Personally I really like the six cylinder Vauxhall cars. You get a lot of car for your money and they cover ground at a hell of a rate. As estate cars go, for me, for the money nothing comes close to the vxr.

Chris

Edited 30 May, 201313 yr by Chris GB

and lets be fair. VXR Recaros are 100% WIN!!

Curve ball. What about an ST220? Not quite as good looking, but still very very good.

V70? The boys at Shark could make the D5 a little tasty too.

I like the VXR - big and bold and lots of go. Who cares if it's not the last word in chassis finesse, we're talking 280bhp on public UK roads so on the limit handling is largely irrelevant. The real Q is do you want to shout "race me" to everyone, or do you prefer a subtle Q car approach?

Thanks for the replies. Apart from Stormchaser, most people I've spoken to have good things to say about them. I've never been a fan of Vauxhalls either, but this one seems to be a pretty good all rounder to be honest. The tax doesn't help and the fuel economy isn't even above 30mpg, but we do about 8k miles a year, so not massive miles.

As Mr D. Wonder said, the estate in blue does look really nice and had plenty of kit. Also, the Evo link from Sy wakes interesting reading.

Sorry about that.I,ve had 2 Vauxhalls in previous years.Mk3 Cav sri and a MK3 Astra GTE and they were horrendous.TBH i have no experience of later ones.I do like the look of VXR,s more than other makes.Good luck with your search

Curve ball. What about an ST220? Not quite as good looking, but still very very good.

Pretty ordinary in terms of perfromance in comparison tho!

We use them at work, in a nutshell they go like the clappers and handle OK. Higher mileage ones seem to spend a lot of time in the workshop, the fuel consumption is appalling, they are cramped, uncomfortable and the driving position is very poor. Would I buy one? No, even if the road tax was free - at £495 it's a joke to be honest!

Curve ball. What about an ST220? Not quite as good looking, but still very very good.

I have looked at those but they seem to be lacking in pace for such a big engine. Also, they don't float my boat so to speak but the Vauxhall does for some reason. It's the first with the Griffin on the nose that has, ever.

We use them at work, in a nutshell they go like the clappers and handle OK. Higher mileage ones seem to spend a lot of time in the workshop, the fuel consumption is appalling, they are cramped, uncomfortable and the driving position is very poor. Would I buy one? No, even if the road tax was free - at £495 it's a joke to be honest!

Not wanting to pry too much, but when you say work is that police related? I've seen some ex police VXR cars that are very cheap but they look totally different inside and out. Also, is the mileage stupidly high as a lot of private sales seem to have quite low mileage - probably due to the fuel costs I would have thought.

Cramped where? It's the rear seats I need to have room, not necessarily the front. As for the driving position, the Honda FRV is like driving a bus, so I reckon the Vectra would be an improvement. The road tax is stupid I admit, especially as the insurance would be nearly £200 cheaper than that. Some of the earlier ones fall into the £245 bracket though.

ST220 would be a MUCH better place to sit though - my old ST TDCI is one car I genuinely miss... Lovely place to sit.

ST220 would be a MUCH better place to sit though - my old ST TDCI is one car I genuinely miss... Lovely place to sit.

I think I agree with you, 'though the Ghia X seats are different.

I still don't want to loose my Mondy, my Superb is probably a better car, certainly more economical but it hasn't got a nice

purring Jekyl & Hyde V6 under the hood! (No badges on the back to indicate that there's a 3.0 litre V6 up front......)

The Mondy spends most of it's time tucked away in a garage, but I do use it when the mood takes me, when we "need" a large estate car

or to remind me that driving a manual shift can be fun........

DC.

I know, I know. I saw the Top Gear understeer episode but I'm still looking for a car big enough to transport the three kids in relative safety & speed. These seem to be big enough for our needs and they come in estate form which is great for throwing the bikes in the back. I reckon it's a good looking car and they aren't that expensive to buy.

Apart from the chronic understeer and shocking fuel consumption and possible dodgy build quality, what do people on here know of them?

Without reading the rest of the replies....you're on a Skoda forum, Skoda themselves offer very good fast estates that handle better than a fat lady after a few too many sherries and don't look like it's crashed through Halfords that belong with Saxo's at the Mcdonalds drive-thru.

No no and no

Without reading the rest of the replies....you're on a Skoda forum, Skoda themselves offer very good fast estates that handle better than a fat lady after a few too many sherries and don't look like it's crashed through Halfords that belong with Saxo's at the Mcdonalds drive-thru.

A stage 2 mapped vRS esatate will only just be able to keep up with 280Hp a stock VXR Estate. The VXR also handles better than the vRS does, despite what the top gear review stated (I owned a vRS and have driven a VXR and was blown away by how much better it was than i expected). I say this is a very viable alternative to the vRS estate.

IMO the only downside to the VXR is the vRS has the nicer interior, albeit the VXR seats are amazing and the VXR tax is extortionate. The VXR is also a rare car so will now hold its money better.

Without reading the rest of the replies....you're on a Skoda forum, Skoda themselves offer very good fast estates that handle better than a fat lady after a few too many sherries and don't look like it's crashed through Halfords that belong with Saxo's at the Mcdonalds drive-thru.

No no and no

Thanks for reminding me that this is a Skoda forum. I'm happy to hear different opinions about the Vectra and value comments from those who have actually driven/experienced this particular car. As for the old Halfords comment, have a look at the two photos below and decide which front end is the most blingy. Also, if the Octavia is such a beauty in standard trim, why do so many owners choose to de-chrome the grill? Just a thought.

The reason I was considering the Vectra in the first place is because the Octavia is too small to fit our three child seats in the back and the Vectra is the next size up.

IMO the only downside to the VXR is the vRS has the nicer interior, albeit the VXR seats are amazing and the VXR tax is extortionate. The VXR is also a rare car so will now hold its money better.

I've been looking into the running costs and as you'd expect, it isn't the cheapest of cars to keep on the road. However, as you mentioned it is plenty fast in standard form and the handling seems to be considered better than the Octavia - I've spoken to quite a few people who know both already. The insurance is laughably cheap because it would be a standard car and therefore all the major insurance companies are willing to quote on the VXR. The best so far is £320 fully comp. :clap:

Just been thinking about this again. I've had a look and tried to see what makes it look like it's been to Halfords. Maybe I'm missing something, but both cars have shiny bits, biggish wheels and blue paint. Other than a hidden air freshener somewhere I'm struggling to see any tacky add on parts or majorly offensive styling cues on the Vauxhall.

Anyway, I drive a bright red car with white wheels and a loud stainless exhaust everyday. Being classed as a chav isn't something I worry about too much.

I dont think the vectra looks like a halfords special at all,it looks better than a lowered blue octy with white wheels imho ,im not a massive vectra fan but would consider a vxr model.

Just been thinking about this again. I've had a look and tried to see what makes it look like it's been to Halfords. Maybe I'm missing something, but both cars have shiny bits, biggish wheels and blue paint. Other than a hidden air freshener somewhere I'm struggling to see any tacky add on parts or majorly offensive styling cues on the Vauxhall.

Anyway, I drive a bright red car with white wheels and a loud stainless exhaust everyday. Being classed as a chav isn't something I worry about too much.

Completely agree. The Octavia vRS is definitely not understatedin the looks or chav dept. You could class the Golf GTI as sunderstated as it doesnt stand out in the range a whole lot, but a vRS does.

And looking at those pics i think the VXR actually has the better proportions.