This Reviewer Finds Astra OPC/VXR the Least Boring Opel/Vauxhall

Opel's sister company Vauxhall is not a brand with a very cool image in the UK, quite the contrary, actually, as some qualify it as a maker of boring automobiles.

However, the story is quite different when it comes to high-performance VXR models, especially the V8-powered Holdens imported from Australia and rebadged as Vauxhalls.

But those aren’t the only exciting Vauxhalls, as one can’t ignore the Astra VXR. The folks from XCar believe it is an even more exciting car than its predecessor is and to prove it, they took it for a ride.

Design-wise, it’s hard to find ungraceful angles on the latest Astra VXR, and the car is an improvement over the previous one in terms of performance as well. With 280PS (276hp) and a 5.9-second 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time, the Astra VXR is quicker than most of its competitors.

To go faster than that, one has to choose the AWD VW Golf R or premium hot-hatches like the BMW M135i or Mercedes A 45 AMG. The problem is that the Vauxhall’s £26,995 base price puts it dangerously close to the RWD BMW M135i that starts from £31,595 in the UK.

Scroll down to watch the review and find out if it’s worth the price.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Opel Ascona Helps Demolish Brick Shed in Belgium Rally

Rally events supply us with all sorts of funny videos, most of them involving low-speed crashes. While we do take accidents seriously, some of them are too funny not to share with you – of course, we’re talking about those that don’t result in injuries or, God forbid, victims.

Such a crash happened during a Belgium rally, where the driver of a second-generation Opel Ascona lost control of the car on some mud trails and ended up hitting a not very well-made brick shed.

Although the car didn’t carry too much speed at the moment of the impact, the wall that was hit collapsed completely, much to the amusement of spectators.

No one was hurt, but the owner of the shed may be facing a dilemma: should he charge the rally crew money to repair the building or should he actually pay them for helping him demolish the poorly-built shed?

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Lesson Learned, Opel Insignia Is Not a…Trolley

As it turns out, the Opel Insignia, GM's mid-size sedan that some of you may know with Vauxhall's moniker and others with Buick's as the Regal, doesn't really fit the bill as a tram, in fact, it's terrible at it, especially if you put it on the tracks.

We can't answer any of your questions regarding the camera being at the right place at the right time, nor what was going on inside the head of the Insignia driver when he made a turn and entered what looks like an underpass riding on the raised trolley rails.

He did do well, though, for roughly five seconds before the Insignia fell off the tracks and decided it was not worth the hassle, placing the car in reverse and giving it a… good scratch under the belly.

Watch the video right after the jump.

VIDEO

This is How They Deal with Abandoned and Illegally Parked Cars in Russia

When it comes to vehicles that are abandoned or parked illegally, most municipalities will issue tickets with the hope that owners will pay up and conform to the law, but sometimes, more drastic measures are called for.
In Russia, for example, some cities have no problem taking matters into their own hands and settling the problem once and for all, giving owners a tough lesson.

Chris Harris Puts Ford’s Focus ST Against Opel Astra OPC and Renault Megane RS

Hot hatches are the Swiss Army knives of the automotive world in that they can do almost everything. Their humble underpinnings mean that they are as practical as any hatchback in everyday use, their tuned chassis and powerful engines can scare a sports car or two on twisty roads and they are, comparatively affordable.
There was a time, not so long ago, that putting anything more than 200-horses on the road through the front wheels was considered a recipe for terminal power understeer. Things have certainly changed and, as Chris Harris points out in the video that follows, front-wheel drive hot hatches have really become very competent.

New Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall VXR Vs. Renault Megane RS 265 Cup

The new Opel Astra OPC, otherwise known as the Vauxhall Astra VXR, is the latest arrival in the European hot hatch segment. If there's one model it has to beat - aside from the ever-popular VW Golf GTI, it is the highly regarded Renault Megane RS 265 Cup.
In terms of specs, the two models are similar with the Astra OPC / VXR sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged four that produces 276hp (280PS) and 400Nm (295 lbft) of peak torque channeled to the front wheels via six-speed manual and a limited slip differential.

2013 Opel Astra Convertible Spy Photos and Video Outline New Softop Model

Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.
Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.

New Opel Zafira Tourer Receives its Video Debut

Across the pond, General Motors is upping the ante in the popular compact MPV sector with the introduction of Opel’s third generation Zafira model that will go on sale in most European countries this autumn. The production version of Opel’s Geneva show concept will also wear Vauxhall’s badges with the first cars to reach UK showrooms by early 2012.
We have already brought you the news and the first batch of photos in our previous post (see here), but now we have also obtained the launch film showing Opel’s people carrier on the move.

2012 Opel Astra GTC Sport Hatch is…Virtually Here: First Official Images and Video of Production Model

General Motors’ Opel division is getting ready to take the wraps off the all-new Astra GTC as the company released the first official renderings and a video of the production model shown in a virtual landscape.
The new sharp looking, three-door version of the Astra, will be revealed in the flesh and in detail in just six week’s time, on June 7, well ahead of its world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, on September 15. Both Opel and its sister company in the UK, Vauxhall, will begin accepting orders in the summer with first deliveries expected this fall.

This is what Happens when you Enter a Highway the Wrong Way… [Video]

The following accident took place on a Scottish motorway near Aberdeen and was captured by a “black box” GPS/video system mounted on a semi-trailer truck. From what we can tell, the Vauxhall Corsa entered the highway on the wrong side and drove towards oncoming traffic like a kamikaze, taking a truck driver completely by surprise.

VIDEO: Le Casse, A Mad Cap Car Chase through the Streets Of 1970’s Athens

Ah, the ‘70s. We had the Oil Crisis and Watergate, microwave ovens and VCRs, Maggie Thatcher and Jimmy Carter. As for cars, well: there were the greats like the Lamborghini Countach, Datsun 240Z and the Dodge Charger. Then there were the not-so-greats like the AMC Pacer, Chevy Chevette and the Ford Mustang Cobra II.
It was the decade that brought us The French Connection, Gone in 60 Seconds and Smokey and the Bandit. It also brought us a relatively unknown (well, to my –ahem- clearly sophisticated tastes) French film called Le Casse (The Burglars).
Oh sure, Bullitt had Steve McQueen in a Mustang and Goldfinger had Sean Connery in a DB5, but you ain’t ever seen a film so brazen to put Omar Sharif behind the wheel of...an Opel Rekord. Well, he is the villain. Surely our hero, Jean-Paul Belmondo, will get to drive something a bit smarter.

New Opel Astra Sports Tourer gets the Steinmetz Treatment

Opel tuning specialist Steinmentz has revealed a bevy of parts for the new Astra Sports Tourer. The German firm’s offerings include aerodynamic components, a lowering kit, alloy wheels and styling elements.

VIDEO: Opel Touts Zafira Tourer Concept's "Lounge Ambience"

These are the first videos of Opel's new Zafira Tourer Concept, which will receive its grand premiere at next week's 2011 Geneva Salon. The first clip focuses on the relaxing "lounge atmosphere" found within the interior of the minivan, something that Opel highlighted more than anything else in the car's press release, while the second video showcases the new Flex7 seating concept. Hit the break to watch both clips for yourself.

New Opel Zafira Tourer Concept Previewed in iPad Hologram, Debuts in Geneva

Opel chose a rather unique way to inform us about its new concept model that previews the next generation of the Zafira people carrier, and which is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Geneva Salon in March. The company published a short video accompanied by a photograph showing the firm's design boss Mark Adams holding an iPad through which a hologram of the concept car pops out.

Opel's Hot GTC Paris Concept: Live Photos and New Video Trailer

Meet the star of Opel's Paris Motor Show stand and probably one of the best looking concepts of this year's show, the GTC Paris Concept that will spawn next year's three-door Astra model.

Even though the mainstream variants of the production Astra GTC will lose the muscular bumpers, LEDs and tall 21-inch wheels of the design study, it's safe to say that what you see here is more or less what you'll get when the car arrives in Opel and Vauxhall showrooms across Europe in 2011.

For those wanting something closer in looks to the concept, there's good news as the flagship OPC model is expected to keep most of the styling features including the chunky bumpers.

VIDEO: Opel Astra GTC Paris Walk-around

After showing you some vids of the Range Rover Evoque on Friday, today we've got some press clips of Opel's GTC Paris hot hatch concept. First up is an artsy walkaround clip of the new hot hatch, but the more interesting video is the one in which Opel-Vauxhall calligrapher/graphic designer Ingrid Gollong gives us her take on the GTC's lines.

Opel Unveils Vivaro e-Concept Hybrid Van at IAA Hannover Show [with Video]

Opel has taken the wraps off its Vivaro e-Concept plug-in electric van at the 2010 IAA Commercial Vehicles Fair in Hannover, Germany. The one-off concept was built to demonstrate the benefits of electrification to commercial vehicle operators.

2011 Opel Zafira MPV Scooped on Video, Doesn't get Trick Rear Doors

Along with the sportier three-door variant of the new Astra, General Motors' Opel division is also developing an MPV version of its C-segment model that will replace the current Zafira. Caught on film out and about at the Nurburgring track in Germany, the camouflaged prototype confirms that the new Opel (Vauxhall in the UK) Zafira won't get the funky FlexDoor system with the rear-hinged back doors of the Meriva, and will continue to use a conventional five-door layout instead.