RE: Vauxhall brings back the GSI!
Discussion
Shakermaker said:
kuro said:
Coincidently, this just cropped up on tapatalk via my phone. Could this be the VXR version as they are essentially the same car.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
No...https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
VXR will most likely continue with the 2.8 twin turbo V6 that the Vectra VXR and current Insignia VXR are using, but tuned to give further power. I don't think they will use the 3.6 V6 lump from what I have heard.
Yipper said:
Vauxhall make some great cars, nowadays. They just need more aspirational marketing, to get away from the pyjamamama chav nonsense, and the glory days can return.
That will never happen which is a shame. Ditto with Ford, Seat, Skoda ... the list is endless. Agree the new Insignia is a smart looker the equivalent of BMW & something Mercedes could learn from.
As a company driver & not being a brand I chose Carlton's over BMW's because the former were better equipped given my budget & I suffered less in company car taxation. So I'd be chuffed with a GS in that lovely metallic red which would not look too sales-repish but buy one with my own money,never not new anyway. As a 3 year old maybe.
Sadly most will end up being driven by well-to do silver-top IAM / Civil Service Car Club members towing caravans & that's a killer image-wise.
cerb4.5lee said:
EdHall697 said:
260BHP doesn't sound a lot in my opinion.
It doesn't feel that much either if it's in a relatively heavy car, my 330i has 258bhp and because it's dragging over 1500kgs around it feels mostly underpowered, if the Insignia weighed 1200kg then that's a nice weight for 260bhp for me. Modern cars are lardy but I suppose the trade off is that they perform well in crash tests versus older and lighter cars, but they need well over 300bhp though to actually feel quick.
That's quite a lot, and will be the difference between feeling a bit flat (330) and not (this)
I remember when I was about 12 in the mid '90s after playing a game of pitch and putt with my dad, a Carlton GSi 24v left the carpark slowly at about 5 m.p.h., then on the dual carriageway outside he floored it. The back end slammed to the ground, the nose lifted and the thing took off like only a powerful rear wheel drive car can. To an impressionable young lad into cars that image really stuck with me.
I always get suspicious when I hear about Vauxhall resurrecting any name, as in general it's not their call. So i went over to Autobild in Germany to see what (if anything) they had press-released. And low & behold, it's an Insignia GSI. But of course their spin about historic use of this name mentions Manta, Kadett & Astra!
Are PSA pulling the strings yet? If they are, I'd gladly put 'kill the Vauxhall brand' in the suggestion box. Just look at the negativitity the Vauxhall name conjures up, most of that negativity justified. Keep making the cars & vans here, rebrand the dealer network & inject some excitement into the brand with more cars like this one (which, to be fair, was a GM development).
Are PSA pulling the strings yet? If they are, I'd gladly put 'kill the Vauxhall brand' in the suggestion box. Just look at the negativitity the Vauxhall name conjures up, most of that negativity justified. Keep making the cars & vans here, rebrand the dealer network & inject some excitement into the brand with more cars like this one (which, to be fair, was a GM development).
culpz said:
HedgeyGedgey said:
The anti Vauxhall posts make me laugh. Bit of brand snobbery me thinks. Take the badge off the insignia and it'd be praised for how well it looks. Fact. It has the same 4x4 system as the focus rs and will probably weigh similar but yet is described as boring. 260bhp isn't enough, but yet people moan that modern cars are too quick. They've shaved 250kgs off the weight of the thing so 300+bhp isn't needed! We don't know what the interior will be like so that cannot be judged yet, last time I sat in a transit van it was the same dash as a bloody focus/fiesta. Wanna talk about bland interiors talk about that one! Spend 30k+ on a top spec focus and it's the same as a bloody builders van inside. Vauxhall have lost their touch in cars lately, hopefully this brings back the character of old.
No snobbery from me, i just really don't like Vauxhall as a brand or the products that they make. I do, on the other hand, like Ford's and Renault's and think they are much better. I also believe they have much better interiors, exteriors and general styling compared to Vauxhall. This is all in my own personal opinion, of course.The point that you're highlighting doesn't make sense to me, in reference to the Ford Focus. The Insignia has never been a fun car to drive. It's always been quite bland and numb. The Focus, even in standard guise, is actually pretty good and always has been. Even the equivalent Mondeo, for that matter, is decent.
philmots said:
cerb4.5lee said:
EdHall697 said:
260BHP doesn't sound a lot in my opinion.
It doesn't feel that much either if it's in a relatively heavy car, my 330i has 258bhp and because it's dragging over 1500kgs around it feels mostly underpowered, if the Insignia weighed 1200kg then that's a nice weight for 260bhp for me. Modern cars are lardy but I suppose the trade off is that they perform well in crash tests versus older and lighter cars, but they need well over 300bhp though to actually feel quick.
That's quite a lot, and will be the difference between feeling a bit flat (330) and not (this)
The 330i N/A engine would work okay in a much lighter car I think though, around 1200kg would do nicely.
culpz said:
HedgeyGedgey said:
No snobbery from me, i just really don't like Vauxhall as a brand or the products that they make. I do, on the other hand, like Ford's and Renault's and think they are much better. I also believe they have much better interiors, exteriors and general styling compared to Vauxhall. This is all in my own personal opinion, of course.
The point that you're highlighting doesn't make sense to me, in reference to the Ford Focus. The Insignia has never been a fun car to drive. It's always been quite bland and numb. The Focus, even in standard guise, is actually pretty good and always has been. Even the equivalent Mondeo, for that matter, is decent.
Well you are entitled to your opinion even if it is nonsense...The point that you're highlighting doesn't make sense to me, in reference to the Ford Focus. The Insignia has never been a fun car to drive. It's always been quite bland and numb. The Focus, even in standard guise, is actually pretty good and always has been. Even the equivalent Mondeo, for that matter, is decent.
culpz said:
No snobbery from me, i just really don't like Vauxhall as a brand or the products that they make. I do, on the other hand, like Ford's and Renault's and think they are much better. I also believe they have much better interiors, exteriors and general styling compared to Vauxhall. This is all in my own personal opinion, of course.
Having driven the latest Focus and latest Astra back to back, I can confirm only those in possession of a guide dog would think the Ford's interior was better. The Astra is leagues ahead in fit, finish, quality and tech. Vauxhall are actually making some decent cars right now.BFleming said:
Are PSA pulling the strings yet? If they are, I'd gladly put 'kill the Vauxhall brand' in the suggestion box.
Huh? That'd be an odd thing to do.Find the most important market to the company (pretty much the only one where it continues to be successful) and rebrand the product. Brilliant. Very, very clever.
And all because you simply don't like the name
Use of the existing 2.8 - not possible because it isn't made any more (the engine plant in Australia that made it closed last year).
Use of a turbo version of the 3.6 - not possible.
The V6 is Holden / Buick only (at this point in time).
PSA involvement = zero. This is a car, they didn't start planning it last Tuesday.
Use of a turbo version of the 3.6 - not possible.
The V6 is Holden / Buick only (at this point in time).
PSA involvement = zero. This is a car, they didn't start planning it last Tuesday.
Dazed and Confused said:
BFleming said:
Ecosseven said:
I wonder what the spec of the VXR will be?
Launch early 2018 & 'around' 350bhp. Allegedly ;-)AmitG said:
Dazed and Confused said:
BFleming said:
Ecosseven said:
I wonder what the spec of the VXR will be?
Launch early 2018 & 'around' 350bhp. Allegedly ;-)Jimmy Recard said:
Huh? That'd be an odd thing to do.
Find the most important market to the company (pretty much the only one where it continues to be successful) and rebrand the product. Brilliant. Very, very clever.
And all because you simply don't like the name
It's the brand I don't like, not the name. I think it's laughable to go anywhere outside the UK & see the same cars with a different badge. Conversely the rest of Europe gives a chuckle when they see their Opels sold in the UK with a British badge.Find the most important market to the company (pretty much the only one where it continues to be successful) and rebrand the product. Brilliant. Very, very clever.
And all because you simply don't like the name
Anyhow I had to look up the validity of your statement regarding 'the most important market to the company'. I had to google it (as I was completely incredulous). Opel/Vauxhall sold a million cars (give or take) in 2016, with Vauxhall cars accounting for 25% of those sales - officially I read it was 251,000 units. So (my Texas Instruments calculator fired up) 251,000 cars all in the UK, and (give me a second) 749,000 elsewhere. The official Opel registrations in Germany (which I'm pretty sure is the largest Opel market) was 244,000 units. So you're right. I have no idea why it's so, but it is.
AmitG said:
I had a look at the new Insignia recently and was really impressed. Looks good, decently sized and the interior is really nice as well. I am seriously thinking of getting one.
It felt like an honest car, with no pretence. Just loads of kit and a surprisingly low list price (with room for negotiation). Much nicer than a Passat or Mondeo. I reckon they will sell loads.
Bit confused about the GSI though. The new Insignia range already has a 2.0 petrol turbo 4x4 with adaptive damping, 8 speed auto and all the rest...and 240bhp. This one has an extra 20bhp and some nice bodywork, which is great, but sounds otherwise identical. It doesn't seem to differentiate itself enough from the 240bhp version. I wonder if it will replace the 240bhp version - although that would be odd given that it's only just come out.
I think it will sit alongside the 240 model. It felt like an honest car, with no pretence. Just loads of kit and a surprisingly low list price (with room for negotiation). Much nicer than a Passat or Mondeo. I reckon they will sell loads.
Bit confused about the GSI though. The new Insignia range already has a 2.0 petrol turbo 4x4 with adaptive damping, 8 speed auto and all the rest...and 240bhp. This one has an extra 20bhp and some nice bodywork, which is great, but sounds otherwise identical. It doesn't seem to differentiate itself enough from the 240bhp version. I wonder if it will replace the 240bhp version - although that would be odd given that it's only just come out.
It's Not hugely different to the Cavaliers of the 90s. You could get a 2 litre Cavalier in regular spec, or swanky Diplomat spec, at around 125-136 bhp.
Or for a bit more money, the 2 litre GSi had the Red top engine with 150bhp. Not much in it then power wise but the GSI delivered the power differently, plus had the body styling and different gearbox etc to make it the 'sporty' model in the line up as opposed to the comfortable rep cruiser
BFleming said:
It's the brand I don't like, not the name. I think it's laughable to go anywhere outside the UK & see the same cars with a different badge. Conversely the rest of Europe gives a chuckle when they see their Opels sold in the UK with a British badge.
Anyhow I had to look up the validity of your statement regarding 'the most important market to the company'. I had to google it (as I was completely incredulous). Opel/Vauxhall sold a million cars (give or take) in 2016, with Vauxhall cars accounting for 25% of those sales - officially I read it was 251,000 units. So (my Texas Instruments calculator fired up) 251,000 cars all in the UK, and (give me a second) 749,000 elsewhere. The official Opel registrations in Germany (which I'm pretty sure is the largest Opel market) was 244,000 units. So you're right. I have no idea why it's so, but it is.
It works for Opel to use Vauxhall in the UK, so it makes sense to keep it. I don't really mind what name is on a car so I'm happy to consider an name. And I struggle with this 'Ford is automatically better than Vauxhall' thing because I've never seen it. Some Fords are better, some Vauxhalls are better. It varies model to model.Anyhow I had to look up the validity of your statement regarding 'the most important market to the company'. I had to google it (as I was completely incredulous). Opel/Vauxhall sold a million cars (give or take) in 2016, with Vauxhall cars accounting for 25% of those sales - officially I read it was 251,000 units. So (my Texas Instruments calculator fired up) 251,000 cars all in the UK, and (give me a second) 749,000 elsewhere. The official Opel registrations in Germany (which I'm pretty sure is the largest Opel market) was 244,000 units. So you're right. I have no idea why it's so, but it is.
Regarding this car in particular though,
http://www.gminsidenews.com/articles/opel-also-new...
I wonder if this is true. It just popped up on Facebook. I've no idea if the sources are any good, especially given no figures in the article
Buzypea said:
culpz said:
No snobbery from me, i just really don't like Vauxhall as a brand or the products that they make. I do, on the other hand, like Ford's and Renault's and think they are much better. I also believe they have much better interiors, exteriors and general styling compared to Vauxhall. This is all in my own personal opinion, of course.
Having driven the latest Focus and latest Astra back to back, I can confirm only those in possession of a guide dog would think the Ford's interior was better. The Astra is leagues ahead in fit, finish, quality and tech. Vauxhall are actually making some decent cars right now.Shakermaker said:
AmitG said:
I had a look at the new Insignia recently and was really impressed. Looks good, decently sized and the interior is really nice as well. I am seriously thinking of getting one.
It felt like an honest car, with no pretence. Just loads of kit and a surprisingly low list price (with room for negotiation). Much nicer than a Passat or Mondeo. I reckon they will sell loads.
Bit confused about the GSI though. The new Insignia range already has a 2.0 petrol turbo 4x4 with adaptive damping, 8 speed auto and all the rest...and 240bhp. This one has an extra 20bhp and some nice bodywork, which is great, but sounds otherwise identical. It doesn't seem to differentiate itself enough from the 240bhp version. I wonder if it will replace the 240bhp version - although that would be odd given that it's only just come out.
I think it will sit alongside the 240 model. It felt like an honest car, with no pretence. Just loads of kit and a surprisingly low list price (with room for negotiation). Much nicer than a Passat or Mondeo. I reckon they will sell loads.
Bit confused about the GSI though. The new Insignia range already has a 2.0 petrol turbo 4x4 with adaptive damping, 8 speed auto and all the rest...and 240bhp. This one has an extra 20bhp and some nice bodywork, which is great, but sounds otherwise identical. It doesn't seem to differentiate itself enough from the 240bhp version. I wonder if it will replace the 240bhp version - although that would be odd given that it's only just come out.
It's Not hugely different to the Cavaliers of the 90s. You could get a 2 litre Cavalier in regular spec, or swanky Diplomat spec, at around 125-136 bhp.
Or for a bit more money, the 2 litre GSi had the Red top engine with 150bhp. Not much in it then power wise but the GSI delivered the power differently, plus had the body styling and different gearbox etc to make it the 'sporty' model in the line up as opposed to the comfortable rep cruiser
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff