Car Audio

Posts Tagged ‘VXR’

The Vauxhall Corsa has seamlessly eased itself into the Great British consciousness by providing reasonably priced, stylish and ecologically sound motoring. In the small hatchback market, the target demographic is not often considered to be looking for a high performance vehicle; they are more interested in the MPG ratios and how much CO2 is leaking out of the exhaust. The standard Corsa fills this niche admirably and has become a consistent and popular seller throughout the country. Vauxhall, however, have had a change of heart with the Corsa’s regulation blueprints and have released something of a caged beast.

The Vauxhall Corsa 1.6 16V VXR takes the tried and tested styling of the more common Corsa and puts fire and brimstone under the bonnet. This car seems to be squarely aimed at those amongst us who not only want to get away from the traffic lights first, but want to rip a hole in time whilst we do so.

I, like anyone who has used BSM recently, learned to drive in a Vauxhall Corsa, so I was genuinely looking forward to revisiting the humble beginnings of my driving career. What I was presented with was a completely different animal to the 1.3 CDTi I used to chug down the dual carriageway in. The Corsa VXR has been modelled to look sportier; the bodywork looks like a rally car, the seats hug your contours and the whole affair seems to have much more of a snarl about it.

I was used to the Diesel Corsa 0-60 capabilities of around 13 seconds, so was ecstatic when I realised that the VXR model could manage it in half the time. When I say “pleasantly surprised”, I was actually whooping like an overly-excitable Orangutan.

The Vauxhall Corsa VXR may very well appeal to the rather unsavoury boy racers amongst us, but its appeal really deserves to be enjoyed by a considerably wider audience. The price range puts it in direct competition with the higher spec Ford Fiestas and the zippy Vauxhall makes a very good case for itself.

If you are looking for a car that can slap a smile on your face, I doubt you will have to look much further than the Vauxhall Corsa 1.6 16V VXR.

A racing car that you can drive on the British roads; what driver could ever ask for me. When stopping at traffic lights I still get the (rather immature) urge to rev my engine, as if challenging the person in the next lane to a drag race. In a Hot Rod this would be perfectly rational behaviour, in a Ford Mondeo it’s just slightly embarrassing. What your average common or garden driver is really looking for is a compromise between the Hot Rod and the Fiesta; a car that is practical, but can still get the heart racing when you put your foot down. With some confidence, Vauxhall claim to have created this elusive amalgamation of form, function and performance in the Vauxhall VXR Range.

This obviously isn’t the first time mainstream car manufacturers have attempted to create a speedy but practical model. Volkswagen have been doing it for years with the Golf GTi ranges and Ford have a rich lineage of racing cars from the RS Cosworth. All of these cars are hugely exciting to drive and all perform to increasingly high standards. The only grievances I hold against them are the rather insulting connotations that drivers of these vehicles are often labelled with. What started off as a rather jovial and almost friendly “boy racer” has now transformed into the less agreeable “chavs”, “townies” and “neds” (dependent on your geographical location). These labels don’t seem to concern those who actually are chavs etc…, but the rest of us normal human beings want to drive these wonderful cars without the social stigma.

With the VXR Range, Vauxhall want to readdress the balance and have designed and engineered a car that goes like stink, but retains understated looks. That is until you get to the brand new Vauxhall VXR8…which looks like it has careened straight out of a post-apocalyptic landscape in the year 3000 in a hail of fire and bullets. Alas, the VXR8 would be pointless if Vauxhall hadn’t kitted it out with an engine that could strip paint from 20 miles. So let’s be hugely thankful that they have done exactly that.

The Vauxhall VXR8 6.2 Litre V8 engine has an unbelievable 431 BHP which when put to the test, will get you from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. If you count that in your head, you can almost feel the raw acceleration power that the VXR8 houses. However, as the popular saying goes, with great power comes huge responsibility. If you push the VXR8 even slightly too far, you will find yourself in a ditch with your face on fire. To say its a bit nervy at speed would be something of an understatement, even on a dual carriageway you feel like you might flip at any moment in a huge tidal wave of explosions and noise.

My only fault with the Vauxhall VXR8 would be that it seems to create a drama out of everything, like some kind of stereotypical pantomime performer refusing to grow old gracefully. But unlike most criticisms, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the Vauxhall VXR8 despite all its tendencies toward fuss and commotion. Without descending into the world of horrible clichés, you genuinely feel like the Grim Reaper is stalking you every single time you put the key in the ignition, but for the exhilaration it is worth it. The Vauxhall VXR8 is a car of pure brilliance, but don’t even consider going near one unless you are either a) a skilled driver, or b) completely insane.