Mk5 vauxhall Astra VXR What's your Thoughts ?
Mk5 vauxhall Astra VXR What's your Thoughts ?
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GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Iast night i went out for a drive with a friend of mine I was in my r32 golf which I purchased not so long ago and what I'm loving evrey second of still and my mate was in his leon cupra r we was crusing around while leaving our mrs's indoors to play with there iPhone 5s (all hype for not much more than a 4s in my eyes lol)

Anyways back to the point a pack of 3 vxr Astras ended up behind me and my mate which made us feel like we were 17 year olds for a while Untill I eventually had to pull over before geting myself in near speed ticket danger anyways I was quite impressed with the acceleration of these vxrs and tbh I've never been a fan of any vauxhall not with love anyway.

But the whole evening for my mate has now got him wanting a vxr as he was close to geting one not so long ago now as much as they are great in a straight line I've heard terrible handling story's and I'm sure we all saw clarksons review on the vxr. My mate can't leave the classifieds alone now all trying to find a good unabused example and I think he's lost the plot tbh as leon cupras are better in my eyes.

Now I personally think they look great and deffantly look like one of the best hot hatches around but regardless of looks and straight line speed for me that's about all they have got so I wanted to see peoples views and opinions from all and vauxhall lovers so hit me up With replys people wink

And someone try and convice me there's more to them than looks and speed

David87

7,004 posts

240 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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You're not 17? Oh.

Regiment

2,799 posts

187 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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I'm presuming the vxrs were chipped and modded to around 320bhp for someone in an r32 to be impressed with their acceleration?

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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No I'm 23 but felt like I was 17 for a moment with abit of boy race action lol I think you misread the post mate

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Regiment said:
I'm presuming the vxrs were chipped and modded to around 320bhp for someone in an r32 to be impressed with their acceleration?
I presume they were myself as I've driven a vxr before and I don't recall of it being anything like what I saw last night but regardles of that they always have had quite a nippy straight line speed either way but tbh vauxhall is not my cup of tea at all and I think my Mate needs to wake up and smell the Nescafé to have the thought of a vxr over his current cupra r

Lund

1,743 posts

238 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Was out in a mapped VXR in sprint blue just last week, very capable cars but I'm abit of a badge snob. Next week its RS 500bhp time which i'm sure will blow it out of the water. wink

Mastodon2

14,304 posts

193 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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You'd have to drive one yourself to see that they handle better than Clarkson tells you. In terms of performance on the road, there is little in it between any of the hot hatches in that bracket. I personally think a Leon Cupra R is better value for money prospect, and with a few fairly simple mods they can get to 270bhp without much trouble. That said, with the same sort of mods an VXR will probably get to 280-290bhp.

However, how much acceleration do you really need from a hot hatch? How often do you get shown up by hese packs of VXRs hounding the roads?

If your friend has a regular Leon Cupra, the VXR represents a decent increase in performance, not so much over a Cupra R, but cost a good chunk more to buy. Forget the crap about VXRs only being good in a straight line - they are a lot better than people who only listen to Clarkson will ever give them credit for, if your mate likes them so much he should just go and test drive one.

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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I think your view is quite right in many lights personally for me as I said I'm not a fan in more of a dub and rs man but when I took a vxr on a test drive a year or so ago I never got to give it a proper grab round the neck as I had the tight faced vauxhall dealer siting with me but either way for me nothing's making me get a vxr over my r32 or mk2 rs focus but I must say I think they are stunning hot hatch. Have you got one ?

Mastodon2

14,304 posts

193 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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GA55SED said:
I think your view is quite right in many lights personally for me as I said I'm not a fan in more of a dub and rs man but when I took a vxr on a test drive a year or so ago I never got to give it a proper grab round the neck as I had the tight faced vauxhall dealer siting with me but either way for me nothing's making me get a vxr over my r32 or mk2 rs focus but I must say I think they are stunning hot hatch. Have you got one ?
I had a Leon Cupra R and I've got a Civic Type R now. One of my friends owns an Astra VXR though, so I'm pretty familiar with the car.

Steameh

3,155 posts

238 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Regiment said:
I'm presuming the vxrs were chipped and modded to around 320bhp for someone in an r32 to be impressed with their acceleration?
I dont know about that, the R32 I had felt a bit lardy, and definitely wasn't the last thing in acceleration or speed, I could easily see a standard VXR impressing, they are 240bhp to the R32's 240 or 250.

For what it is worth, I didn't think the Astra was all that when I test drove a standard one, the power delivery seemed a bit all or nothing, and the interior didn't excite me either.


GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Mastodon2 said:
I had a Leon Cupra R and I've got a Civic Type R now. One of my friends owns an Astra VXR though, so I'm pretty familiar with the car.
I recently got a mk5 r32 golf as I fancied another hot hatch and a ep3 type r nearly took me away but the r32 just stole it for me but I still see ep3 type r's now and feel abit did I make the wrong choice lol type r great car tho I would have that over a vxr any day dose your type r show up your mates vxr ? Survey it must on the bends anyway

BFG TERRANO

2,172 posts

176 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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I'm not familiar with performance Vauxhalls but from the several new vauxhalls I've had experience tells me by 70k it will be falling apart. You don't see many vxrs on the road, is there a reason for that?

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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[quote=Steameh]


I dont know about that, the R32 I had felt a bit lardy, and definitely wasn't the last thing in acceleration or speed, I could easily see a standard VXR impressing, they are 240bhp to the R32's 240 or 250.

For what it is worth, I didn't think the Astra was all that when I test drove a standard one, the power delivery seemed a bit all or nothing, and the interior didn't excite me either.

I must put my hands up and say the r32 is a tad on the weighty side but it dose have more pros than cons

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Tbh I see quite a lot of vxrs round my way but that might be just south London for you lol

Mastodon2

14,304 posts

193 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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GA55SED said:
I recently got a mk5 r32 golf as I fancied another hot hatch and a ep3 type r nearly took me away but the r32 just stole it for me but I still see ep3 type r's now and feel abit did I make the wrong choice lol type r great car tho I would have that over a vxr any day dose your type r show up your mates vxr ? Survey it must on the bends anyway
There is not much in it really, not that we go racing or anything daft like that but as I say, unless you are driving like a complete bellend you won't reach the limits of the cars on the road anyway. On the straighter stuff, 240bhp vs 200bhp shows, and it can pull away there. I had a 270bhp Cupra R before the EP3 and apart from the ridiculous surge of power on boost, it wasn't that thrilling to drive. In terms of involvement and driver reward (much more important than performance imo) the EP3 wins all.

MattyB_

2,317 posts

285 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Steameh said:
I dont know about that, the R32 I had felt a bit lardy, and definitely wasn't the last thing in acceleration or speed, I could easily see a standard VXR impressing, they are 240bhp to the R32's 240 or 250.
Depends whether you're more impressed with straight line speed (or the impression of) over a crisp, responsive N/A engine.

Personally I'd take a 250bhp V6 over a 300bhp Turbo i4 every day of the week.

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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Mastodon2 said:
There is not much in it really, not that we go racing or anything daft like that but as I say, unless you are driving like a complete bellend you won't reach the limits of the cars on the road anyway. On the straighter stuff, 240bhp vs 200bhp shows, and it can pull away there. I had a 270bhp Cupra R before the EP3 and apart from the ridiculous surge of power on boost, it wasn't that thrilling to drive. In terms of involvement and driver reward (much more important than performance imo) the EP3 wins all.
Most people I have spoke to regarding the ep3 have said exactly what you have and come from big turbo cars them selfs so it said a lot about the ep3 as much as I love my r32 personally I can see myself drifting through out next year and going for a ep3 the recipie is just perfect for a driver where as a lot of the competion has a lot of cons in that respect where as the ep3 has none well other than road noise in the cabin on a motor way but I could swallow that

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
quotequote all
Mastodon2 said:
There is not much in it really, not that we go racing or anything daft like that but as I say, unless you are driving like a complete bellend you won't reach the limits of the cars on the road anyway. On the straighter stuff, 240bhp vs 200bhp shows, and it can pull away there. I had a 270bhp Cupra R before the EP3 and apart from the ridiculous surge of power on boost, it wasn't that thrilling to drive. In terms of involvement and driver reward (much more important than performance imo) the EP3 wins all.
Most people I have spoke to regarding the ep3 have said exactly what you have and come from big turbo cars them selfs so it said a lot about the ep3 as much as I love my r32 personally I can see myself drifting through out next year and going for a ep3 the recipie is just perfect for a driver where as a lot of the competion has a lot of cons in that respect where as the ep3 has none well other than road noise in the cabin on a motor way but I could swallow that for a great drive evrey where else

Edited by GA55SED on Sunday 23 September 15:12

Dave Hedgehog

16,248 posts

232 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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i hate to admit this but the new A VXR looks vasty better than the new focus ST

Steameh

3,155 posts

238 months

Sunday 23rd September 2012
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MattyB_ said:
Depends whether you're more impressed with straight line speed (or the impression of) over a crisp, responsive N/A engine.

Personally I'd take a 250bhp V6 over a 300bhp Turbo i4 every day of the week.
Oh absolutely, I wouldn't have an Astra VXR as when I drove it, I didn't like it at all, much prefered the delivery of my R32, and keeping on the V engines, of my Monaro, just the R32 isn't actually all that fast, an Accord Type R was easily a match for my R32 when I had it.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if the VXR was as quick as an R32 in standard form (since it had been alluded that the VXR had to be modded to be impressed with its quickness)