True to form, Vauxhall’s new Insignia is getting the VXR treatment, following a long line of Vauxhalls that have been breathed upon to get our hearts beating and pulses racing.
Its difficult to describe how its going to look, but basically, its getting a front and rear end job, 19” alloy wheels and lots of cool bits such as Brembo brakes with colour-keyed callipers and dual matt chrome exhausts.
Available in both hatch & tourer versions, the VXR Insignia will have Vauxhall’s 2.8 litre V6 turbocharged engine, throwing out around 325ps and powering the hatch to around 5.6 seconds for the 0-60.
Power is going to be put down through an adaptive 4×4 system with electronic limited slip differential developed through an extensive test programme at the gruelling Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
Vauxhall say:-
‘The Insignia VXR is not just about absolute power, but a combination of usable performance and chassis sophistication which is the match of premium rivals, such as Audi’s new S4,’ said Andy Gilson, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director. ‘In essence, it’s an ultra-fast performance car that will appeal to buyers who appreciate subtle yet distinctive styling, but who need to know that there’s real substance below the car’s metal.’
So now you know!
As you might expect, it’s not going to be cheap, with prices starting around £31,000 going up to a touch over £33,000 depending on model and you can add options to that such as 20” wheels at an extra £1100, or leather pack at £1300.
Vauxhall say they see the cars major competitors as the Audi S4 (£34,260) the BMW 335M Sports Saloon (£34,840) and Volkswagen Passat R36 (£31,825).
We have always liked the fact that Vauxhall makes fast versions of their cars and wish them well with the new car but the competition in that sector is hard and there is inevitably going to be a badge issue for them if they truly believe they are going to go head to head with established premium brands such as BMW and Audi, as if you’re just looking for a fast saloon, there is plenty of other competition out there from Mitsubishi, Subaru and of course, Ford’s stunning new Focus RS. Only time will tell.
