A Better Buick Is on the Way – one with a Manual Transmission.
As much as the 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR lacks the sophistication to fight head-on with the Audi S4 and BMW 335i, this car will represent an entirely different sort of American car when it arrives here as the 2012 Buick Regal. This mix of Holden, Opel, Saab and Vauxhall parts represents a worthwhile international approach to the highway that should represent something new from Buick.
According to its creators, the Insignia VXR is three things: the 155 mph flagship version of Vauxhall’s thriving Insignia executive car range, the car that finally lifts its 10-year run of VXR-badged performance models above the raucous, boy-racer tag that has always stuck to them, and a performance car from GM Europe that honestly deserves to turn a BMW buyer’s head.
These are big claims — and assessing each one depends on a dispassionate examination of the driving experience, so we drove a car as fast as we could legally go from Frankfurt to London, to discover the worth of them.
What's it like?
Well, it certainly has the on-paper credentials.
The 2.8-litre turbo V6 has hotter camshaft profiles, bigger injection nozzles and more aggressive engine management parameters so it produces 321 bhp at 5250 rpm instead of the standard V6’s 255.
It gets a high performance 4wd system with electronically managed torque splits, adaptive electronic traction controls depending on how you drive, plus lightweight Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers and hybrid alloy discs with cast-iron centres.
You get a specially tuned chassis, 20mm lower than standard, including special, low-friction “hyperstruts” that cut steering friction and improve feel. You get a three-level ride control system (firm, hard, harder), which also adjusts things like steering weight and accelerator “alertness” as it goes.
There’s a magnificent set of specially adapted Recaro seats and just about every interior nicety you can imagine, short of on-board TV and radar cruise control.
The VXR is relatively quiet but sounds lovely when you give it the beans. It is governed at 155 mph (could probably crack 170), can run a 0-60 mph sprint in 5.8 seconds, and accelerates 50-75 mph in 7.1 seconds.
That’s big performance in a cross-Europe grand touring sense, but not quite enough to match true tyre-burners like the BMW M5 or Audi RS6. But few owners will think it too slow.
Here’s the point: everything has been done with thoroughness and subtelty. The steering is sensitive and has great feel. The engine’s smooth, powerful and entirely free of turbo-lag.
The standard ride condition is firm but comfortable, while more aggressive settings (really only needed for hard driving) work well with the power, even on Britain’s bad roads.
The brakes are extremely powerful, the firm, shapely seats are comfortable for 200 mioles at a time, and the whole car has a base level of smoothness and mechanical refinement that makes you seriously doubt the speedo when it’s reading 120 mph.
Should I buy one?
Yes. Against other cars of its size, equipment and capability, the Insignia VXR is a spectacular bargain. Entry price for a saloon or hatchback is a paltry £30,995, or £32,320 for an estate.
The car is so well equipped that it is only possible to add three options: 20-inch wheels at £1100, a leather pack at £1300 and on-board navigation for £815.
The lack of a big name is a declining problem: the sheer presence of this go-faster Insignia, together the spreading realisation that VXR cars do what is claimed for them, helps a lot.
The car’s bulk is reduced in the driver’s mind by its poise and controllability. But the true no-brainer is this VXR’s value for money.
A car with this ability and equipment would cost between £50,000 and £60,000 in a BMW/Merc/Audi line-up. Save £25k, and concede absolutely nothing.
Steve Cropley
First drive data
How fast?
0-62 mph 5.6 sec
Max speed 155 mph
How big?
Weight 1810 kg
How thirsty?
Combined 24.7 mpg
CO2 emissions 268 g/km
Engine
Layout V6 , 2792 cc
Max power 321 bhp at 5250 rpm
Max torque 321 lb ft at 5250 rpm
_________________
Marty Howard
2011 NASA SE Factory Five Challenge Champion
Track Events Logistics Coordinator - TZC/THSCC
2007 Factory Five Challenge Car.
http://www.mh-motorsports.com
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The only Buick in recent memory to be considered cool was the Grand National, and those weren't being drag raced like mad by your grandmother.
- AB