Vauxhall Insignia VXR: Spotted
Space, pace and rarity? Yes, a Vauxhall may well fit the bill
Because while the Insignia VXR is not the greatest sports saloon to ever grace the earth, it’s very far from the worst either. It had some clever suspension technology, comfortably over 300hp, all-wheel drive and Brembo brakes. It was – and is – a bit heavier than you would really like, but all reports point to a pretty decent car. It’s a very rare one too, which makes it interesting.
Particularly if it’s an estate. The Insignia Sports Tourer VXR must have been sold in tiny numbers, yet because it’s a proper estate it’s arguably easier to make a case for over the German rivals. Because while outright dynamics are probably more of a concern for saloons, as estates that slips down the list of priorities in place of things like practicality. And, while the gap isn’t as large as you might expect, the Insignia does have a bigger boot than a 3 Series Touring and an A4 Avant.
Now instinct when looking for a big, fast estate is to head for Volvo, but the pickings are slimmer than you might expect. There are just 10 petrol V60s on PH (four being Polestars), four V70s and the V50 is probably too small. There is a Passat R36 (yes, really) also available on PH, but other than that rivals are hard to come by. Some might argue that’s because the demand isn’t there, but this has to be more interesting than a crossover.
What performance Vauxhalls nearly always do better than their rivals is depreciate, and that remains true. In just five years and 40,000 miles, this VXR has halved in value, meaning it’s now available for £14,995. It’s super subtle in black, there’s a full service history and it’s got the manual gearbox too. Yes, it will cost a lot to tax and fuel, but so will many similar cars. Plus an S4 with comparable mileage could cost £10K more – that buys a lot of fuel.
Vauxhalls always come in for a tough time on PH, so it will be interesting to see the response to this. Those with image issues will still dismiss it, but this Sports Tourer appears to offer an awful lot for very little money. There must be some tuning possibilities with that turbo V6 as well. If any of the small group of owners is on here, it would be great to hear how you’re getting on.
VAUXHALL INSIGNIA VXR SPORTS TOURER
Engine: 2,792cc, V6 turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 324@5,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 321@5,250rpm
MPG: 25
CO2: 255g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 40,000
Price new: £33,365
Yours for: £14,995
See the original advert here
The 2.8 V6T engine isn't bad atall, albeit thirsty. Not rapid & punchy power delivery like some smaller may be, but it is broad and smooth. They do shift, well the Vectra did without the 4wd anyway.
The interior is a big step up from older Vauxhalls too, the chunky Recaros help too.
The styling however, not so good. I think this is what keeps me away. They look awful, like a big slug.
The facelift Insignia is a definite improvement IMO, but the VXR models haven't plummeted in price yet so aren't worth considering against some of their rivals, which may be a bit older...
Worst still as you arent forced to remap is the problematic haldex rear diff , plenty of horror stories of warranty companies and vaux not paying out.They seem nice but in my eyes the running costs (not talking fuel) outweigh the moderate performance. That said , i was in fleetwood last week and walking out of the pub one in arden blue decided to do a big overtake on the main road and it made a nice but muted roar .Kind of like 75% GTR
Shame that the Insignia gets tarred with the Vauxhall brush really, I've had a couple of hire cars and 1.8 petrol aside they have been fine.
It must be the engine, I had a 250hp version in a Saab 9-3 Aero and I thought it was an excellent engine even in that mild state of tune, much nicer than all the 2 litre turbos. I wanted to get it remapped to 320hp but sold it before I got round to it, all the interior rattles spoilt an otherwise nice car.
However there's no way I'd pay £15k for this, I only paid £6k for the 2006 9-3 in 2010 with similar mileage. I'd rather go for one of the later 275hp 9-3 Aero's with xwd for much less than the Insignia.
But I had no end of timing chain hassle with the Saab and it is no different with the VXR, although probably cheaper to sort and that was on a unmodified engine.
I keep thinking I will give the VXR a try but there are so many horror stories about the timing chain losing tension and constant problems with coil packs, which were the big problems with the Saab, I take fright at the last second!
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