Vauxhall scares BMW! The Vectra VXR is a high performance bargain.

[zaybxcwd12]

Here is some quotes from "Auto Express"

" And take a corner too quickly and the car's limitations become all too apparent. Despite the Vauxhall's clever dam-pers, there's lots of wheelspin in the lower gears under hard acceleration, but little steering feel. The Vectra is more at home on fast, sweeping bends where you can use the torque and enjoy the taut ride. But if it's straight-line speed you're after, the VXR won't disappoint."

" Yet if you're not careful with the throttle at low speed, the front wheels can spin and the steering fights in your hands. And although the Sport button sharpens the responses, it does little to improve grip levels, and also makes the ride jarring. The whole experience isn't very involving, either - and both the Mondeo ST220 and A4 2.0T FSI are more fun and composed."

 

[bartboy9891]

Mazdaspeed 3 is supposed to be around the same price, and frankly i know where my money would go. I don't doubt the Vauxhall's speed, but I would be willing to be the MS3 is just as quick. And the MS3 is a little more practical and looks miles better. Though i do agree, when you put it all into perspective, a 150mph+ Vauxhall for 25K pounds is absurd

 

[targa_997]

And actually, how do we know how fast it is going too?

But EVO are right actually, the VXR deserved to beat the BMW for example, purely for the fact that the BMW is overpriced. I dunno if I would place it above the new Mitsubishi Evo though, thats an odd choice!

As a BMW fan, I desperately agree that bimmers are worst and worst, I miss so much 80s bimmers: a mean look, a straight six, RWD and a lot of fun.

 

[Greatgraddage]

EVO is very respectable, Clarkson even changed his view on the db9 after they pointed out that it didn't really handle that well.

They also say the new Sport Pack for the DB9 makes it into the car it should have been, so I can allow it to remain in my dreams forever!

BAck to the VXR: I don't mind the looks too much for a rep mobile, I like the idea of scoobie baiting . Warning to anybody coming to the uk: never overtake one. It WILL be an undercover police car!

 

[the Interceptor]

... and front-end grip is huge ...

I must say I am really surprised by this. I know that JC doesn't like the Vectra, and I think the footage they did for Top Gear was at least partly staged, meaning that they forced the car to understeer badly. However, the huge german car mag "Auto Bild" (which has absolutely nothing to do with Top Gear), also found all current VXRs to under- and tourquesteer. I quote from a review of the VXR, competing with a Passat V6, BMW 330i and Mazda 6 MPS:

Bleibt die abschlie?ende Frage: Wie schl?gt sich der so selbstbewusst auftretende Opel in der Fahrdynamikwertung? ?berraschend schlecht. Zwar erfreut sich der Fahrer an der stabilen Bremse und an der M?glichkeit, ESP wie bei den anderen drei komplett zu deaktivieren. Das war's jedoch schon an Pluspunkten, der Rest l?sst zu w?nschen ?brig: Bei abgeschalteten Fahrhilfen untersteuert der Vectra OPC massiv. Der ungest?me Fronttriebler bekommt seine Kraft nicht einmal ansatzweise auf den Boden. Die entr?ckt-digitale Lenkung verf?gt ?ber zu wenig R?ckstellkr?fte und verleiht jeder Tour mit dem Opel Spielkonsolen-Charakter. Auch mit gedr?ckter Sport-Taste verbessert sich das zappelige Fahrverhalten nicht wirklich, die Curbs sollte der Pilot meiden wie der Teufel das Weihwasser.

Note that the Vauxhall VXRs are called Opel OPCs in Germany. Rough translation:

And the question that remains is: how does the self-confident Opel compete in terms of driving dynamics? Surprisingly bad. The driver cheers over the stable brakes and the possibility to turn the ESP off completely, just as in the other three. That's it for the advantages though, the rest leaves things to be desired: with driving aids turned off, the Vectra OPC understeers massively. The hasty FWD can't even get its power down rudimentary. The engrossed-digital steering doesn't have enough restoring force and makes every drive with the Opel have videogame-feel. Even with the sport mode turned on, the fidgety feel doesn't get much better. The driver should avoid curbs like the devil avoids holy water (a German saying. Do you have that as well?)

So anyway, alll VRXs tested by this mag were described to be similar. And they have no problem with being biased, they have no problem to tell the truth even about Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Audis and stuff.

Regards
the Interceptor

 

[Kowalski]

Here what The Independent said about the Vectra VXR:

Vauxhall Vectra VXR: I can't believe it's a Vectra
Published: 08 November 2005 Source: http://motoring.independent.co.uk/road_tests/article325425.ece

Its unexpectedly high performance, smooth running and instant response may stretch credibility. This would not be the obvious choice - but it is an excellent one, says John Simister

How can a cappuccino be lukewarm when it has just been made? I don't know, but the one I'm sipping in Cerda, Sicily, is. But I don't mind because I've just been looking at other things that genuinely are hot. Or pictures of them anyway, in a museum dedicated to the mad Sicilian road race called the Targa Florio. It ran from 1906 to 1977, and for many years was part of the World Endurance Championship which also included the Le Mans 24 Hours.

It couldn't happen today. Public safety awareness would render it impossible in the litigious mindset that is one of the US's most unpleasant exports, and modern Le Mans-type cars could never cope with the ridges and crests and cracks that punctuate these Sicilian roads. Those of the 1960s had a hard job, too, but the sight of Phil Hill in a Chaparral 2F or the local hero Nino Vaccarella in his Ferrari P4 showed that they gave it a good try.

That Chaparral, with its huge rear aerofoil, was one of the weirder cars to compete. It had a Chevrolet V8 engine and covert General Motors backing, but that's not why I'm here today. The only slightly less tenuous excuse is that Fritz Opel, son of Adam Opel who founded the German car company that bears his surname and is nowadays also part of General Motors, took part in the 1907 Targa Florio, and today I'm driving Opel's latest racy product. Or rather Vauxhall's; nowadays, one is a translation of the other.

Next to the caf? by the museum, the deep burble of a powerful, six-cylinder engine signals the arrival of a metallic blue car with generous wheels and a pair of exhaust pipes trapezoidal in cross-section. It's a large-ish, five-door hatchback that sits low and looks faintly menacing. Hard to believe, then, that it's a Vauxhall Vectra. Its personality transplant has occurred because this is a Vectra VXR, a car transformed in the way the VXR process has already reconfigured the Astra into something scary.

Or maybe not in quite the same way. There are major similarities in the principle: more power from the turbocharged engine that already powers what was previously the top-of-the-range model, lowered suspension with stiffer springs and dampers, big brakes, cosmetic sportification, promise of a big pace potential and driving amusement. But the Astra VXR, though rapid and no doubt entertaining should you be lucky enough to drive only on smooth roads, can turn fractious and hyperactive when you try to enjoy its attributes on the sort of roads we rarely have away from Britain's trunk routes. Same goes for the new, Astra-based Zafira VXR MPV. How, then, will a VXR-ed Vectra turn out?

I hope it will turn out well, because it will be one in the eye for people who think the only way to have a fast and roomy saloon (or estate car, because the Vectra VXR comes in either guise) is to have something expensively German or, at a push, Swedish. How can a Vauxhall be as good as an Audi or a BMW?

Well, forget the charisma of a designer brand for a moment, and be objective. The Vectra is well made (in Germany), well furnished and finished, and now it's fully and thoroughly engineered thanks to the efforts of a British - yes British - engineering team.

If you read my report on the facelifted mainstream Vectra range a few weeks ago, you'll remember the cars have undergone major changes in suspension and steering calibration to change them from dull and stodgy to incisive and interactive, while also improving ride comfort. And all of this new thinking has gone into the Vectra VXR.

Now, some figures. The 2.8-litre V6 engine, with its twin-scroll turbocharger (one exhaust-gas channel from each of the two exhaust manifolds), delivers 255bhp and 262lb ft of torque. Acceleration from a standstill to 60mph, making full use of the six-speed manual gearbox, takes 6.5 seconds. Top speed - this is a Vectra, remember, a car favoured by the Shropshire police whose drivers can use all the pace with impunity on the M54 when out "testing" - is a scarcely credible 161mph.

And you can buy the hatchback for ?23,995 (there's no saloon alternative), the estate car for ?1,000 more. The pace-times-space-divided-by-pounds-sterling sum could hardly be more favourable. Expect to see VXRs with a blue light on the roof on a motorway near you soon.

I've started the engine, hearing that unexpectedly deep note. The accelerator response is keen, and as I point the VXR along the Sicilian roads, I discover that the steering response is similarly keen. Instant movement, instant effect; that this is a Vectra - a Vectra! how Clarkson must laugh! - does not readily compute.

I feel connected, but the fractured road surface isn't jarring me to excess. Nor does the Vectra tug and squirm as I accelerate out of bends; it's flowing well, its steering is giving proper feedback as to the state of grip under the front wheels.

The IDS2-plus "interactive driving system" integrates ESP stability control, traction control, the braking system and the electronically adaptive dampers which are constantly adapting their damping forces. The ESP system is designed to rein in a powerful front-wheel-drive car's tendency to run wide in corners.

The turbocharged engine adds to the Vectra's abilities. It doesn't pour forth power in a bombastic torrent like the Astra VXR does; rather it erupts softly from low speeds right up to high speeds. Cruising in sixth gear is relaxed, but there's a deep resonance between 1,500 and 2,200rpm which can get intrusive in the hatchback VXR.

As you will have gathered by now, I really like the Vectra VXR. I like the way it isn't the obvious choice, yet it makes the driver feel good. The estate version has a longer wheelbase and is fractionally less wieldy, but here is a car to take on the mantle of those cultish, black-wheeled Volvo 850 T5 estates of a decade ago. Sometimes it's good to overlook the obvious.

http://img92.imageshack.**/img92/4121/vauxhallvectravxrestatead8.jpg

Oh dear...this not good to hear:

And you can buy the hatchback for ?23,995 (there's no saloon alternative), the estate car for ?1,000 more. The pace-times-space-divided-by-pounds-sterling sum could hardly be more favourable. Expect to see VXRs with a blue light on the roof on a motorway near you soon.

 

[GraemeH]

Well my local funny-handshake-brigade just bought a small fleet of ST220's which is a shame. If they had went for the VXR's, i could just have went around a corner to outrun them and they'd have unintentionally parked on the outside with some ungraceful understeer.

 

[BlaRo]

http://img92.imageshack.**/img92/4121/vauxhallvectravxrestatead8.jpg
Wow. That's a great-looking wagon!

So naturally, we fat stupid Americans don't have it, blah blah blah, GM sucks, leaf springs, live rear axle, remember the Alamo, etc.

 

[Top Geek]

This sums it up nicely...

 

[Kowalski]

This sums it up nicely...

The old FSO Caro was a laughable handler anyway.

 

[the Interceptor]

Isn't it strange that all the tests are so far away from each other? Usually, one group says "bad", while the other one says "not perfect, but acceptable". Here though, one says "catastrophic", while the other one says "absolutely brilliant". What's right then? :?

 

[Kowalski]

I must say I am really surprised by this. I know that JC doesn't like the Vectra, and I think the footage they did for Top Gear was at least partly staged, meaning that they forced the car to understeer badly. However, the huge german car mag "Auto Bild" (which has absolutely nothing to do with Top Gear), also found all current VXRs to under- and tourquesteer. I quote from a review of the VXR, competing with a Passat V6, BMW 330i and Mazda 6 MPS:Note that the Vauxhall VXRs are called Opel OPCs in Germany. Rough translation:So anyway, alll VRXs tested by this mag were described to be similar. And they have no problem with being biased, they have no problem to tell the truth even about Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Audis and stuff.

Regards
the Interceptor

Yes. But you forgot to mention this:

From the Autobild Sport Saloon group test:
BMW 330i

http://img181.imageshack.**/img181/9369/bmw3seriesld0.jpghttp://img151.imageshack.**/img151/8409/bmw330ixm3.jpg
http://img237.imageshack.**/img237/183/bmwalloysvq4.jpghttp://img201.imageshack.**/img201/1876/bmwstraightsixap1.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/7816/bmwinteriorhl1.jpghttp://img183.imageshack.**/img183/4125/bmwspeedogb0.jpg

0-100 km/h (62 Mph): 6.3 s
0-130 km/h (80 Mph): 9.9 s
0-160 km/h (100 Mph): 14.6 s
0-200 km/h (125 Mph): 23.3 s

Laptime around Oberschleben:

BMW 330i: 1:53,55 min

_______________________



Mazda 6 MPS

http://img243.imageshack.**/img243/1254/mazda6mpsbn7.jpghttp://img134.imageshack.**/img134/1340/mazda6ce2.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.**/img85/1390/mazdaalloysit6.jpghttp://img182.imageshack.**/img182/6702/mazda6enginerz7.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.**/img134/6655/mazda6interiorpl8.jpghttp://img135.imageshack.**/img135/2166/mazdaspeedobq9.jpg

0-100 km/h (62 Mph): 6.0 s
0-130 km/h (80 Mph): 9.8 s
0-160 km/h (100 Mph): 14.2 s
0-200 km/h (125 Mph): 25.5 s

Laptime around Oberschleben:

Mazda 6 MPS: 1:54,51 min
_______________________



Opel Vectra OPC

http://img136.imageshack.**/img136/4084/opelvectraopcei2.jpghttp://img148.imageshack.**/img148/6717/opelvectraopclq9.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.**/img171/6465/vectraopcalloysnb9.jpghttp://img135.imageshack.**/img135/6125/vectraopcv6zx0.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.**/img169/2148/opelvectraopcinteriorfs7.jpghttp://img180.imageshack.**/img180/9592/vectraopcspeedozp9.jpg


Acceleration:

0 to 100 Km/h (62 Mph): 6.7 s
0 to 130 Km/h (80 Mph): 10.4 s
0-160 km/h (100 Mph): 14.3 s
0-200 km/h (125 Mph): 22.9 s


Laptime around Oberschleben:

Opel Vectra OPC: 1:53,91 min
______________________


Volkswagen Passat 3.2 V6 DSG

http://img247.imageshack.**/img247/5795/vwpassat32v6hw9.jpghttp://img243.imageshack.**/img243/8851/vwpassatzl4.jpg
http://img244.imageshack.**/img244/7042/vwpassatalloysmw5.jpghttp://img169.imageshack.**/img169/173/vwenginerg8.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.**/img227/3913/vwpassatinteriorvr9.jpghttp://img207.imageshack.**/img207/8395/vwpassatspeedofa9.jpg

Acceleration:

0 to 100 Km/h (62 Mph): 6.6 s
0 to 130 Km/h (80 Mph): 10.3 s
0-160 km/h (100 Mph): 16.0 s
0-200 km/h (125 Mph): 27.7 s

Laptime around Oberschleben:

Volkswagen Passat 3.2 V6 DSG: 1:55,45 min

So the Vectra OPC is "only" 0,36 slower than The Ultimate Driving Machine BMW 330i And if you check it carefully, you will notice the OPC lapped faster than the 1:54,51 min Four-Wheel-Drive Mazda 6 MPS and the also Four-Wheel-Drive 1:55,45 min VW Passat 3.2 V6 DSG.

And here is another comparison test from Autobild:

Ford Mondeo ST220 vs Opel Vectra GTS

Technical Data: Mondeo ST220 / Vectra GTS

Engine
3.0 V6 Duratec / 2.8 V6 Turbo ECOTEC (low pressure version)
2967cm3 / 2792 cm3
226hp at 6150rpm / 230hp at 5500rpm
285Nm (210 lbf ft) at 4900rpm / 330Nm (243 lbf ft) at 1800rpm
16/29mpg / 15/32mpg (urban/extra-urban)

Acceleration (0-62/0-124mph): 7.5/29.9s / 7.3/27.2s
Elasticity (37-62/50-75mph): 6.3/11.5s / 5.9/9.8s
Top Speed: 250km/h / 250km/h (155mph)
Transmission: 6-speed manual / 6-speed manual

Base Price: Ford 35,275 Euro / Opel 31,930 Euro

In Germany ABS, ESP and 4 airbags are standard. The Mondeo have Xenon as standard for the ST220. A 6-speed auto is available as an option for the Vectra.

Test result

Body: Ford 160 / Opel 162 (max 200)
Engine/Suspension: Ford 172 / Opel 176 (max 200)
Maintenance Costs: Ford 59 / Opel 62 (max 100)

Result: Ford 391 / Opel 400 (max 500)


Place No. 1

A start-finish victory for the Vectra GTS. A brillant car for a fair price.


Place No. 2

A high base price and the higher depreciation costs the Ford points. But overall a good car.

Want me to post the source?

 

[the Interceptor]

Well, I'm not saying that the Vectra VXR is a bad car, nor am I saying that it's a slow car. That's not the point here. The point is that some say it understeers very badly, while others say that it has a lot of front end grip. Both things don't go along, so I wonder why they are so far apart in their opinions.

Regards
the Interceptor

 

[Narcolepsy]

What about the Subaru Legacy GT (or Spec B for Europe) or the Acura TSX (Honda Accord) No love for legacy? I'll advocate my beloved ride as usual - a fantastic alternative to the Mazdaspeed, a low end BMW 3, or that handsome understeer-mobile.


http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedan/112_0602_midsize_awd_sedan_comparison
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=1589&page_number=1
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=3280

 

[Kowalski]

Isn't it strange that all the tests are so far away from each other? Usually, one group says "bad", while the other one says "not perfect, but acceptable". Here though, one says "catastrophic", while the other one says "absolutely brilliant". What's right then? :?

Well, I'm not saying that the Vectra VXR is a bad car, nor am I saying that it's a slow car. That's not the point here. The point is that some say it understeers very badly, while others say that it has a lot of front end grip. Both things don't go along, so I wonder why they are so far apart in their opinions.

Regards
the Interceptor

Dear Interceptor.

It's like I said earlier, if you like the car, you do a test-drive and see what is like. If you like it, then you buy it. If you hate it, then you can only agree with the reviews I suppose.

There's too much of the Jeremy Clarkson syndrome, when the average person comments on cars these days. It seems, that nowadays ,if Clarkson says it's good, then people will buy it with their eyes shut. If he doesn't like it, then people will not bother to give it a try.

Despite of all his hatred toward my car, I actually like Clarkson. I love reading his articles and watching him on TV.

I will concede that I agreed with Jeremy first time. The old Vauxhall Vectra built from 1995 to 2002 (pictured below as a red 1999-2002 CD Hatchback) was indeed an Utterly, utterly appalling car.

http://img247.imageshack.**/img247/6892/vauxhallvectrabgrfnh1.jpg

When Vauxhall introduced it in 1995, the Vectra motto was ?Designed for the next millennium? . The car for the new millennium that was facelifted in 1999 says it all.

 

[Kowalski]

What about the Subaru Legacy GT (or Spec B for Europe) or the Acura TSX (Honda Accord) No love for legacy? I'll advocate my beloved ride as usual - a fantastic alternative to the Mazdaspeed, a low end BMW 3, or that handsome understeer-mobile.


http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedan/112_0602_midsize_awd_sedan_comparison
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=1589&page_number=1
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=3280

I love the Subaru Legacy GT. It's a great car indeed.

 

[Top Geek]

Isn't it strange that all the tests are so far away from each other? Usually, one group says "bad", while the other one says "not perfect, but acceptable". Here though, one says "catastrophic", while the other one says "absolutely brilliant". What's right then?

:lol:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVfF_dGyimU[/youtube]

 

[targa_997]

I love the Subaru Legacy GT. It's a great car indeed.

I agree, iy's a toned-down Impreza, and isn't too flashy.

 

[amdforever]

Always keep your doubts on Jeremy Clarkson

 

[Top Geek]

Always keep your doubts on Jeremy Clarkson

True enough, but...well, just watch the video...