I test drove one of these yesterday and its nothing like she makes out. While cruising it nice and comfortable. But on the open road its a monster. The one i drove was the 6.2 supercharged 2009 model. Love it
I grew up with and learned to drive in a Vauxhall 14(post war) model. Believe it was a six cylinder. I do like their moniker/badge,with the Griffin because after all it was staring me down as I was learning. I dared not make any sudden moves and remembered to keep my hands where he could see 'em. That is to say squarely on the steering wheel. Did have a 4speed shifter and what a joy it was! This thing had power back then and stayed ahead of others without input(permission) from the driver.Wow!
Opel, Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Holden (who lent this car to the British) and many more are part of the global General Motors company who have a huge hand in most of the cars in the world!
Too right mate, Australia is really starting to showcase the capabilities of locally manufactured cars on a international scale. Its a shame alot of Yanks claim Aussies can't build cars. I really think we have the best of both worlds, Tom Walkinshaw (a brit) designed the first HSV chassis (which still carries to today) and Holden dropped a great American engine in them, and the result is a great car that every petrolhead can enjoy.
What the hell do you mean thankyou Vauxhall for building the car... Vauxhall have basically nothing to do with it... Its 100% built in Australia, even the Vauxhall badges are stuck on in the Holden factory in Aus... Still its good to see that the 5th Gear guys really liked it.
@@Blankslategaming Thanks for your input. Those are cars only available to billionaires. Meanwhile the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon were full sized, large engined cars in multiple variations that the average man could afford and run. V8s for the working class. A Bugatti isn't even in the thought process of a normal person beyond 'that's nice' when you see a poster of it.
@SINSSTER I agree with you. I love the feel of a true sports car. The less electronics the better the feel is. I don't care about going 150mph around a corner, I just love the natural feel of a car that can handle without all that electronic poop. Simplicity is #1 in my book.
True 100% Australian but the most important thing about this car is the way it handles and the performance. they made the car handle better than the Pontiac G8 but they still around the same horsepower.
Holden built this car and badged it as a Vauxhall in Australia before exporting it to the UK - the only cars you will get as Holdens are the HSV Maloo R8!
exactly right my friend... :( this year is going to be the last year of the legendary Pontiac line. GM have made the biggest mistake of their company by dropping one of the most famost and one of the oldest lines in history...
In practise you are spot on. Unfortunately however even our own people at the time believed we were merely doing our duty and any victory for the Australians was automatically a victory for the British. Once the British had ceased being the main world power we basically did the same for the Americans.
Also I heard that its only detuned to 317kw because the present manual transmission cannot handle anymore. Will be interesting to see what it becomes when they update the transmission.
Depends on how you look at the technicalities. HSV is just Holden's performance division, where every HSV started life as a Calais. But the only thing HSV didn't design is the chassis, shell, roofline, boot lid & doors. Rear quarter & taillights are modified, as are the front panels, complete interiors, body kit & drivelines. So, every Calais is stripped down & HSV then build those cars into a Clubsport, Grange, Maloo & GTS.
Noicely said (I am a aussie). The euros/yanks will get a thunder of surprise of a different variety when Holden and Ford Australia finally get their act together and make their cars to the same if not better quality standard than the euro/yankoboxes, and outgun them not just with performance but brutal effeciency (Ford Turbo i6 is the dawn of such a possibility).
Lets not forget until 2004 Holden V6's....yes the engine they used in their everyday family cars was also a Pushrod!! Perhaps because it was more reliable but Ford pretty much forced them along by releasing a DOHC/VVT 4.0L i6 a couple of years earlier.
sirboppel, i may be mistaken, but in the u.s., the vxr8 isn't the gto, but the pontiac g8 gxp (similar horsepower, etc.). sad but the gxp, i was told, will be limited edition, and that means each dealer will get ONE.
this is true, my point is that wherever these cars are sold in the world, they were still built in australia by general motors holden. HSV (Holden Special vechles), which is owned by tom walkinshaw, then modifies them, (supercharger, ls3, body kit, tuning, etc) they are then exported to europe, and the states as vauxall and pontiac respectively.
@chinchillawrangler yes & no. the entire VE project was a clean slate design. holden designed & manufactured the chassis, the panels, everything that went into the entire VE range (including HSV), except for the drivelines. holdens strength in the GM world means they are not financially restrained by GM as other manufacturers are (such as Vauxhall), considering its growth not only in their local market, but on a global scale due to their export program. usa, arab emirates, uk & now asia.
@itsdamo1993 i may be wrong but im pretty sure that the motor is Australian built motor they have be ever since they went to the 6.0 L they use to be 350 chevs
Hey to the Fifthgear crews....Pretty damn good than TopGear!I like you guys!!I like the Fiat Panda part.I kinda like that car when it compete The Range Rover.hehe..
When is the new fifthgear-series coming exactly??? Its mostly to fill out the time untill the next top gear series comes out, but i think fifth gear is OK, but top gear is just awesome!!!!
@chinchillawrangler well the Pontiac GTO came about because the US market was after a 2 door coupe, but GM, in the states atleast, didnt have 1 on the books or 1 that could be made out of the current cars at the time. so they did the smart thing & just jumped on the Monaro. Holden converted it to LHD & US compliance was all taken care of by Holden. All GM had to do was drive them off the ship at the docks. The US Camaro actually uses the zeta architecture/chassis that Holden designed & built
Nicely said fellow Australian. Would be nice to see the Brits/Yanks try a XR6 Turbo or a FPV F6 I guess in 6 speed manual form and see what they think. No American engine, and probably better road manners than the HSV.
I have to agree with you - the V8's are so antiquated with their pushrod OHV design! If anyone from Holden is reading this, go overhead cam on your V8's for crying out loud! Other V8's are leaping ahead in terms of technology
@chinchillawrangler they both come under the GM flag, but that doesnt change the fact that the Vauxhall VXR8 was made by HSV, not Vauxhall & is therefore not a Vauxhall made car. Which is what the woman mistakenly states towards the end of the clip.
Agreed, top gear is THE show. But how can you let the fact it has a vauxhall badge put you off? Its a beast of a car, RWD, great looking, super fast. Anyway vauxhall didn't make this so whats your gripe with it? Even if they did what a car!
If you have put it on a effort/cash ratio basis then they would surely be a rival to the european equivelents maybe more with Australia's greater down to earthness. If Holden had a decent amount of cash to play with who knows what we'd get, maybe a modernised reincarnation of the old 5.0L
good to see american muscle is know honestly priced. i hate how they bring a car to the uk and double the price just for changeing the side of the driveing seat. nice vid thanks for posting
Just to clear things up. Fifth gear is the original Top Gear. It wasn't very successful so the BBC dropped it. Channel 5 invited them to continue airing, but would have to change name. BBC decided they wanted Top Gear back, and had to find new presenters. there was a documentary recently talking the history of motor TV, interviewing stars from both programs and others, the concensus was, Fifth Gear was the factual side of journalism, while Top Gear was the cocking about, and both sides are happy
@chinchillawrangler well you have seen Holdens. The Monaro went over badged as a Pontiac GTO. The VE SS sedan went over as a Pontiac G8. But, since the collapse of the Pontiac brand, Holden exports slowed momentarily. But our Caprice is either now or going to be used as Police cruisers & the SS Ute is going to be the new SS ute in the states, an alternative option to pick ups. check out 50 Cents custom Pontiac G8 (Holden Commodore VE SS). Ford Aus dont have an export program to the states.
as for top speed .... in the cheaper version, the holden commodore SS I found that it has been limited to 250km\h but I know someone who removed the limiter ad reached 277km\h all with the normal 360hp engine so this having 414 ... so I think it can do 300km\h easily
This car is sold in the US as a Pontiac. I wouldn't know where to buy one---most of the Pontiac Dealers here in Connecticut have closed. The previous car, sold as a Pontiac GTO bombed.
"all brawn and no brains", I am also from the "cultural desert" as the English like to often mention! The French cop it also, for different reasons.... ah well nobody is as perfect lol
this is an amazing car but id still prefer the 6.2 ls3 v8 bathurst model £45000 for 540bhp and 560ftlb torque what more could u need in a saloon car mind u id still like the wgaon version. looks cooler
she should of thanked vauxhall for importing them from down under =] im really happy Holden is exporting to the yanks & pomes (even the middle east), holden is a great car (like any other make) but one thing they always have more is better value =D
as far as im aware the Australian firm called holden is basically the same thing as Vauxhall and Opel all owned by general motors. Not actually sure of British car companies but I *THINK* that Aston Martin, Lotus,Jaguar and Land Rover/Rover/Range Rover are all British firms overrun by an overseas company. Simular to Holden being a part of American General Motors but not really being American. Could be wrong though!
I really think the new 6.2 can go a lot further in the future. I think also that Holden are just about at the end of their displacement-raising obsession. It will simply become too impractical and heavy on fuel for what in this competitive world are measely power gains. Its time for dumping the Pushrod Holden!!
The vxr8 badged as a vauxhall has the same styling as a HSV R8 clubsport. the G8 pontiac has different styling. a different front end to create brand recognition by trying to keep it looking like a pontiac.
sirboppel...LOL...that's all that matters is the new one. seriously, though, they DO look very similar. the pontiac, i believe, has a better front end and hood. and because of the 'boy racer' image attached to rear spoilers, that spoiler simply would not have worked in the u.s. (before the g8, pontiac cars were pretty much known for too much plastic, etc.) gotta admit, i love the wheels. better than anything pontiac/gm in the states has.
@who919 it is , in fact a MERGER which took place in 1931 , and created the GM-Holden Company . But to say that Holden is " owned " by GM is a gross oversimplification. And if you know of another GM vehicle that has the name Walkinshaw stamped on its supercharger, please .....let me know . Toms name is all over that car . And Tom was a Jaguar man ! ( thats FORD ! ) . Do you think that GM would have allowed that if they had a choice ???
R.I.P Holden we miss you
I test drove one of these yesterday and its nothing like she makes out. While cruising it nice and comfortable. But on the open road its a monster. The one i drove was the 6.2 supercharged 2009 model. Love it
Vauxhall had nothing to do with design. The only thing they did was change the badges. That's it.
I grew up with and learned to drive in a Vauxhall 14(post war) model. Believe it was a six cylinder. I do like their moniker/badge,with the Griffin because after all it was staring me down as I was learning. I dared not make any sudden moves and remembered to keep my hands where he could see 'em. That is to say squarely on the steering wheel. Did have a 4speed shifter and what a joy it was!
This thing had power back then and stayed ahead of others without input(permission) from the driver.Wow!
Opel, Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Holden (who lent this car to the British) and many more are part of the global General Motors company who have a huge hand in most of the cars in the world!
"Thank you Vauxhall for building..."
Vikki...Vauxhall don't build it.
Too right mate, Australia is really starting to showcase the capabilities of locally manufactured cars on a international scale. Its a shame alot of Yanks claim Aussies can't build cars. I really think we have the best of both worlds, Tom Walkinshaw (a brit) designed the first HSV chassis (which still carries to today) and Holden dropped a great American engine in them, and the result is a great car that every petrolhead can enjoy.
What the hell do you mean thankyou Vauxhall for building the car... Vauxhall have basically nothing to do with it... Its 100% built in Australia, even the Vauxhall badges are stuck on in the Holden factory in Aus... Still its good to see that the 5th Gear guys really liked it.
Amen to that, both nitroxlodd and aussieeagle2512!
I feel this could lead into a bit of a bitter rivalry as to who built this car!
Tom Walkinshaw Performance in the UK is actually importing HSV Maloos!! It's a wonder they didn't import the Clubsport as a Clubsport!
I think the FG Falcon looks the big spitting image of the medium-sized Mondeo!!!
they still need the vxr8/hsv/lumina ss here in the US I love the G8 course which is now goign to be the chevy Caprice
Nice to see Butler-Henderson
Vicki, you've hit the nail on the head here: the VXR8 is a HSV E-Series Clubsport R8!
The auz spec car (HSV Clubsport R8) can do around about 290 km/h. I think is about 170-180ish mph.
Australian cars. Good value. Tough and fast. And you can take it on the track or down the shops just as easily.
Fast? Lol clearly you have not heard of Bugatti and Koenigsegg
@@Blankslategaming Thanks for your input. Those are cars only available to billionaires. Meanwhile the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon were full sized, large engined cars in multiple variations that the average man could afford and run. V8s for the working class.
A Bugatti isn't even in the thought process of a normal person beyond 'that's nice' when you see a poster of it.
@@Blankslategaming How old are you?
This is how we like our cars: fast and with heaps of body roll!
@SINSSTER I agree with you. I love the feel of a true sports car. The less electronics the better the feel is. I don't care about going 150mph around a corner, I just love the natural feel of a car that can handle without all that electronic poop. Simplicity is #1 in my book.
True 100% Australian but the most important thing about this car is the way it handles and the performance. they made the car handle better than the Pontiac G8 but they still around the same horsepower.
who needs brains when your having fun
Holden built this car and badged it as a Vauxhall in Australia before exporting it to the UK - the only cars you will get as Holdens are the HSV Maloo R8!
exactly right my friend... :(
this year is going to be the last year of the legendary Pontiac line. GM have made the biggest mistake of their company by dropping one of the most famost and one of the oldest lines in history...
In practise you are spot on. Unfortunately however even our own people at the time believed we were merely doing our duty and any victory for the Australians was automatically a victory for the British. Once the British had ceased being the main world power we basically did the same for the Americans.
I've got one. Nothing Vauxhall about it. The badges and that's it.
Also I heard that its only detuned to 317kw because the present manual transmission cannot handle anymore. Will be interesting to see what it becomes when they update the transmission.
HSV GTS has Magnetic Ride Control and the R8 doesn't. There will be a newer improved model coming out with 317kw.
Depends on how you look at the technicalities. HSV is just Holden's performance division, where every HSV started life as a Calais. But the only thing HSV didn't design is the chassis, shell, roofline, boot lid & doors.
Rear quarter & taillights are modified, as are the front panels, complete interiors, body kit & drivelines. So, every Calais is stripped down & HSV then build those cars into a Clubsport, Grange, Maloo & GTS.
Noicely said (I am a aussie). The euros/yanks will get a thunder of surprise of a different variety when Holden and Ford Australia finally get their act together and make their cars to the same if not better quality standard than the euro/yankoboxes, and outgun them not just with performance but brutal effeciency (Ford Turbo i6 is the dawn of such a possibility).
amen to you,
how awesome was the tander/davison win at the island aye?
Lets not forget until 2004 Holden V6's....yes the engine they used in their everyday family cars was also a Pushrod!! Perhaps because it was more reliable but Ford pretty much forced them along by releasing a DOHC/VVT 4.0L i6 a couple of years earlier.
f6 is a very impressive car, just wish it was lighter. still very quick for a large saloon.
sirboppel, i may be mistaken, but in the u.s., the vxr8 isn't the gto, but the pontiac g8 gxp (similar horsepower, etc.).
sad but the gxp, i was told, will be limited edition, and that means each dealer will get ONE.
I wonder if people will be rebranding their G8s as Vauxhall VXR8
Please sell it in Europe too, with the steering at the left side! :)
They weren't even re-badged in the UK - they were badged as Vauxhalls before they left Australia, much like the Pontiac versions!
this is a beautiful car
plus bugger off the monaro also is thunder from down under another one from holden and hsv same with your astra and if use have commodores
this is true, my point is that wherever these cars are sold in the world, they were still built in australia by general motors holden. HSV (Holden Special vechles), which is owned by tom walkinshaw, then modifies them, (supercharger, ls3, body kit, tuning, etc) they are then exported to europe, and the states as vauxall and pontiac respectively.
I saw 175mph out of my old VXR8, probably had a little more to give as well tbh
The right expression for someone who thought Vauxhall actually had any meaningful input to the actual development of that car, if any at all.
@chinchillawrangler yes & no. the entire VE project was a clean slate design. holden designed & manufactured the chassis, the panels, everything that went into the entire VE range (including HSV), except for the drivelines. holdens strength in the GM world means they are not financially restrained by GM as other manufacturers are (such as Vauxhall), considering its growth not only in their local market, but on a global scale due to their export program. usa, arab emirates, uk & now asia.
Gotta love these aussie cars.
@itsdamo1993 i may be wrong but im pretty sure that the motor is Australian built motor they have be ever since they went to the 6.0 L they use to be 350 chevs
Hey to the Fifthgear crews....Pretty damn good than TopGear!I like you guys!!I like the Fiat Panda part.I kinda like that car when it compete The Range Rover.hehe..
When is the new fifthgear-series coming exactly??? Its mostly to fill out the time untill the next top gear series comes out, but i think fifth gear is OK, but top gear is just awesome!!!!
@chinchillawrangler well the Pontiac GTO came about because the US market was after a 2 door coupe, but GM, in the states atleast, didnt have 1 on the books or 1 that could be made out of the current cars at the time. so they did the smart thing & just jumped on the Monaro. Holden converted it to LHD & US compliance was all taken care of by Holden. All GM had to do was drive them off the ship at the docks.
The US Camaro actually uses the zeta architecture/chassis that Holden designed & built
Nicely said fellow Australian. Would be nice to see the Brits/Yanks try a XR6 Turbo or a FPV F6 I guess in 6 speed manual form and see what they think. No American engine, and probably better road manners than the HSV.
I have to agree with you - the V8's are so antiquated with their pushrod OHV design! If anyone from Holden is reading this, go overhead cam on your V8's for crying out loud! Other V8's are leaping ahead in terms of technology
f6 is a very impressive car, wish
I think they should pay attention to the better "Gear" show, TopGear.
@chinchillawrangler they both come under the GM flag, but that doesnt change the fact that the Vauxhall VXR8 was made by HSV, not Vauxhall & is therefore not a Vauxhall made car. Which is what the woman mistakenly states towards the end of the clip.
Agreed, top gear is THE show. But how can you let the fact it has a vauxhall badge put you off? Its a beast of a car, RWD, great looking, super fast. Anyway vauxhall didn't make this so whats your gripe with it? Even if they did what a car!
This VXR8 is now rebadged as a Pontiac G8 in United States with motor V6 and over 28 Miles Per Galon.
chicorompecabesa Yes and here, 9 years later, it is the Chevy SS and will no longer be produced 😥
If you have put it on a effort/cash ratio basis then they would surely be a rival to the european equivelents maybe more with Australia's greater down to earthness. If Holden had a decent amount of cash to play with who knows what we'd get, maybe a modernised reincarnation of the old 5.0L
Vauxhall,holden who cares? its a good car,and i will pick my new one up in september.Nice
Bang for buck. Gotta love it. And that's from a Cerbera driver.
Her voice is bloody irritating though. :/
She is a sweetheart!
good to see american muscle is know honestly priced.
i hate how they bring a car to the uk and double the price just for changeing the side of the driveing seat.
nice vid thanks for posting
It actually has been tuned to 317kW for us!
Ohhh yeah! 310kW in the F6 and 315kW in the GT and GT-P
Just to clear things up. Fifth gear is the original Top Gear. It wasn't very successful so the BBC dropped it. Channel 5 invited them to continue airing, but would have to change name. BBC decided they wanted Top Gear back, and had to find new presenters. there was a documentary recently talking the history of motor TV, interviewing stars from both programs and others, the concensus was, Fifth Gear was the factual side of journalism, while Top Gear was the cocking about, and both sides are happy
i want one, but..
1.) how come the G8 still doesn't offer MT?
2.) why can't we get those rims in the states?
flippin GM =\
go aussie, thats the spirit mate. give it to those pommes
I'd rather have the VXR8 Bathurst Edition!
RIGHT ON BROTHA!
sabine is phenomenal!
@chinchillawrangler well you have seen Holdens. The Monaro went over badged as a Pontiac GTO. The VE SS sedan went over as a Pontiac G8. But, since the collapse of the Pontiac brand, Holden exports slowed momentarily. But our Caprice is either now or going to be used as Police cruisers & the SS Ute is going to be the new SS ute in the states, an alternative option to pick ups. check out 50 Cents custom Pontiac G8 (Holden Commodore VE SS).
Ford Aus dont have an export program to the states.
yes it is its built at a plant in adelaide south australia and shipped over
What is the name of the music? Its so powerful and mighty much like the BIG car here.
1st class! 5 stars
Chev are picking up the G8 as the LAPD and Canadian Royal Mounted Police are looking at making it their standard Patrol car.
as for top speed ....
in the cheaper version, the holden commodore SS
I found that it has been limited to 250km\h
but I know someone who removed the limiter ad reached 277km\h
all with the normal 360hp engine
so this having 414 ... so I think it can do 300km\h easily
engine is beasty!
This car is sold in the US as a Pontiac. I wouldn't know where to buy one---most of the Pontiac Dealers here in Connecticut have closed. The previous car, sold as a Pontiac GTO bombed.
Stunning car, same about the daft bint driving it. Why oh why can we not produce a decent car programme presenter in this country.
im a kiwi and im loving this... get stuck into em aussie!!!!!
She's a deadset goose
The Pontiac G8 is exactly the same as the VXR8as they are both the same car underneath!
"all brawn and no brains", I am also from the "cultural desert" as the English like to often mention!
The French cop it also, for different reasons.... ah well nobody is as perfect lol
this is an amazing car but id still prefer the 6.2 ls3 v8 bathurst model
£45000 for 540bhp and 560ftlb torque
what more could u need in a saloon car
mind u id still like the wgaon version. looks cooler
560 bhp, 545 ibft.
"...great fun, all brawn, not much brain..."
Hmmm, yes well...
Can you say Rolls-Royce?
"Wolls-Woyce."
Yes, didn't think so.
agree, nothing is better than top gear
its a pontiac G8 in the states! Same car.
@hsvsv8 ahhh ok. ive never seen a vauxhall or holden in the states. how could i get one of those aussie ford falcons???
she should of thanked vauxhall for importing them from down under =]
im really happy Holden is exporting to the yanks & pomes (even the middle east), holden is a great car (like any other make) but one thing they always have more is better value =D
175 flat out. The ls3 does 180.
This video sums up why I don't watch Fifth Gear, please let her be the only one like that.
@hsvsv8 arent they both those companies just subsidiaries of GM?
as far as im aware the Australian firm called holden is basically the same thing as Vauxhall and Opel all owned by general motors.
Not actually sure of British car companies but I *THINK* that Aston Martin, Lotus,Jaguar and Land Rover/Rover/Range Rover are all British firms overrun by an overseas company. Simular to Holden being a part of American General Motors but not really being American. Could be wrong though!
I really think the new 6.2 can go a lot further in the future. I think also that Holden are just about at the end of their displacement-raising obsession. It will simply become too impractical and heavy on fuel for what in this competitive world are measely power gains. Its time for dumping the Pushrod Holden!!
The vxr8 badged as a vauxhall has the same styling as a HSV R8 clubsport. the G8 pontiac has different styling. a different front end to create brand recognition by trying to keep it looking like a pontiac.
By Holden HSV I think you mean HSV R8
HSV Clubsport R8
sirboppel...LOL...that's all that matters is the new one.
seriously, though, they DO look very similar. the pontiac, i believe, has a better front end and hood.
and because of the 'boy racer' image attached to rear spoilers, that spoiler simply would not have worked in the u.s. (before the g8, pontiac cars were pretty much known for too much plastic, etc.)
gotta admit, i love the wheels. better than anything pontiac/gm in the states has.
@hsvsv8 so GM just owns them and gives them a budget but they do their own thing when it comes designing?
yeah our cars rule!!
@who919 it is , in fact a MERGER which took place in 1931 , and created the GM-Holden Company . But to say that Holden is " owned " by GM is a gross oversimplification. And if you know of another GM vehicle that has the name Walkinshaw stamped on its supercharger, please .....let me know . Toms name is all over that car . And Tom was a Jaguar man ! ( thats FORD ! ) . Do you think that GM would have allowed that if they had a choice ???
I like this one better than the Pontiac G8
7 litres of awesome power!
6.2 l*
Yes woman, but can you handle the 560hp that's going to go in this thing coming out of the CTS-V? It will be fun.
purplehaze007 who was that comment directed at???