Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £35,105 to £35,105
Quick, rides well, not a typical Vauxhall.
A bit on the large side, cheapish interior, rear wing a bit lairy.
The VXR8 is a fast, powerful but usable saloon and provides a lot of muscle-car fun for not very much money.
The VXR8 is a lot of fun to drive, thanks largely to the huge amount of power from that 6.0-litre V8 engine. With 411bhp at your disposal, it gets to 62mph from a standing start in 4.9 seconds, which is pretty phenomenal for a car so big and heavy (it weighs 1,831 kg). The power delivery is smooth, with no real sudden bursts to jolt you back in your seat. It doesn't feel as quick as the BMW M5, but there's only 0.2 seconds difference in the 0-62mph sprint. Considering the price difference between the two cars, it's a pretty impressive feat.
The grip is equally impressive, the car cornering well and changing direction with a sure-footed ease. However, it lacks steering feedback from the rack-and pinion system and you're never quite sure how much grip there is left when pushing the car to its limit.
The ride is compliant enough to make it perfectly usable on a day-to-day basis. You might get concerned looks from passengers when you unleash all that power, but there shouldn't be any complaints about being bounced about.
