Vauxhall VXR8 review

what's with the tail lights?

Oy Gevalt! What's with the lights?!?

We heard you the first time...

Don't like what they've done to the rear tail lights on the VXR8, and from the side angle view, the front looks very Falcon BFish...

Come on guys, those lights are old news to us Antipodeans - you're acting like you've never seen them before. But yes, they're not the prettiest of things - change for change's sake unfortunately.

Lovely car though, can't wait for it on Top Gear! :D

Now that I agree on - they're gonna love it.

I think they've stepped up a notch. Except with the hand brake, seriously, I want what the designers were smoking when they though that'd look good.

Agreed - I was quite impressed by the VE interiors, both design and quality-wise, but the hand brake is a bit weird.

looks to have an underside aero package as well as the wing, which on a car with this much power and through the rear wheels, i think a wing is acceptable, especially as the previous monaro was such a tail slider, maybe they'r thinkin safety here, keeping it from spinning out

The bodykit is 98% looks, 2% aero - the aero benefits would be very slight, negligible even. The VE chassis does however handle the power a lot better than the previous chassis due to it's much improved suspension design & larger footprint - but comparing it to the VZ chassis is faint praise, and the car deserves more than that.
 
I ask this question: Even with the rather low asking price (which comes to about $83K here...), How, at $5 a litre or more, how are people paying the 20l/100km(or worse!) fuel bills when this thing hits the road?

I'm in two minds about the VE. On the one hand, I'm very pleased to see a very Australian effort in terms of design and engineering. But I don't like the styling, and I don't like the big Ameican V8, because, I think an Aussie hero car should have an Aussie heart, yes?
So despite it being a rather older design, despite it being significantly slower... I prefer the BF Falcon :p
 
and crappier handling, and crappier interior


'CruiserMan the sorts of people buying these cars don't give two shits that it costs them $15 a week more than driving a camry, they derive the $15 from the car
 
I ask this question: Even with the rather low asking price (which comes to about $83K here...), How, at $5 a litre or more, how are people paying the 20l/100km(or worse!) fuel bills when this thing hits the road?
At 35,000 pounds this car will be a lot cheaper than its closest rivals like the BMW 550i for example which costs about 50,000 pounds. The 15,000 you save will buy a lot of petrol!
 
I like everything except the nose, that nose has to go...put the Holden one back on or the Pontiac nose on that thing.
 
hmm... I'm confused again with the commodores, 2 years in AUS and I'm still lost :lol:, they said something about the taking the Clubsport and using the GTS interior? But aren't they the same cars? I've always thought that any VE with that tailights was a Clubsport? Have I been giving all my friends the wrong info? :lol:

Although I like Falcon's more, but the VE just made the BA look 10 years older... and hearing and seeing that car accelerate on Freeway onramps (The Hoddle St to Eastern Fwy 270degree turn and then flooring it made we go wow).

And I guess I'm the only one who loves that angel eye tail lights on this forum, I think they look unique and you'll know its a VE Clubsport as soon as you see it from far, but it'd be a hard choice between the 300C and this, the 300C just looks so bling and has a very unique presence, the VE would just get noticed by the guys in the 1980's VL trying to race you down chapel. :p
 
It looks fabulously aggressive though not exactly beautiful ;) I think the back end sticks out just a little too far (looking at it twice, I think it could be cured by bigger rear rims), and the front end is a bit too bunched up and busy, but overall it's a great-looking thing, because it's got looks that would respond to, "You're ugly," with, "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" and then it'd kill you.
 
hmm... I'm confused again with the commodores, 2 years in AUS and I'm still lost :lol:, they said something about the taking the Clubsport and using the GTS interior? But aren't they the same cars? I've always thought that any VE with that tailights was a Clubsport? Have I been giving all my friends the wrong info? :lol:

Although I like Falcon's more, but the VE just made the BA look 10 years older... and hearing and seeing that car accelerate on Freeway onramps (The Hoddle St to Eastern Fwy 270degree turn and then flooring it made we go wow).

And I guess I'm the only one who loves that angel eye tail lights on this forum, I think they look unique and you'll know its a VE Clubsport as soon as you see it from far, but it'd be a hard choice between the 300C and this, the 300C just looks so bling and has a very unique presence, the VE would just get noticed by the guys in the 1980's VL trying to race you down chapel. :p

The VXR8 only has the same seats as the Aussie GTS with maybe a few other extras. The tail lights I like, at night you can spot a VE HSV from a K away at night. :p
 
I see plenty of HSV versions, it's definitely one of the best looking Holdens ever...
 
I'm in two minds about the VE. On the one hand, I'm very pleased to see a very Australian effort in terms of design and engineering. But I don't like the styling, and I don't like the big Ameican V8, because, I think an Aussie hero car should have an Aussie heart, yes?
So despite it being a rather older design, despite it being significantly slower... I prefer the BF Falcon :p

So your gripe with the LS2/98 is not with the actual design, but with the country of origin? Australian cars have traditionally used American/Canadian engines, perhaps because the marque is American, and that it would be an utterly pointless exercise to develop an engine specifically for the Australian market.

The 5.4 Falcons are slower, thanks to that cast iron Canadian clunker they've lumbered it with. However, the turbo sixes can give the V8 Commodores a bit of competition, it's just unfortunate that they are kept back to ensure the V8's are seen as the flagship.
 
I'm driving a VE at the moment as a hire car (it is the Omega, mind you) and I must say, I'm pretty impressed with it.

It handles brilliantly (not like the VZ), has a nice looking interior and is a great long distance cruiser.

The base model isn't the best, with the engine sounding like it's broken, the automatic is really agricultural (and doesn't like fast changes) and the seats are flat and unsupportive.

I'm guessing the SS or HSV models would be a pretty good steer.

http://img124.imageshack.**/img124/3822/pic0009hc4.jpg
 
So your gripe with the LS2/98 is not with the actual design, but with the country of origin? Australian cars have traditionally used American/Canadian engines, perhaps because the marque is American, and that it would be an utterly pointless exercise to develop an engine specifically for the Australian market.

The 5.4 Falcons are slower, thanks to that cast iron Canadian clunker they've lumbered it with. However, the turbo sixes can give the V8 Commodores a bit of competition, it's just unfortunate that they are kept back to ensure the V8's are seen as the flagship.


And the fact that the 5.4 falcon motors have a really short power band and hate being revved. The funs over by 5400rpm. My sisters 92 Diahatsu Applause revves harder. The XR6T and the Typhoon (i refuse to call it the F6 Typhoon because it sounds stupid) are quicker than their V8 brothers reguardless of what Ford do to keep them back.
 
And the fact that the 5.4 falcon motors have a really short power band and hate being revved. The funs over by 5400rpm. My sisters 92 Diahatsu Applause revves harder. The XR6T and the Typhoon (i refuse to call it the F6 Typhoon because it sounds stupid) are quicker than their V8 brothers reguardless of what Ford do to keep them back.

From what ive heard Ford Australia have been waiting a long time for Ford America to build a 6.0 Letre V8 so Ford AU will have a engine to put in their high performance Falcon's but Ford America are taking alot longer than expected.
 
So your gripe with the LS2/98 is not with the actual design, but with the country of origin? Australian cars have traditionally used American/Canadian engines, perhaps because the marque is American, and that it would be an utterly pointless exercise to develop an engine specifically for the Australian market.

The 5.4 Falcons are slower, thanks to that cast iron Canadian clunker they've lumbered it with. However, the turbo sixes can give the V8 Commodores a bit of competition, it's just unfortunate that they are kept back to ensure the V8's are seen as the flagship.

Bugger off, HEC Grey motors, HEC 202/186 etc etc, HEC 253, and the HEC 308/304 V8's....For the great unwashed these are Australian motors which share nothing in common with GM motors from the US. I know compared to the Gen 3 the HEC V8 (304) wasn't the best motor, but it was ours....and internationally it did get a little bit of cred.....gee I sound like a tosser! :rolleyes:

Still after 1986 (for Holden) everything kinda went pearshaped with the (crappy...really crappy) Aussie Six's replaced with Nissans RB engine and then the Buick V6 and the V8 living on till 1998 and getting dropped in favor of the Chev Gen3...

But I do agree they hobble the 6's a bit to make sure the V8 is the flag ship, Holden don't want a repeat of the VL Turbo vs VL V8 saga.....sad isn't it :(

A traditional Australian car have always been nasty (Wrong word....erm....interesting?) cut and shuts with motors, body bits and the like from here, there and everywhere. Still there is nothing wrong with that! :) We also did the same with aeroplanes with American airframes mated to British engines. The aircraft ended up with much higher performance compared to the "stock" American version of that fighter plane, tho they did have a problem with wings falling off....but that was fixed....:? :rolleyes:
 
Bugger off, HEC Grey motors, HEC 202/186 etc etc, HEC 253, and the HEC 308/304 V8's....For the great unwashed these are Australian motors which share nothing in common with GM motors from the US. I know compared to the Gen 3 the HEC V8 (304) wasn't the best motor, but it was ours....and internationally it did get a little bit of cred.....gee I sound like a tosser! :rolleyes:

Hit a nerve?

I didn't say every single Holden used an American motor...just the majority, and thats before you consider Ford...
 
The thing I don't get about Aussie Fords is you have both the V8's and the Turbo 6. Why bother with importing the 8's? The 6 is a great engine from what I hear, and is locally built, the V8 is at best redundant, at worse a waste of money, and only bought because "it's a v8 mate!"

Now if Ford decides to bring the Falcon to the US I could understand leaving room for the V8 so they don't need to spend the money to have parts storage of an engine we don't otherwise have.

Hit a nerve?

I didn't say every single Holden used an American motor...just the majority, and thats before you consider Ford...

I'm far from any expert in Aussie cars, but I do read a rather interesting Aussie web mag, and only in the last 15 years have Holden's really been using anything from the rest of the GM parts bin.

I recall reading about a Holden 5.0 v8 being a good engine to hop up. GM in the US never had one with that reputation (everyone went straight for the 327 then the 350).
 
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