The Vauxhall Insigna VXR is billed as a cheaper new alternative to BMW’s 335i or Audi’s S4. But at £35,000 it is only £5,000 less than the premium German rivals and that really doesn’t seem like enough to me to consider buying one.
But that’s not to say you should write the Insignia VXR off. It definitely turns heads – in particular it turns the heads of custom car owners and van drivers. All of whom offer a pretty much literal thumbs up. It is quick too. Plus, like all Insignias in the range, it is as well made inside as the premium German cars .
Inside, the key differences between the Insignia Elite and the VXR are the sports seats, which must have been tailor made for Bat Man and the VXR button which turns the dials red, sharpens up the throttle response and stiffens the dampers. The trouble is, once those dials go red, you expect the VXR to become a monster. Yet it is actually still a bit pedestrian off the line – and that disappoints. But once it gets going, it keeps going and keeps going.
And in unlimited form, as the test car was, if you are on a European motorway you can let it keep going and going too. But the trouble with hurtling along in a straight line in the VXR is that its noisy. On country roads hearing the exhaust growl as you accelerate and gurgle as you slow is exhilarating, but just holding the throttle open becomes a drone.
Apart form that, I have nothing but high praise for the Insignia; comfortable, quick, spacious, visually impressive. So, if I wanted a seriously sport family car, I would consider it over the Audi or BMW, if only it were cheaper. And fortunately, if you buy used at just the right times, it is.
What’s the market like?
New cars are £35,000 but quickly fall to £21,000 as ex-demonstrators with less than 10,000 miles. Whereas Audi S4 dealers still want £30,000 for their nearly new motors.
After two years, the VXR will have only lost another £2,000 (assuming you don’t crash it) whereas the Audi will lose £5,000 over that time.
So as a nearly new car to buy and hold for a couple of years, it makes terrific sense.
Summary
If you like motorway refinement you really want the Elite 4x4, but if you like to turn heads and enjoy the growl of a racing exhaust then you want a VXR.