Vauxhall Vectra VXR Estate

VROOM WITH A VIEW
Your Expectations Of A Hot Vauxhall Vectra Estate May Not Be Too High But The VXR Has The Capacity To Surprise. Andy Enright Reports

It’s not often that a car comes along with no direct competitors. Think about it for a minute. How many cars can you name – for sensible money – that have no closely comparable rivals within, say, a couple of grand of their asking price? The Vauxhall Vectra VXR Estate is one of that rare breed. How many other full-sized estates can serve up 276bhp and do it for £25,000? I’ll save you the bother of trawling the price lists. None.

Let’s make sure we’re comparing eggs with eggs here. Don’t attempt to rope lesser estates into the equation. Vehicles like the Subaru Impreza wagon just don’t make the grade when it comes to interior space. Riding on the stretched Signum platform, the Vectra VXR Estate is a seriously big estate car, more in the spiritual mould of the old Volvo 850 T5-R than one of the latest breed of twentysomething-friendly sports hatch estates.

A big hunk of metal like this needs a serious engine to extract performance figures worthy of the VXR badge and the Vectra gets a 2.8-litre V6 powerplant, fitted with a twin scroll turbocharger. This installation has been seen in the Cadillac CTS and the Saab 9-3 Sportwagon amongst others but here it’s been really let off the leash. The sprint to 60mph comes and goes in just 6.3 seconds on the way to a top speed of 158mph. What’s even more impressive than the bald figures is the way the Vectra deploys that power to the road.

Put much more than 220bhp through the front wheels of a car and some very clever engineering is required if the car is going to be anything other than a frustration. Wheelspin, torque steer and push-on understeer are all characteristics that dog many powerful front-wheel drive cars and engineers are constantly testing new systems to counter these negative effects. How successful they are in reducing these factors has a big effect on overall driver enjoyment and the Vectra VXR Estate is a very composed performer.

"Here’s a car that offers searing pace and cavernous space"

Yes, there are elements of all these behaviours present if one pushes the car hard, but they’re mild in their manifestations, allowing the driver to enjoy deploying the full 276bhp at every opportunity. The test routes manufacturers choose for press launches often tells you a great deal about how confident they are of their wares. If the road routes consist of largely A-roads and motorways, you can be sure that the car is a bit of a ‘David James’ - it can’t handle corners. Vauxhall couldn’t have picked a more demanding test route for the Vectra, putting it up against the tortuous twists, stomach churning precipices and scabby tarmac of the classic Targa Florio route in Sicily. Uphill hairpin turns are the acid test of a powerful front-wheel drive car and the Vectra VXR Estate just demolishes them.

Push really hard and you’ll feel the electronic stability control quelling the understeer as you push hard into the corner. Back off the throttle in mid-bend and it’s possible to feel the car’s tail swing slightly, the ESP again keeping things neat and tidy. As the bend opens and the throttle is pressed to the floor, the traction control system unobtrusively lets you have as much power as the front tyres can handle. Many systems cut power violently and don’t let you have it for a frustrating couple of seconds, but Vauxhall have engineered a system that’s smooth, progressive and, best of all, credits the driver with some talent.

Vauxhall’s second generation intelligent damping system (IDS2) means that the VXR is the first production car from a mainstream manufacturer to feature two processors instead of the usual one. An innocuous ‘Sport’ button on the fascia sharpens throttle response and firms up the damping. Although it does make the ride a lot less compliant, the benefits in cornering are well worth the occasional thump in the rump.
It’s usually pretty easy to separate a serious car from a wannabe. Just take a peek through the front wheel at the braking setup and that’ll tell you all you need to know. Most hopped up hatches skimp on brakes because adding horsepower is often a whole lot cheaper than completely re-engineering a car’s braking system. Not so the Vectra VXR. The 345mm diameter brake discs fitted up front are hefty items and are comfortably bigger than those fitted to serious performance cars like the BMW M3. The 292mm rear discs are also a serious piece of kit. The twin trapezoidal tailpipes are probably the biggest clue as to this car’s intent, but other than that there have been subtle changes made. The front end features a deeper front bumper incorporating a honeycomb mesh and a V-shaped grille. A small rear spoiler and a lowered bumper are fitted while 18-inch alloy rims are a standard fitment. Those looking for a worse ride can choose the 19-inch optional items.

With virtually the same load space as the old Omega Estate as well as significantly more legroom, the Vectra Estate doesn’t just look the part; it also fulfils serious load-lugging duties. A 60/40 split in the rear seat and a front passenger seat that folds flat gives it some genuine versatility and a theoretical maximum carrying capacity of a whopping 1,850 litres. The Vectra also overcomes the dilemma posed to most estate owners of securing loads in the vast rear bay. Usually this involves a half-hearted array of nets and lashing eyes that never seem to be able to prevent items flying all over the place whilst negotiating a mini roundabout. Vauxhall think there’s a better way. FlexOrganiser uses two rails built into the rear side panels to securely mount a flexible system of foldable dividers and nets. Back it up with some bubble wrap and you can safely fling a Vectra Estate down the most arduous B-road with breakables in the back.

The electronically operated tailgate can be opened and closed at the touch of a button either on the key fob or on the dashboard and can also be stopped at any point through its arc and locked into position – handy if you’ve got a garage with a low roof. Tempting as it may be, this facility should never be used to ‘chin’ pushy squeegee jockeys who accost you at traffic lights.

One suspects the reason why Vauxhall are so proud of the VXR Estate, claiming it to have become a cult car in Vauxhall/Opel circles, is that they know Ford have no direct reply to it. Putting corporate rivalry aside for a moment, the Vectra VXR Estate is a very worthwhile addition to the Vectra range. It’s big, entertaining and reasonably priced. Although whole life costs won’t be insubstantial, it’s a Vauxhall estate you’ll buy with your heart rather than your head. When was the last time you were ever able to do that?