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User avatar
By EvoStu
#3265933
http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/28036 ... specs.html

I must stop looking at this and thinking wow. ITS A VAUXHALL, but I can't help myself.

Vauxhall has firmed up the specs and details of its new Astra VXR, as well as releasing a promotional video. The most potent Astra ever will also be the most powerful hot hatchback on the market when UK sales begin in July. It won’t be cheap, prices starting at £26,995.

There’s a lot of tech under the skin, though. With the previous, 237bhp VXR infamous for its torque-steer, much has been done to avoid the same problems in its all-new 276bhp successor.

There’s a motorsport-derived Drexler limited-slip diff :thumbup: operating on the front axle, and unlike its hot hatch rivals, the Astra’s is a proper mechanical plate differential, rather than an electronic item. The HiPerStrut front suspension setup, successful in the Insignia VXR, is tweaked for the Astra, making steering independent from suspension on the front Macpherson struts to cut torque steer and improve front-end grip.

A FlexRide drive select mode comes as standard, with Normal, Sport and VXR modes boasting suitably varying suspension stiffness, throttle sharpness and steering weight :clap: . The stability control boasts three strength levels, one of which is completely off. A co-cast brake kit combines steel and aluminium, cutting weight compared to a standard setup without compromising heat resistance.

Power comes from a 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, with 276bhp and 295lb ft peaks resulting in a 5.9sec 0-60mph time and a 155mph top speed. Those latter figures nigh on match those of the VXR’s toughest foes, the Renaultsport Megane 265 and VW Scirocco R.

Your £27K buys plenty of tech, then, and there’s also 19in wheels as standard (with forged alloy 20s, which are actually lighter than the 19s, an option). The interior also gets a pair of Recaro-like sports seats, which use composite materials in order to weigh 45 per cent less than regular chairs.

We’ll find out what the all-new Vauxhall Astra VXR is like to drive in June.

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User avatar
By kingofdbrits
#3265942
So if you spec one the same as the MPS, that extra 20bhp costs near £10k. Sweet. I wonder if it's any lighter than the old VXR as that was heavier than the MPS too so the extra poke might be needed to keep up.
User avatar
By EvoStu
#3266202
bluntcap wrote:
dutch wrote:Honda really need to get there finger out.
they won't, their going in a different direction with their car's mate.
Things are moving forward, slowly but surely. That's all I can say.
User avatar
By karl
#3266204
Honda are so far behind the game now it's embarrassing, I'm just glad to have owned so many when they were revered as halo cars in their class
User avatar
By bluntcap
#3266214
EvoStu wrote:
bluntcap wrote:
dutch wrote:Honda really need to get there finger out.
they won't, their going in a different direction with their car's mate.
Things are moving forward, slowly but surely. That's all I can say.
They going try and be hot hatch contenders again?
User avatar
By dutch
#3266247
bluntcap wrote:
EvoStu wrote:
bluntcap wrote:
dutch wrote:Honda really need to get there finger out.
they won't, their going in a different direction with their car's mate.
Things are moving forward, slowly but surely. That's all I can say.
They going try and be hot hatch contenders again?

Honda need to start boosting there hot hatches imo or be less restrictive with there n/a plants. There rivals are all over the 200hp mark. Hope they push forward with future civics or even a hot accord again.
User avatar
By steve83
#3266332
Not sure that i would want to spend that sort of money on a Vauxhall Astra.

Looks good though.
User avatar
By bluntcap
#3266337
steve83 wrote:Not sure that i would want to spend that sort of money on a Vauxhall Astra.

Looks good though.
Are they really that bad? I've never owned one, my mate just bought a VXR so hopefully I'll get out in it soon, but they don't seem to bad.
User avatar
By steve83
#3266347
bluntcap wrote:
steve83 wrote:Not sure that i would want to spend that sort of money on a Vauxhall Astra.

Looks good though.
Are they really that bad? I've never owned one, my mate just bought a VXR so hopefully I'll get out in it soon, but they don't seem to bad.
I am not saying they're bad, i just couldnt part with 27k for one, depreciation would depress me.

I didnt really like the interior in the old one, like a massive slab of plastic for a dash.

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