting if you are paying for your own car and as someone said above, no one pays list price for a vauxhall, there will be a few grand to come off that.

[Baryonyx]

Looks like it has inherited the massive A pillar from the cooking spec Astra too!

[whitevancam]

I am now wondering how much data the ECU holds.

Buy a second set of wheels with some R888's on and spare set of disc's and pads for track day use.

Make sure the original road wheels, disc & pads are on when taking it in for servicing and you have a fuly warrantied track car for 100,000 miles...

[Beefmeister]

I'll be interested to see the group test between the VXR, Focus ST, Golf Ed35 and Megane 260 Cup, purely based on handling because there's one hell of a divide in terms of price.

[Regiment]

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/2012-vauxhall-astr...

What Car review states its not as good as the Megane and that the chassis struggles with the horsepower

[AngryPartsBloke]

Nothing i like better then a quick VX, but why cosnider any mofern hot hatch when a BRZ can be had for £24-£26k?

[Hellbound]

Regiment said:

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/2012-vauxhall-astr...

What Car review states its not as good as the Megane and that the chassis struggles with the horsepower

I'm guessing it's the same reviewer who gave this car 4.5 stars over at Evo, an identical score to the new Focus ST. From what I've read, both cars aren't as good as the Megane 265, which happens to be the lightest.

[loudlashadjuster]

If someone had said to me 10 years ago that the latest hot Astra would look great, have a trick LSD, floating discs, 280hp and 295lbs/ft I'd have called the clinic to get them picked up again.

Nice work, Opel

[oobster]

Fantastic looking car, wonder if there are plans to launch a 5-door VXR to compete a bit more closely with the new 5-door-only Focus ST.

[Eug72]

I hate most Vauxhalls and this one dosent seem any different, its not the looks but the way they drive, Vauxhall just don't make good drivers cars, never have and unlikely they never will..............

[jlt1000]

Great looking car - and sounds like a promising package too. Far from "£27k for an Astra!", I think its incredible what you can get for £27k these days.

The fly in the ointment would seem to be the 135i M Performance later this year. That, at the promised £30k, looks pretty much unbeatable really (hopefully sporting actual M suspension, not the horrendously "bouncy" M-Sport stuff you got in the old 120d).

[Hellbound]

jlt1000 said:

Great looking car - and sounds like a promising package too. Far from "£27k for an Astra!", I think its incredible what you can get for £27k these days.

The fly in the ointment would seem to be the 135i M Performance later this year. That, at the promised £30k, looks pretty much unbeatable really (hopefully sporting actual M suspension, not the horrendously "bouncy" M-Sport stuff you got in the old 120d).

I'm keeping an eye on that too. And we haven't even gotten to the 2 series yet.

[The Obeast]

looks fantastic, and its no often i think that with new cars.

that blue colour looks perfect for it.

[loose cannon]

AngryPartsBloke said:

Nothing i like better then a quick VX, but why cosnider any mofern hot hatch when a BRZ can be had for £24-£26k?

Because the types who buy this type of car don't want a under performing car with less power ;0)

[NotNormal]

I think this car quite easily demostrates that road tests are very much down to the individual at the time but overall, after reading all of them together it sounds like Vauxhall/Opel have done well on this car and should be applauded.

If you read all these magazine reviews listed below, all of the same car and what one magazine likes, another doesn't. One will say its "flows" another (PH) sais it doesn't. Auto Express even give if 5 stars so must be something right wih the car.

EVO - http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2844...

CAR - http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

AUTOCAR - http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/first-drives/f...

AUTO EXPRESS - http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrive...

Eug72 said:

I hate most Vauxhalls and this one dosent seem any different, its not the looks but the way they drive, Vauxhall just don't make good drivers cars, never have and unlikely they never will..............

....of course you'll still get stupid comments on this thread like our new poster above who's no doubt not seen the car in the flesh let alone driven it and yet wastes his time to tell us all his dislike for the badge alone.

[After_Shock]

£27k, depreciation special in the making.

[oobster]

Wonder if that guy on the detailing forum who bought a white Nurburgring edition last time will buy one of these new ones.

[Wacky Racer]

Mrs WR bought the "old" 240bhp VXR limited edition "Arctic" model around eighteen months ago for 16.5k..(List was 24K)....Lovely car and returns over 30mpg.



I wouldn't worry too much about the "List" price in a few months.....

[TNH]

I'll spend an extra £3k and have the new BMW M135i

[KM666]

Very nice. I'm sure when they fall into my budget nobody will mind if I starting tearing the interior out to make one a bit lighter on its feet.