There was a time, back in the 1990s, when Vauxhall was on the verge of developing a reputation for being the Skoda of the West. It’s cars were cheap, performed badly, looked ugly and broke down a lot. But thanks to a mere twenty years of design tweaks and innovation, today’s Vauxhall’s are unrecognisable. Perhaps more than any other carmaker, except Skoda, Vauxhall has worked to improve the quality of its cars. Now the company has serious contenders for class leader in practically every sector of the auto market. So what are they?
Perhaps leading the pack is the new Vauxhall Corsa VXR. As with any other car in the supermini category, the Corsa is an attempt to unseat the Ford Fiesta asking. And it doesn’t do a bad job of trying.
The VXR version of the Corsa is an attempt to go up against the popular Fiesta ST. The car features the same 1.6-liter turbo engine from previous iterations of the car, granted. But it also sports new air filters, a reworked intercooler and exhaust.
The design of the car has also received a bit of a face-lift. You’ll immediately notice the aggressive lines and larger grille at the front. Under the body, the suspension has been upgraded somewhat with new tail bushes. It is also lower and stiffer than the regular Corsa, which is what you’d probably expect from a sportier car.
But the great thing about this nippy little car is the reliability that comes with improved performance. Reliability and performance often don’t go together. And reliability and Vauxhall don’t go together either. So put reliability and performance into a Vauxhall and you’re likely to end up with a problem, right? Not so.
Though it may still be a little early to comment on the overall reliability of the car, the fact is that the car does not have a bad reputation. And given that it’s already spent a year being ragged by teenage yobbos up and down the country, we might expect to have heard something by now. Plus, the build quality on the interior of the car smacks of a quality sorely lacking from earlier iterations of the Corsa.
Even if you do end up with a problem, Vauxhall servicing garages are ubiquitous, meaning less time spent maintaining your car.
The other great addition to Vauxhall’s line-up is the new VXR Astra. This car has 280 bhp and does 0.62 mph in 5.9 seconds, which isn’t bad at all. The car features a rather intelligent mechanical limited-slip differential. It also has HiPer Strut front suspension. Both of these innovations add up to make the car quite fearsome in the corners.
And unlike the old Astra VXR, which could burn through tires and empty a tank of petrol in a matter of minutes, the new one is easier to own. The fuel economy is an almost respectable 35 mpg, and the electronics in the car make it safer and less gruelling on the tyres than the old model.
