Vauxhall Insignia Estate 2.0T - VXRepmobile
Discussion
I needed a new daily and ideally it needed to be spacious, respectable and cheap. Having sent a few diesels to meet their maker I was keen to go petrol and take advantage of cheaper fuel and a lack of CAZ/ULEZ issues. After purchasing an E61 525i and deciding it wasn't the car for me (too much of a project and I have enough of those)
I often say that cars choose me and not the other way round and it's very true here.. It popped up as an auction on ebay as a car I didn't realise existed. I'd always liked the look of the Insignia and thought the VXR was cool if a bit tacky and that the 3.8Turbo AWD cars were an interesting if ultimately difficult to justify curio. With the existence of those cars, I imagined this 2.0 turbo would be something fairly tame with maybe 160-180bhp, but a little research showed it was actually 220 bhp, 250lbft and had an Astra VXR engine under the bonnet. This particular example is a FWD manual, but they were also available with Haldex AWD and/or and auto box. I wouldn't have minded AWD, but that brings its own issues so it's probably for the best, that I had literally no choice in the matter as this was the only estate available for sale.
I bid, I won and yesterday I took a train 300 miles North to Durham (the best cars are always the furthest away, it's just a fact) and picked it up from a lovely chap who had got it as a one owner car (although subsequently it had swapped between him and a family member a couple of times pumping the numbers a touch)
Notice anything? Not sure what the wheels are from, they are very similar to the BBS found on several BMW editions, but I've not inspected them.
But what's that red sticker?
That's right, it's a Vauxhall Lotus Vauxhall Insignia Dakar edition. Score.
I considered taking my heat gun with me on the collection, but in the end opted to accept my new life as a Vauxhallman,
Luckily the interior had escaped any significant additions.
This being an SRI (they might all be, or not. Who cares?) it has the sports seats with extendable base and electric lumbar which made for a lovely place to do the 6 hour journey back. The spec is a bit all over the place, but it has cruise and parking sensors etc. along with windy windows in the rear (presumably for weight saving like a euro spec RS4)
Performance is good, it properly shifts once on boost. Handling seems fine, but unsurprisingly there is no feel whatsoever and the brakes seem decent. It has both Sport and Tour buttons, no idea what they do (Sport turns the dials red at least)
Plans?
I often say that cars choose me and not the other way round and it's very true here.. It popped up as an auction on ebay as a car I didn't realise existed. I'd always liked the look of the Insignia and thought the VXR was cool if a bit tacky and that the 3.8Turbo AWD cars were an interesting if ultimately difficult to justify curio. With the existence of those cars, I imagined this 2.0 turbo would be something fairly tame with maybe 160-180bhp, but a little research showed it was actually 220 bhp, 250lbft and had an Astra VXR engine under the bonnet. This particular example is a FWD manual, but they were also available with Haldex AWD and/or and auto box. I wouldn't have minded AWD, but that brings its own issues so it's probably for the best, that I had literally no choice in the matter as this was the only estate available for sale.
I bid, I won and yesterday I took a train 300 miles North to Durham (the best cars are always the furthest away, it's just a fact) and picked it up from a lovely chap who had got it as a one owner car (although subsequently it had swapped between him and a family member a couple of times pumping the numbers a touch)
Notice anything? Not sure what the wheels are from, they are very similar to the BBS found on several BMW editions, but I've not inspected them.
But what's that red sticker?
That's right, it's a Vauxhall Lotus Vauxhall Insignia Dakar edition. Score.
I considered taking my heat gun with me on the collection, but in the end opted to accept my new life as a Vauxhallman,
Luckily the interior had escaped any significant additions.
This being an SRI (they might all be, or not. Who cares?) it has the sports seats with extendable base and electric lumbar which made for a lovely place to do the 6 hour journey back. The spec is a bit all over the place, but it has cruise and parking sensors etc. along with windy windows in the rear (presumably for weight saving like a euro spec RS4)
Performance is good, it properly shifts once on boost. Handling seems fine, but unsurprisingly there is no feel whatsoever and the brakes seem decent. It has both Sport and Tour buttons, no idea what they do (Sport turns the dials red at least)
Plans?
bolidemichael said:
A sage comparison to the RS4. I'm in.
In a lot of ways it's the thinking man's RS4, if that man was thinking "how has my life gone quite so wrong?"Oddly it did actually have some competitors. This, the Mondeo 2.5T and Laguna GT were fighting for a market that I don't think really existed. i i wonder if there's a group test out there somewhere.
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that it's running a full set of Radar Dimax 4 seasons, a tyre I had never heard of, but having read the gospel, `i am now a believer
Edited by W00DY on Friday 14th April 14:58
7 5 7 said:
Stick on some 17" steel wheels from the SE version, perfect sleeper, what's the VED like on these 2.0T's?
I know the 1.8VVT is £290 I think.
I quite like these wheels, but if a set came up with some decent tyres (which i imagine may be useful wirth 300+lbft )came up.I know the 1.8VVT is £290 I think.
It's £320 with the new price rise. Not horrible, but I no longer have my useful £30 Octavia to bring my average down.
mooseracer said:
What were the red penis stickers all about, any idea?
Just an old bloke who likes Dakar I think. He had an Aston V8 Vantage plaque in his kitchen, but I saw no Aston,He also helpfully left me a cloth he used to check the oil, just tucked down the side of the battery. I removed it sharpish before it ended up killing a belt.
)1979Andrew said:
Nice westy. I had a 1988 caravell and converted it into a campervan wish id never sold it. Hopefully ill have enough money to get another one on 50th birthday.
Thanks, only got it recently and it;s the most I;ve ever spent on a vehicle by a long way, but I love it. Good luck with the saving, I think the camper market is slowing down a bit at least.MDMA . said:
Look like BBS made Style 216 wheels (probably a set of 8x18 all round). If you don’t like them, I’ll give you £50 each for them (if not cracked) 
I think you're right. I'll bear that in mind, but I'm not selling any time soon and I do think they suit it.W00DY said:
1979Andrew said:
Nice westy. I had a 1988 caravell and converted it into a campervan wish id never sold it. Hopefully ill have enough money to get another one on 50th birthday.
Thanks, only got it recently and it;s the most I;ve ever spent on a vehicle by a long way, but I love it. Good luck with the saving, I think the camper market is slowing down a bit at least.MDMA . said:
Look like BBS made Style 216 wheels (probably a set of 8x18 all round). If you don’t like them, I’ll give you £50 each for them (if not cracked)
I think you're right. I'll bear that in mind, but I'm not selling any time soon and I do think they suit it.
I like the shape of these. Only today, a VXR one drove past, the estate version too, and it looks really well proportioned.
People slate Vauxhalls in general but the insgina was a really decent car, I had a couple as company cars, the mk1 with the CDTI engine was gruff but had more power than a mondeo and felt like a much bigger car when on the road, great seats and radio too.
I had a grand sport later too on a 17 plate which was again, a great car, better than the mondeo another people in my company had. I was sad when I saw it had gone out of production
I had a grand sport later too on a 17 plate which was again, a great car, better than the mondeo another people in my company had. I was sad when I saw it had gone out of production
Brett748 said:
Nice to find an average car with a pokey engine.
Enjoy OP.
Thanks. It's not exciting, but it's a lot more interesting (to me at least) than my old Octavia 1.6 TDI.Enjoy OP.
MDMA . said:
They’re worth quite a lot more
I like the shape of these. Only today, a VXR one drove past, the estate version too, and it looks really well proportioned.
Ah, I did think that seemed low. I'd love to try a VXR, I imagine they feel quite different.I like the shape of these. Only today, a VXR one drove past, the estate version too, and it looks really well proportioned.
Nickbrapp said:
People slate Vauxhalls in general but the insgina was a really decent car, I had a couple as company cars, the mk1 with the CDTI engine was gruff but had more power than a mondeo and felt like a much bigger car when on the road, great seats and radio too.
I had a grand sport later too on a 17 plate which was again, a great car, better than the mondeo another people in my company had. I was sad when I saw it had gone out of production
Vauxhalls do get slated, I think with good reason since some of the stuff they've made has been awful (My Astra Life 1.3 CDTI was a horrible thing in every way), but it's hard to get away with a truly bad car these days and the Insignia seems like a great option especially as a used buy compared to the price of any rival.I had a grand sport later too on a 17 plate which was again, a great car, better than the mondeo another people in my company had. I was sad when I saw it had gone out of production
From my experience, Vauxhalls are slated by people who haven't realised that their car isn't any different, or any better. Every brand has its issues. My crapped out 2002 Corsa with a wheezy 1.0 petrol has frankly been bloody brilliant over the last 10 years.
Looks like a good buy, looking forward to seeing what you do with it!
Looks like a good buy, looking forward to seeing what you do with it!
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