Top Gear gets ahold of the Vauxhall Vectra VXR and come away impressed with its sheer speed, but one of its (due to Epsilon, or because the car just overwhelms the fron tires?) greatest weaknesses... terminal understeer. I don't think I've seen something quite that, um, "ugghing" before.

Top Gear- Vauxhall Vectra VXR

Fifth fastest saloon money can buy.... a piece of s**t because of terminal understeer...

That is too funny.

Edited January 1, 200719 yr by SoCalCTS

Hehe. Hmm, great handling or great speed for a set price? I suppose based on places like around here, I'd choose the speed, but in curvier locations, definitely the handling.

I personally think the car looks awesome....but as we can plainlys ee...it handles like crap. Oh well, it's fast in a straight line at least

so it's a muscle car w/ fwd lol kinda.

Yes! It really is rather like a muscle car- fast in the straight line, not so good at everything else.

But that Vectra looks so good, I'd take it over the finesse of the Ford or anything else front-drive in that class (D-Segment?) in Europe.

Yes! It really is rather like a muscle car- fast in the straight line, not so good at everything else.

But that Vectra looks so good, I'd take it over the finesse of the Ford or anything else front-drive in that class (D-Segment?) in Europe.

Yeah it's D-Segment. I agree...the Vectra looks so good...I wonder what his problem is with it? I would want it for look and the Ford for it's finesse (wish they would bring it here as a Mercury).

With that package combination, such a Vectra would truly be "unstoppable".

Lol, maybe they should put the tickiest tires possible on the front, and less so on the rear.

Yeah it's D-Segment. I agree...the Vectra looks so good...I wonder what his problem is with it? I would want it for look and the Ford for it's finesse (wish they would bring it here as a Mercury).

Problem is Jeremy Clarkson hates Vauxhall Vectras.

He hates a lot of things, but probably doesn't care for the Vectra because it doesn't seem committed and inspired to him, but just a conveyance from Point A to Point B.

Now only if GM would put that powertrain into the Aura Redline.

Amen to that!

An Aura Redline with the 2.8L Turbo V6 and 6-speed manual plus the HID lighting would be really awesome.

Won't fit. At most the 2.0L DI Turbo.

Astra is Delta.

Um, hate to burst your bubble, but yes it can because:

1.) Saturn Aura is based on Epsilon.

2.) Opel Vectra of Europe is based on Epsilon.

3.) SAAB 9-3 is based on Epsilon.

4.) Cadillac BLS is based on Epsilon.

5.) Know what? Three of the four cars listed feature that engine.

6.) That means it will fit.

7.) Where did you get Astra from anyway????

Problem is Jeremy Clarkson hates Vauxhall Vectras.

But he hates this car because it understeers like a bitch. You saw it, that thinghad the wheels turned all the way to the right and the car was going forward!

Now only if GM would put that powertrain into the Aura Redline.

Won't fit. At most the 2.0L DI Turbo.

Astra is Delta.

Aura, not Astra...

Aura, not Astra...

Aura is Epsilon.

Ion is Delta.

BIG difference.

ION? So? Lol.

The Astra is based on what the company (Opel) claims as a modified version of the old platform, but several different sources say that the Cobalt/ION/G5 are based on the Astra, but that they are Delta and sometimes the Astra is referred to as Delta based, so it surely is odd and confusing.

Maybe the Astra is the Delta architecture before GM North America got a hold of it and beat it with a stick.

Aura, not Astra...

My bad...

One of my asleep while posting things I guess...

My bad...

One of my asleep while posting things I guess...

Happens to all of us from time to time, I think.