Vauxhall VXR8 road test
Written By Lee Sibbald Published On: Apr 01 2009
The Australian-built VXR8’s combination of power and rear-wheel drive makes it a true muscle car – and a welcome addition to Vauxhall's model range. Of course, it’s not cheap to run, but it is pretty cheap to buy: £35,105 gets you entry into the relatively exclusive (thanks to its limited availability) club of VXR8 ownership. It's a good club to be in, too, as the car is great fun to drive. So if you fancy a fast four-door saloon in the mould of the BMW M5, but also like the idea of a brash copy for less cash, this one’s for you.
Vauxhall VXR8 full road test report
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The VXR8 is a lot of fun to drive, thanks to the huge amount of power from the 6.0-litre V8 engine. With 411bhp and 405lb-ft of torque at your disposal, it gets to 62mph from a standing start in 4.9 seconds – which is pretty phenomenal for a car of its size and weight (it tips the scales at 1,831 kg). The top speed is said to be around 170mph, but we haven’t been able to test that particular claim.The power delivery is smooth, with no real sudden bursts to jolt you – unless you suddenly stamp hard on the throttle, at which point you’re pinned to your seat as the brutal acceleration kicks in. It doesn't feel quite as quick as the BMW M5, but that's largely illusory, as there's only a 0.2-second difference in the 0-62mph sprint: pretty impressive considering the price disparity between the two cars.
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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