This review convinced me to buy one aaaaannnnndddd.....i love it. it looks even better in the flesh, those flared wheel arches are so lush it sits beautifully. powerful with hardly any torque steer tho there is turbo lag unless kept in rev range which is fair enough. gear box isnt the best tbh. it always turns heads and leaves a lot more expensive cars trailing. definitely a great hot hatch.
Claire Freestone do you still have one? I’m looking to buy but I’ve not seen any about where I live and Vauxhall site doesn’t even show them. They show the normal Astra and you just use a drop down to get the VXR. Very strange...
ExpectedEvil I’m looking at getting one don’t know if to bite the bullet or not , the reason there not on the website is because they are now discontinued as of 2018 which is a shame I think
Got one amazing car, owned the previous H VXR for 5 years before, and this has refined the formula in every way, nice sports cat and it sounds amazing, stage 1 tuned 300+ BHP
I absolutely love driving mine, got this exact car on a 13 plate. Not had any problems with it. Only get 24 mpg doing a 50 mile round trip as my daily commute in rush hour though. It's been reliable all through an English winter. The only thing I don't like is the incredibly small turning circle but its not a massive downfall because the 20 inch wheels sort of fill the wheel arch anyway. All the equipment is easy to use, its got tons of leg room and it certainly turns heads. It eats through the front wheels like you couldn't believe and they're £160 brand new but overall it's a really enjoyable car. Expensive but enjoyable. I don't regret buying it.
What a super looking car.I have one of these babys and they handle superb in dry and wet conditions.Maybe a bit bumpy in VXR mode but thats the name of the game with hot hatchs :)
Bought one of these a few months back. Looks absolutely stunning, goes very well but lacks something I can’t quite put my finger on. I haven’t fallen in love with it. I had the previous version back in 2007 and while it was technically worse, it always made me smile.
Was a VETEC fan for many years... Went from a Type R EP3 back in 2005 which I had for 9 years to a Championship White Edition FN2 that I had for just over 3years.. EP3 was a much better car in terms of how it drove, VTEC, looks..etc. Didn't quite like the look of the new 5 door Type R so went for a Summit White GTC VXR, bought 9mths back fully loaded, and I love it.. I can't fault it on it's looks, or more importantly, performance. Switch it to VXR mode and bury your right foot through the gears, and you get a loud whooshing jet engine sort of sound from the exhaust that fills the cabin.... If I had to be critical... it would have to be the MPG. Early to mid 20's around town if your lucky. Mine's saying 18 MPG at present with a K&N Panel Filter. But then again, you don't buy a VXR to then complain about the MPG... If you can look past the badge, the GTC VXR is a cracking motor that would give a lot of other more expensive cars out there a run in the performance department....
congratulations germans from a person who lives between maranello and imola this car captures the pure spirit of automobile the self innovation in line with trends in what will be' the car of the future even in the minority report had not seen similar cars.
Matt Watson done alright for himself! Had this car and loved the sound when u pulled in 3rd in vxr mode ❤ was quite a rigid ride tho with the sports suspension
I have the Astra GTC 1.6 Turbo and its almost as fast as the VXR, 0-60 in about 7-8 seconds so not a lot of difference. They are fun to drive though :) Best car I ever brought.
yes it is. the chassis has to be completely redisigned. a tunnel has to be formed for the driveshaft and the read differential. the fuel tank has to be repositioned and the suspension has to be redesigned as well. also it has to be reinforced and balanced so that it can handle the stress and drive well. also the car needs more sensors,more cables, more heat and noise insulation and some more. so, it will be either 2 seater sportscar or large 4 seater GT. Not a hot hatch,
The opel doesn't feel cheap, it's a very nice car with a lot of extra features. My dad has an insignia OPC and i drove with it and it feels fucking awsome
i work at vauxhall plant, we build OPEL and VAUXHALL, we badge our cars opel for the european market and vauxhall for the uk, its the same car but badged differently but still built at the same factory. I have the astra GTC 1.6 16v 180hp which is great, gonna get the VXR if i have the cash.
I've a corsa d facelift VXR which is so fun to drive and a pleasure to own , I definitely want that Astra VXR in Aredn blue , I love all things Vauxhall/Opel 😎👍👍👌👌👌👌👌
In Ellesmere Port we make the 5dr, station wagon and Van. Russelsheim (Germany) also make the 5dr and Gliwice (Poland) make the GTC.Not heard any plans about building the gtc although we start production of the next generation 5dr late 2015.
It would actually be cheaper to build, but that would mean placing the engine longitudinally rather than transversely to allow the power to go to the back. Also, a driveshaft would have to run straight down the middle of the car, making a big hump in the floor. The car would then have to be longer and the engineers would have to redesign the chassis to cope with new stresses on the structure. :)
Also head of Vauxhall/Opel design operations,Mark adams (who's from the UK) was instrumental in the design of the Astra GTC he had responsibility for the design of all Opel/Vauxhall vehicles and heads the GM Europe Design organisation, so saying the UK has nothing to do with the production is slightly unfair.
Yes, it is. The point of a hot hatchback is to create a, well, hot version of your existing product. You do this by tarting it up and fitting a powerful engine. Re-engineering it for RWD would be a totally different thing. VW started it with the Golf, and everyone else followed.
Yes, adds a lot to the cost. and there really is little need unless you are pushing more power. I've driven a few FWD hatches on the track (Golf 5 GTI, Ford Focus ST etc) and they're hardly lacking - you can push them as hard as you'd like. I've also owned a BMW 135i (obviously RWD) so am able to make a pretty good comparison.
Yes Megan 265 Megan is the sportiest version of the sport, however, are often fully equipped Astrada. vxr even the lighter and with less equipment will already be taken lightly, or it can also be expected to create different versions of Astras nyrburgring Editon. Megan, however, it is the most rajum 265 version. and if it used the V rims and pre others will slikke
@@relentless5321 Mostly motorway driving tbh. Last summer I went camping in Cornwall and live in the midlands. Did the hole holiday on just over a full tank. About £80 worth of diesel and we did a fair bit of running around too. Heard horror stories of the petrol versions, mainly gear box. 2ltrs have the best overall reliability from what I've heard on the fb sites.
Yes, it's called Vauxhall in the UK because there used to be a very old car company called Vauxhall (it was actually 4 years older than Opel) which was bought up and combined with Opel. On balance I prefer the Opel name but Vauxhall isn't that bad, 'Vaux' is Latin for 'people' and hall sounds like 'haul' so it almost works as 'people mover', in my head at least...
All well and good but they still use the chocolate M32 box even after all the failures in the previous VXR's! Why you ask well they're obviously aware of it! So then can try and charge 2k + at the stealers for a new box!
yes...it means a complete modification of the floor to make room for the propshaft, change the mounting position of the engine ( parallel to longitudinal ), and all the rear suspensions and so on... would be easier to make it 4WD...
I have the old one. Stage 3, lots of extras.... The old ones pisses this... But I have bought a new one and wont be tuning it. The Vauxhall offer atm you can not beat it. I may go to a Vauxhall approved tuning dealing and have stage 2 upgrade.
The VXR is the most powerful fwd hatch on sale by dealers at this current time, the Focus RS isn't being sold at the moment as there is no stock & they're making a new one! ... research!!
@beefycol I thought the same. I was under the impression that the hot hatches were lead by the Focus Rs closely followed by the (forgotten) Mazda 3 MPS.
This is SWEET! Go figure we unfortunate Americans can't have one of these. What do we get instead? A chromed-up Astra sedan badge engineered to become a Buick for old people who think a Regal/Insignia is just too darn sporty...disappointing.
How does this compare (performance-wise) to a BMW 320d or 325/330i? I know the bimmer is much larger, more luxurious with a higher price tag, but I mean in terms of driving performance and dynamics?
That still doesn't make my statement incorrect. There is a limit of horsepower a front wheel drive chassis can handle. Most supercars these days are above 600-700 hp, and that obviously wouldn't be any good going through the front wheels only. However, up to this limit, FWD car is going to be faster, especailly on a narrow, twisty and bumpy road, where you can't really drive any supercar that has got almost no road clearance and uses very wide, preferably semi-slick tyres :).
I like how you present the cars... IT IS THE BEST CAR REVIEW SHOW... but a little suggestion... you should give informations about engine, top speed, 0-60 mp/h, how many miles per gallon they say she does, on every car review. ;):P:))
One of the best looking Hatchbacks in the world.
Shaf Hoque I agree but I still prefer the mk7 golf r
Also 2016 Suzuki Swift :-)
Highly fucking doubt that
@@MoskusMoskiferus1611 no
Its timeless! I want one now!
Ive a gtc limited edition 2017 had it 2 years ive never fell head over heels with a motor its stunning bloody stunning
This review convinced me to buy one aaaaannnnndddd.....i love it. it looks even better in the flesh, those flared wheel arches are so lush it sits beautifully. powerful with hardly any torque steer tho there is turbo lag unless kept in rev range which is fair enough. gear box isnt the best tbh. it always turns heads and leaves a lot more expensive cars trailing. definitely a great hot hatch.
Claire Freestone do you still have one? I’m looking to buy but I’ve not seen any about where I live and Vauxhall site doesn’t even show them. They show the normal Astra and you just use a drop down to get the VXR. Very strange...
ExpectedEvil I’m looking at getting one don’t know if to bite the bullet or not , the reason there not on the website is because they are now discontinued as of 2018 which is a shame I think
@@ExpectedEvil look for Astra OPC , that is an WXR but international version
I don't deny it. I found this car impressive. And blue was a great color for it to top it off.
I want this car so bad.
Nathan Green me to. Im from Netherlands. Where you from and what is the price now there?
@Chris , thinking of getting one next week. Seen a few for £9k with 60k miles.
@@relentless5321hello im thinking of buying one aswell and i wanted to ask you if u ended up buying it if so how was the car?
Got one amazing car, owned the previous H VXR for 5 years before, and this has refined the formula in every way, nice sports cat and it sounds amazing, stage 1 tuned 300+ BHP
I absolutely love driving mine, got this exact car on a 13 plate. Not had any problems with it. Only get 24 mpg doing a 50 mile round trip as my daily commute in rush hour though. It's been reliable all through an English winter. The only thing I don't like is the incredibly small turning circle but its not a massive downfall because the 20 inch wheels sort of fill the wheel arch anyway. All the equipment is easy to use, its got tons of leg room and it certainly turns heads. It eats through the front wheels like you couldn't believe and they're £160 brand new but overall it's a really enjoyable car. Expensive but enjoyable. I don't regret buying it.
A race car have a small turn
you still got it?
It's gorgeous. The design will always be eye catching
What a super looking car.I have one of these babys and they handle superb in dry and wet conditions.Maybe a bit bumpy in VXR mode but thats the name of the game with hot hatchs :)
it looks so aggresive and stunning outside. Esthetically it's just awesome :D
It's Great to see and watch you make reviews again Mat, I hope to see U do reviews more regularly just like before...
I really like this car it has so much speed and power
Bought one of these a few months back. Looks absolutely stunning, goes very well but lacks something I can’t quite put my finger on. I haven’t fallen in love with it.
I had the previous version back in 2007 and while it was technically worse, it always made me smile.
Thinking on buying this soon. Id assume the car you bought had some mileage so what is it like for reliability and have you had any problems with it?
My dad is loving his new Vxr, great on TopGear last night!
Was a VETEC fan for many years... Went from a Type R EP3 back in 2005 which I had for 9 years to a Championship White Edition FN2 that I had for just over 3years.. EP3 was a much better car in terms of how it drove, VTEC, looks..etc. Didn't quite like the look of the new 5 door Type R so went for a Summit White GTC VXR, bought 9mths back fully loaded, and I love it.. I can't fault it on it's looks, or more importantly, performance. Switch it to VXR mode and bury your right foot through the gears, and you get a loud whooshing jet engine sort of sound from the exhaust that fills the cabin.... If I had to be critical... it would have to be the MPG. Early to mid 20's around town if your lucky. Mine's saying 18 MPG at present with a K&N Panel Filter. But then again, you don't buy a VXR to then complain about the MPG... If you can look past the badge, the GTC VXR is a cracking motor that would give a lot of other more expensive cars out there a run in the performance department....
Focus RS/ST, Megane RS/RS Trophy, Astra VRS these cars are simply great. No matter which one you choose you will be happy from every one ride.
it has his advantages and disadvantages. i just love the look of the car and the power it has :)
Finally, some cars reviews with some excitement. More please!
i would buy this over it's direct rivals based on its looks alone, those usable rear seats and highest-in-class-horsepower is just a bonus :)
This car is just visually breathtaking!
it looks cheeky... love it... as usual superb job Mat!
Excellent and informative video, good presenter too. Well done Carbuyer.
I will love to have that car so much.
Best review by CarBuyer EVER!!!!!!!!!!!
congratulations germans from a person who lives between maranello and imola this car captures the pure spirit of automobile the self innovation in line with trends in what will be' the car of the future even in the minority report had not seen similar cars.
Getting this soon!
EGZGaming How was it after 4 years?
Is it reliable?
Can't wait to get mine in the next couple of weeks.....
Just ordered mine 😁 can't wait for it
+supercooled The Ford is more expensive. Not everybody can afford to just toss an additional 4-5k on it.
BrakeHorsePower92 True. I almost bought a VW GTI, always loved those cars but it was too expensive. I bought a Kia Pro Ceed GT instead.
U ready to sell it mate?
Looks sooo much better than the ST. Would choose this over the Ford even if it is less refined.
IMO, the current Vauxhall Astra is the best looking car in its class by an extreme long shot.
Anyone here in 2012 when he’s carwow
Matt Watson done alright for himself! Had this car and loved the sound when u pulled in 3rd in vxr mode ❤ was quite a rigid ride tho with the sports suspension
Excellent review, as usual
This guy needs to be on tv
Thanks for representing such good car.
I have the Astra GTC 1.6 Turbo and its almost as fast as the VXR, 0-60 in about 7-8 seconds so not a lot of difference. They are fun to drive though :) Best car I ever brought.
shane piper 2 seconds 0-60 is Quite a bit of difference...lol
dude this post is wrong...in so many ways...carbuyer is the most efficient and innovative car channel in here...
Brilliant review of very good car. Thanks!
I absolutely love this car!!
yes it is.
the chassis has to be completely redisigned. a tunnel has to be formed for the driveshaft and the read differential. the fuel tank has to be repositioned and the suspension has to be redesigned as well. also it has to be reinforced and balanced so that it can handle the stress and drive well.
also the car needs more sensors,more cables, more heat and noise insulation and some more.
so, it will be either 2 seater sportscar or large 4 seater GT. Not a hot hatch,
The opel doesn't feel cheap, it's a very nice car with a lot of extra features. My dad has an insignia OPC and i drove with it and it feels fucking awsome
i work at vauxhall plant, we build OPEL and VAUXHALL, we badge our cars opel for the european market and vauxhall for the uk, its the same car but badged differently but still built at the same factory. I have the astra GTC 1.6 16v 180hp which is great, gonna get the VXR if i have the cash.
Carwow is that you? 🤓
great review and compared to the other astra vxr.... good job vauxhall/opel!!!!!!!
I've a corsa d facelift VXR which is so fun to drive and a pleasure to own , I definitely want that Astra VXR in Aredn blue , I love all things Vauxhall/Opel 😎👍👍👌👌👌👌👌
In Ellesmere Port we make the 5dr, station wagon and Van. Russelsheim (Germany) also make the 5dr and Gliwice (Poland) make the GTC.Not heard any plans about building the gtc although we start production of the next generation 5dr late 2015.
It would actually be cheaper to build, but that would mean placing the engine longitudinally rather than transversely to allow the power to go to the back. Also, a driveshaft would have to run straight down the middle of the car, making a big hump in the floor. The car would then have to be longer and the engineers would have to redesign the chassis to cope with new stresses on the structure. :)
Definitely the best looking hot hatch, even better than the scirocco, and the renault megane
All I can say is - my VXR (2005) is so much fun and I will probably replace it with another VXR!
Also head of Vauxhall/Opel design operations,Mark adams (who's from the UK) was instrumental in the design of the Astra GTC he had responsibility for the design of all Opel/Vauxhall vehicles and heads the GM Europe Design organisation, so saying the UK has nothing to do with the production is slightly unfair.
Yes, it is. The point of a hot hatchback is to create a, well, hot version of your existing product. You do this by tarting it up and fitting a powerful engine. Re-engineering it for RWD would be a totally different thing.
VW started it with the Golf, and everyone else followed.
The most Beautiful Hatchback !
;-)
Such a beautiful car. And fast for a hatchback
Awesome machine! :D
VXR mode is britty brillian
Yes, adds a lot to the cost. and there really is little need unless you are pushing more power. I've driven a few FWD hatches on the track (Golf 5 GTI, Ford Focus ST etc) and they're hardly lacking - you can push them as hard as you'd like. I've also owned a BMW 135i (obviously RWD) so am able to make a pretty good comparison.
Yes Megan 265 Megan is the sportiest version of the sport, however, are often fully equipped Astrada.
vxr even the lighter and with less equipment will already be taken lightly, or it can also be expected to create different versions of Astras nyrburgring Editon.
Megan, however, it is the most rajum 265 version. and if it used the V rims and pre others will slikke
I never liked this car but now its growing in me.
Hes a good reviewer some like top gear, i enjoyed watching actually
what a beautiful and terrific car. The sad part, I'll never will see one of this in Mexico
and again, we in the US watch in envy of the great cars we'll never get to drive...
I got the 2.0ltr gtc sri and really enjoy everything about it. Great car
How has it been after 6 years? I'm thinking of buying a Astra GTC VXR next week?
@@relentless5321 I brought my GTC in March 2013. She's on 118,000 and still going strong
@@snowy511 , nice, have you been driving it gently mostly?
@@relentless5321 Mostly motorway driving tbh. Last summer I went camping in Cornwall and live in the midlands. Did the hole holiday on just over a full tank. About £80 worth of diesel and we did a fair bit of running around too. Heard horror stories of the petrol versions, mainly gear box. 2ltrs have the best overall reliability from what I've heard on the fb sites.
@@snowy511 , oh , so it's just a normal GTC? I thought you were talking about the Astra GTC VXR😭🤣
The Sport Mégane is a striped out version of the standard car, and the astra still has all the small luxuries you need to feel confortable.
Yes, it's called Vauxhall in the UK because there used to be a very old car company called Vauxhall (it was actually 4 years older than Opel) which was bought up and combined with Opel. On balance I prefer the Opel name but Vauxhall isn't that bad, 'Vaux' is Latin for 'people' and hall sounds like 'haul' so it almost works as 'people mover', in my head at least...
go for the GTC i have one the 1.6 16v turbo goes well and handles like a dream, plus got a nice turbo whistle when you change gear....nice
I love my snowflake Gtc very, but matts right about the VXR button you just can not resist pushing it
i've never experienced them favouring anybody, and i've been viewing since the beginning more or less.
oh and that vxr mode button works !!!!!!!!!
All well and good but they still use the chocolate M32 box even after all the failures in the previous VXR's! Why you ask well they're obviously aware of it! So then can try and charge 2k + at the stealers for a new box!
No they don't, they used F40 Saab gearbox with LSD
idiot its a F40 not a M32
yes...it means a complete modification of the floor to make room for the propshaft, change the mounting position of the engine ( parallel to longitudinal ), and all the rear suspensions and so on... would be easier to make it 4WD...
hope to see you in TOP GEAR!!!
Toyota GT-86, Vauxhall Astra VXR...carbuyer is lookin' good !
This car is all kinds of pretty. I wish they would bring it to the US.
These are cheap now! A bargain 😍
@Chris as all astras of that generation :/
@@xXxBo5sANaCxXx that is not true, J generation is pretty reliable
@@DslStudio Yes pretty reliable, but as mentioned above it has "chocolate gearbox" and its not a cheap fix
Best looking gm vehicle I have ever seen
Currently on sale yes, have the focus everytime
I have the old one. Stage 3, lots of extras.... The old ones pisses this... But I have bought a new one and wont be tuning it. The Vauxhall offer atm you can not beat it. I may go to a Vauxhall approved tuning dealing and have stage 2 upgrade.
My dads got one same colour but with black wheels and all of the options
If I find a small sport's car, cabrio version, 4 passengers, economical and lower price...I'll buy it.
They should make this available in North America and badge it as Buick. This would lure in customers.
You should really do a review of the Suzuki Swift Sport, as it differs greatly from the normal model...
The VXR is the most powerful fwd hatch on sale by dealers at this current time, the Focus RS isn't being sold at the moment as there is no stock & they're making a new one! ... research!!
@beefycol I thought the same. I was under the impression that the hot hatches were lead by the Focus Rs closely followed by the (forgotten) Mazda 3 MPS.
Megane RS Cup, Astra OPC / VXR, Focus RS the best FWD hatches without a doubt
looks really great, never liked astra's but this one is quite good
my money would still go towards megane rs
vauxhall corsa vxr vs vw polo gti vs abarth review has to be done, i would love to u see ur honest opinion of the three
i appreciate matt's sensitivity in using the word "partner" when describing a spouse. very thoughtful :-)
This is SWEET! Go figure we unfortunate Americans can't have one of these. What do we get instead? A chromed-up Astra sedan badge engineered to become a Buick for old people who think a Regal/Insignia is just too darn sporty...disappointing.
How does this compare (performance-wise) to a BMW 320d or 325/330i? I know the bimmer is much larger, more luxurious with a higher price tag, but I mean in terms of driving performance and dynamics?
That still doesn't make my statement incorrect. There is a limit of horsepower a front wheel drive chassis can handle. Most supercars these days are above 600-700 hp, and that obviously wouldn't be any good going through the front wheels only. However, up to this limit, FWD car is going to be faster, especailly on a narrow, twisty and bumpy road, where you can't really drive any supercar that has got almost no road clearance and uses very wide, preferably semi-slick tyres :).
I like how you present the cars... IT IS THE BEST CAR REVIEW SHOW... but a little suggestion... you should give informations about engine, top speed, 0-60 mp/h, how many miles per gallon they say she does, on every car review. ;):P:))
How much does it weight?
I heard the new Astra is one of the heaviest hatchbacks, the biggest diesel tips the scale at 1.7 tonnes.
Not just Focus but every Ford seems to be the best in class for him.
Like the Megane rs but the vauxhall has by far a nicer interior and a big improvement over the previous astra Vxr
I prefer this car over all the other VXR
Wow gm did a nice job on this car I wonder if Buick will get this
pressing that button was the biggest anti-climax ever hahah
I don't think they have Vauxhall in Australia!They have Holden's over there.
Those wheels are massive
How about those sports dials, I love the idea but the look a bit tacky, in real life are they up to muster?