We had a Vauxhall VXR8 in the PH office for a few days recently, largely because
PH contributor Adam Towler warmed to it so much
when he tried it out on the Route Napoleon in France. And partly because, well, when there's an opportunity to borrow a 425bhp rear-drive super-saloon for a few days it's the sort of thing you take up.
There are so many things about the latest VXR8 that ought to make it a great car. In its 6.2-litre LS3 V8 the VXR8 is blessed with one of the most honest, straightforward and downright satisfying powerplants around.
It is also a thoroughly down-to-earth concept: big engine, rear-drive, manual gearbox and plenty of room for four passengers, a load of luggage and yourself to be scared silly (not that you can scare luggage, of course). Simple.
The first iteration of the VXR8 also happened to be a car I dearly love. It had astonishing chassis balance for one so big, the squishy-yet-supportive seats were great and that meaty V8 was (of course) cracking, even in LS2 form. I evenly rashly described it once - in print - as an ideal family car, I think largely because of the space it offered and its ability to impress the rellies.
Sure, the interior was a bit rough around the edges, the gearchange was a bit caveman, and early models had an unnerving tendency for the suspension to judder under heavy braking, but at £35,105 when it first appeared its bargain basement price rather made up for these deficiencies.
At least this is untouched
And the new car ought to be a stormer, because it tackles most of these issues head-on. The new MM10 six-speed gearbox and LS7 clutch feel rather more modern, the cabin has been granted a wave of the 'quality wand' and the top-spec GTS model has revised spring and damper rates and even magnetic ride control.
But within every silver lining is a cloud. In the case of the VXR8 that comes in the form of a £49,500 price tag. Okay, so Vauxhall has been stung heavily by adverse exchange rates, and they freely admit that the VXR8 is a brand-builder (in other words they know they ain't going to sell very many) but there is no escaping the fact that £50k is really rather too much money.
Honestly, it is better inside
The looks are surely going to be a problem for a lot of people, too; the snorty snout, over-fussy bodykit styling and OTT wheels will surely push the VXR8's styling from brash and way into the realms of the frankly offensive for many people. There will no doubt be some who enjoy its pumped-up styling, but they probably won't have eyes...
There's another problem, too. I reckon the combination of clever MRC dampers and 20-inch alloys ruins the car's ride. I took the newest car out along the same bumpy Surrey B-road route as I once had chucked its predecessor. And I found the new car wanting.
VXR8 in a more natural habitat
I'm sure Mr Towler is absolutely right that, on the smooth roads of the continent, the VXR8 is a hoot. But those big wheels and new magnetic dampers seem to do their level best to scupper the B-road behaviour of the big Vauxhall.
Without having driven one on smaller wheels it's hard to say for sure whether it's the suspension or the wheels that are at fault, but one of the old VXR8's key attributes was that it remained comfortable and, crucially, composed even over the grittiest British back-road. Now, it's okay, but push on and it begins to get crashy and uncomfortable.
Does it look any better in yellow?
I'm sure the latest VXR8 will find sufficient numbers of admirers, and rightly so - it's still got that fantastic engine and still handles impressively well apart from the ride. For me, however, the VXR8 is now a car that tries too hard both in looks and in trying to be more than just a big, simple car with a big, simple V8. And that's a shame. I'll be saving up my pennies for
an older VXR8 like this