Vauxhall Insignia VXR Review

The Vauxhall Insignia was introduced as the replacement for the Vauxhall Vectra and was immediately and justifiably voted European Car of the Year. This is a vast model range that covers most tastes and outlooks from eco-motoring to the load-lugging Sports Tourer. And now we have the Vauxhall Insignia VXR version to add to the list.

The VXR range came in being in 2003, as a sister brand to the Opel OPC and set slightly apart form the mainstream cars. In the early days it was a hint at the very successful VX Racing team, which currently holds three British Touring Car Championship titles. For the rest of us, it started with the Vauxhall Astra VXR, before going on to represent an almost standalone brand with the advent of the VXR220 and the Monaro.

So, now it is the turn of the Vauxhall Insignia and not just the saloon but the hatch and Sports Tourer models as well. Prices start at £32,290 for the hatch and saloon and £33,690 for the estate version. Models with satellite navigation are a little more expensive at £33,125 and £34,525, respectively. The Vauxhall Insignia VXR test car had a couple of the optional extras; lightweight forged 20-inch alloy wheels (£1,000) and the Leather Pack, which includes 8-way, electronic seat adjustment and powered, folding mirrors for £1,300. The remainder of the features list that came with the car tended more towards technology and engineering, than niceties.

I have mentioned that the seats were clad in leather but the sports seats are worthy of note, too. These aren't just any Recaros but have been designed especially for the Vauxhall Insignia VXR. The more customary seat back is replaced by a hard plastic shell, which, despite the cushioning, is firm to say the least. The Vauxhall Insignia VXR already sits lower than the regular model and the driver's rear end is a further 15mm lower in the Recaros. The racing pose makes for increased support for the thighs and extra control during the inevitable exuberant driving. All that is missing is the 5-point harness. However, it is not a case of one size fits all; these High Performance front seats have height adjustment with a range of 65mm and 270mm, fore and aft movement. Furthermore, there are tilt adjustment and lumbar support controls.

Other sporty accessories include the newly-designed VXR steering wheel, a VXR gear knob for the 6-speed manual 'box and unique interior mouldings. The instrument dials have slightly different graphics and the VXR sill plates can be seen whenever the door is opened.

As you would expect from a Performance saloon/hatch/Sports Tourer, the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's interior has an almost Spartan, technical feel to it. This impression is emphasised by the black headlining, which makes the cabin feel so enormous you almost expect to hear an echo.

Vauxhall tells us that the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's exterior design takes its cues from the GTC concept car that was first shown at the Geneva motor show in 2007. So, what we have is a much deeper front bumper than the standard model, with large, leaf-shaped mesh grilles either side of the central grille. The design of this main air intake has been simplified by removing some of the vanes from the lower area leaving just the large signature band and a single slat, both of which are chromed. The eye-like headlight clusters remain the same, as does the large bonnet with its distinctive crease down the middle.

This design line is carried over to the rear of the car where a somewhat reserved spoiler is integrated into the boot or tailgate. Below, a very large bumper houses the two chunky, matt-chromed, exhausts.

For those that need it, there is plenty of space in the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's boot and even more in the estate: 500-litres in the hatch, 530-litres in the saloon and 540-litres in the Sports Tourer. The latter is also said to be the fastest estate that Vauxhall has ever produced and also the first to have Adaptive 4x4 and an electronic limited slip differential.

And now we're getting to the heart of the matter - performance. Under the ample bonnet of every Vauxhall Insignia VXR lies a 2.8 V6 petrol engine, which for a performance saloon etc. doesn't seem that large. However, add in a twin-scroll turbocharger and it produces 325PS at 5,250rpm and 435Nm of torque, peaking at the same engine speed. The swift throttle responses are illustrated in the 0-60mph time of 5.6 seconds with the estate taking just a fraction longer at 5.9 seconds. And all versions have a limited top speed of 155mph.

The Vauxhall Insignia VXR's straight-line speed and acceleration is nothing short of impressive; some might say scary. Bearing in mind that the engine is the same unit found in the V6 Elite Insignia but in the VXR it has been tweaked to produce a 25 per cent increase in power and 9 per cent more torque.

All of this is no good unless the drive gets to the appropriate wheels and those wheels stay on the road. So, the Vauxhall Insignia VXR comes with Adaptive 4x4. It functions in much the same way bas the system in the standard cars but it has been adjusted to cope with the extra performance

The Vauxhall Insignia VXR's Adaptive 4x4 system also features an electronic limited slip diff' as well as an upgraded version of Vauxhall's FlexRide system. Again, this latter is similar to the standard system but adapted to take account of the extra power. There are three main settings: Standard mode is for everyday driving with 'civilised' damping qualities. Sport, stiffens the damping and reduces body roll but pressing the VXR button produces a metaphoric, sharp intake of breath in that the steering becomes more direct and the damping even stiffer, while the throttle reaction becomes swifter still and the backlighting for the instrument dials turns red.

There is more. There are a further two aspects to the VXR button: 'bump' and 'roll'. The former means even more damper stiffening and at the same time makes sure that the wheels immediately make contact with the road after a bump. Roll reduces body roll further still, while Brembo brakes with advertised by colour-keyed callipers and vented, cross-drilled discs can stop the car in a very timely manner. In short, spirited driving is a rewarding and exhilarating experience but you wouldn't want to do it all day.

Another of the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's highlights is the use of so-called HiPerStrut, which is a truncated version of High Performance Strut. This suspension system is used at the front and is designed to reduce torque steer and improve grip during fast cornering.

It is clear that the Vauxhall Insignia VXR isn't for everyone and, if the insurance ratings of 18E and 36E using the 20 and 40 tables, and annual VED, which at the time of writing is £405, doesn't go some way to preventing this mean machine falling into inappropriate or inexperienced hands, then the fuel economy just might. The official figures of 17.0mpg for the urban cycle, just 33.6mpg for the extra-urban and 24.7mpg for the combined, are not quite horrendous but driven as nature and Vauxhall intended, these numbers will be out of reach.

There is no doubting the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's capabilities, which, when explored in the right place and in the right manner, are a massive amount of fun. And, as you would expect from Vauxhall the quality of fit and finish, both inside and out is very good, which is something that is sadly missing from some of the Vauxhall Insignia VXR's more ostentatious competitors.