Video Review of new Astra Turbo VXR!

[MaximusSmurf]

I'm not sure if any of you guys watch a TV show called Top Gear (UK TV show where they review all the latest release cars). But this weeks episode they reviewed the new Vauxhall Astra Turbo VXR. Thought some of you guys might be interested.

Its available for download. If you use torrents then the torrent link is here (http://kurtek.serveftp.com:81/d/Top.Gear.S06E09.WS.PDTV.XviD-GOTHiC-CTV.torrent)

And if you don't use torrents (please only use if u don't normally use torrents) you can grab the episode of my server here (right click, save target as..) (http://kurtek.serveftp.com:81/d/Top.Gear.S06E09.WS.PDTV.XviD-GOTHiC-CTV/top.gear.s06e09.ws.pdtv.xvid-gothic.avi)

Note that the torrent method will be faster as my max upload speed is 20kb. Also the episode is about 700mb. So its not small.

If I get really crafty and enough people want it i may cut out the astra review and put it up by itself (hence making the file alot smaller).

TO THE ADMINS. I hope this is ok. If you dont want this on the site feel free to take it off, or tell me of a way that I can make it ok. Thanks.

[woody]

i'll have the edition from another source tomorrow - i'll cut it up so it just shows the vxr review and post if you like.

[JP Dyno]

Yeah, Clarkson wasnt really impressed. Though i know he doesnt like Vauxhalls, I think he normally gives a fair review (even if he does tend to sprinkle with his personal opinions). After owning an Astra-T for a while i could see how too much power to the front wheels could really screw up the handling.

[SIMid]

700MB! :shock:

and I'm on dialup!

[SSS_Hoon]

i would like too see jsut the vxr review aswell.


SSS_Hoon

[M-Technic]

when is the show normally on?

[MaximusSmurf]

It airs on Sunday nights in the UK (hence i dload it). They play it over here but only on foxtel and they're older episodes.

workin on a smaller scene with just the vxr review in it.

[rjastra]

There are also 350mB versions... goto FinalGear.com... then the irc channel for links to the 350mb version

[Aussie-in-London]

for those who have seen the episode of TG an email from the brands manager of vxr was forwarded on to a member of my club in the UK who has a contact in vauxhall, it goes as follows:-

Having spoken to Stu Harris (the VXR brand manager – you may have seen some quotes by him in the promo brochures) regarding the Top Gear tests (and in particular the extreme understeer), he wanted you guys (and girls?!) to know this:



“the fact that journalists from Autocar , EVO etc have all lapped the nurburing ring in sub 9 mins with the same car and not once mentioned the issue interested us.
We have concluded that this particular Stig can't drive fwd , and what he did to the Golf was ridiculous.
The car Clarkson drove had the wrong (std) front uprights and incorrect dampers. We pointed this out but they wanted it anyway because of the schedule.....



HTH



Stu”



Also, you’ll be pleased to know that the VXR is still undergoing heavy testing/tuning with exhaust tuning (sound, etc.) starting on the 8th August up at Milltek. Check out the latest edition of Autocar magazine too for a good write-up of the VXR (beating the Golf and Renault).



Thanks,

The test drive was filmed they say about 2 months earlier making it the demo car that was tested (different 18's 6 spoke instead of the 5, no slotted grooved brakes and the front suspension set up) The full spec car has still yet to be completed and will not be available until some time in Sept for first delivery (mine early to mid Oct), autocar mag gave it a great write up beating the golf gti and megane. On the track run it was some 2.5 seconds faster than the gti and jsut slightly quicker than the r32 golf (awd car) so it wasnt a bad first test and wont be putting me off with torque steer compliants, im not planning of running it around corners at 70 - 80 mph lol - its a true hot hatch

[BassyAstra]

Links arnt working.
FinalGear.com works..DAMN

EDIT: ADMIN

[Aussie-in-London]

section from autoexpress mag on the vxr

Vauxhall Astra VXR


The waiting is finally over! Vauxhall's volcanic Astra VXR has hit the road, and Auto Express was first behind the wheel. The turbocharged newcomer goes on sale this month, and is one of the most important models the Luton company has ever launched.

First seen as a concept at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the 240bhp, 152mph machine aims to mark the firm's return to the performance car market in sensational style. It has its sights set firmly on Ford's forthcoming Focus ST and the VW Golf GTI, and is priced at £18,995.

Standard equipment is generous, and comprises air-conditioning, 18-inch alloys and electric windows. Options include the leather seats fitted to our car, which cost £1,000, sat-nav (£1,250) and huge 19-inch wheels (£500). But as impressive as the Astra's basic spec is, it is the driving experience that Vauxhall is most excited about.

The seating position is good, and while the thick leather chair is set a little high, there is plenty of adjustment in the steering column, so even tall drivers will be able to get comfortable.You have to stretch to select first in the slick-shifting, six-speed gearbox, too, but otherwise the ergonomics are impressive.

On the road, acceleration is phenomenal, with Vauxhall claiming a time of 6.2 seconds for the 0-60mph sprint. There is minimal turbo lag, but the 2.0-litre powerplant has to be revved to make the most of its potential.

Below 3,000rpm, the four-cylinder feels sluggish. As the rev needle swings around the dial, the engine's urgency grows to a level that would humble
sports cars from a class above. This is an essential part of the car's character, according to Vauxhall, as bosses claim few compromises have been made in the pursuit of raw performance.

Our test route soon proved that this philosophy has also been applied to the suspension. The stiff set-up is available in two basic formats. The first, a passive spring and damper arrangement, offers back-to-basics thrills and is branded the enthusiast's choice.

Available as a £400 option, the second setting provides active damping as part of the firm's Interactive Driving Plus system (IDS+). It uses a computer to regulate the suspension, and aims to improve ride comfort and stability.

We tried both set-ups, and although the differences between them are marginal, we think Vauxhall is right to push the basic system. Without IDS+, the Astra feels a little more consistent over really demanding roads. Pushed hard, both versions of the VXR offer great stability and masses of grip. Under acceleration, there is some torque steer, but the feel from the wheel is more than adequate.

A sport button mounted on the dash enhances this model's character further, adding weight to the steering and sensitivity to the throttle. We were less impressed by the brakes. While they clearly have plenty of power, the pedal was light and lacked feel.

The VXR is every inch the no-holds-barred hot hatch Vauxhall promised it would be. And although that means the flagship Astra is not as refined as lesser models, we cannot help feel keen drivers will regard this as a small price to pay.
Dan Strong

[Aussie-in-London]

From timesonline.co.uk

Vauxhall Astra VXR
Andrew Frankel
As sharp as a racing rat



You may have heard of the Nürburgring. Not the modern racetrack, but the old Nürburgring next door, incontestably the greatest, most challenging and frightening stretch of tarmac on earth.
If you did 10 laps of the Brands Hatch club circuit you’d travel less distance than you do during one at the Nürburgring. While most good racetracks have about 10 corners, the Ring has more than 170.

When Jackie Stewart left home to race at the Nürburgring, he’d always turn and look at his front door, not sure if he’d ever see it again. As Niki Lauda — who suffered terrible injuries when he crashed during the 1976 German Grand Prix — will attest, it is about the last place you’d want to have a really big accident. And if ever there was a place not to launch a family hatchback this, then, surely was it.

Then again, this new Vauxhall Astra VXR is no ordinary hatch dressed up with the requisite skirts and spoilers to promise a level of performance that the hardware beneath has no chance of keeping. In fact, given what I now know it can do, I think it’s rather discreet.

I have been going to the Nürburgring for more than a decade and know that very few road cars feel anything less than absurd there. You need, at the least, something of the calibre of a Lotus Elise, Caterham Seven or a Porsche 911 for the journey even to be worthwhile. And yet this little Astra, this shopping car for heaven’s sake, felt as at home on the Nürburgring as most Astras do on the M25. Its rat-like agility turned what I’d presumed would be a fool’s errand into perhaps the most entertaining time I’d spent in a front-wheel-drive car since I sold my Golf GTI 20 years ago.

Back then my Golf had 112bhp and I could only imagine how fast my then dream car, the Ferrari 308 GTB, would have been with its 240bhp. And now I know the answer is about as fast as this Astra, whose 2 litre four-cylinder engine produces as much power now as the Ferrari’s 3 litre V8 did then. Vauxhall says the Astra will hit 60mph from rest in 6.2sec and reach 152mph all out, numbers that the 308 would struggle to match.



Real proof of how track-hardened this Astra is comes only when you drive it on the public road. The ride is firm, though on smooth German roads not uncomfortable, but if you turn out of a junction with just a smidgeon too much gusto, you’ll hear a chirrup of protesting tyre and a sharp tug at the wheel before the electronics come rushing to your assistance and dampen the engine’s all too evident ardour. The problem arises because, like almost all hatchbacks, the Astra is front-wheel drive and there is a practical limit to how much power you can direct through wheels that must also steer the car.

That said, had you given a front-drive car this much power and torque even 10 years ago the result would almost certainly have been undriveable, while the Astra simply requires a modicum of restraint to contain.

But there is another power-related problem that is more serious. To liberate so much power from such a small engine, the Astra’s unit has been turbocharged, so it would be natural to expect a small pause between your right foot hitting the accelerator and the engine responding. But in the Astra there’s often a big pause, during which a technically slower but more responsive car would already be surging past whatever you were trying to overtake. And then, just occasionally, when you take your foot off the throttle there’s another, shorter, pause before the engine cuts the power.

Don’t misunderstand me, this is not even close to being a safety issue but the fact that you’re never quite sure how the engine will react when you open or close the throttle will infuriate those keen on swift, smooth progress from one point to the next.



Otherwise, however, the Astra barely puts a foot wrong. The six-speed gearbox is excellent, while the huge, specially developed brakes are good enough to withstand the hammering offered up by the Nürburgring, so there are no conditions on the public road with which they will not cope with ease.

But by far the best thing about the Astra VXR is its £18,995 price, deliberately pitched £1,000 lower than the considerably less powerful (197bhp) and slower VW Golf GTI.

Two decades ago my choice came down to a Golf GTI or the the VXR’s equivalent ancestor, the Astra GTE, and I plumped for the VW because the Golf was easier to live with, even though I knew the Vauxhall was the better car to drive. Four generations of Golfs and Astras on, those differences remain as distinct today and, not being able to persuade my wife to move to the delightful village of Nürburg, I’d probably make the same decision again.

That probably says as much about me and my domestic circumstances as it does the Astra. Later this year Ford will launch its Focus ST220 — the XR3i’s spiritual successor — and the three pioneers of the hot hatch art will be once more at each other’s throats. Personally, I can’t wait.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Vauxhall Astra VXR
Engine type Four cylinders in line, 1998cc
Power/Torque 240bhp @ 5600rpm/ 236 lb ft @ 2400rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 30.4mpg (combined)/ 223g/km
Performance 0-60mph: 6.2sec/ Top speed: 152mph
Price £18,995
Verdict Better to drive than a Golf GTI
Rating 4/5

THE OPPOSITION

Model Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T £19,995
For Great handling, image, comfortable and practical
Against A little slow compared with the Astra

Model Honda Civic 2.0i-VTEC Type-R £16,680
For Astonishing engine, great fun, beautifully built
Against Soon to be replaced, uncompromising ride

[Desty]

I'm ripping just the VXR section of Top Gear now. When it's done, I'll post the torrent file. Don't expect fast downloads till a few people start seeding it.

[SSS_Hoon]

i dont use torrents how will i be able to get it?


SSS_Hoon

[MaximusSmurf]

i've got a compressed version that i just finished. i'll post a torrent for it and a direct link. its 120mb or so, is that ok?

and its a .divx file i hope thats ok.

[Aussie-in-London]

what is a torrent file?

[Desty]

yoiks!!!! 120mb for 7 minutes of video?!?!

[MaximusSmurf]

heres the torrent. my first time hosting so i hope it works.

Torrent (http://kurtek.serveftp.com/Shared%20Files/TopGear%20-%20Astra%20Turbo%20VXR%20Review.zip.torrent)

Direct Link (http://kurtek.serveftp.com/Shared%20Files/AstraVXRReview.0001.divx)

[Aussie-in-London]

not working

[MaximusSmurf]

u mean the torrent or the link?

both work for me. and there us one other person downloading the torrent thru azureus.

[SSS_Hoon]

wow 126mg.

can i use kazaa for the torrent?


SSS_Hoon

[Aussie-in-London]

will try on my comp when i get home from work tonight

[Aussie-in-London]

this is what the astra vxr beat on the track run on TG
Look what it beat...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/powerlaps/index.shtml



Mercedes SL 55 AMG - 1.33.2
Volkswagen Golf R32 - 1.33.2
Cadillac CTS-V - 1.33.3
Holden Monaro - 1.33.9
Volvo S60R - 1.35.0
Ferrari 575 - 1.35.2
Alfa 147 GTA - 1.35.6
Lotus Elise - 1.35.6
Aston Martin Vanquish - 1.36.2
Renault Clio v6 - 1.36.2
Honda Civic Type R - 1.36.5
Saab 95 hot aero - 1.37.9

cant be a bad car to drive after these results

[MaximusSmurf]

sorry guys. re-ripped the clip. now its only 46mb.

new torrent and direct link.

Torrent (http://kurtek.serveftp.com:81/Shared%20Files/TopGear%20Astra%20Turbo%20VXR%20Review.wmv.torrent )

Direct Link (http://kurtek.serveftp.com:81/Shared%20Files/TopGear%20Astra%20Turbo%20VXR%20Review.wmv)

Sorry about the stuffing around. should be all good now.

EDIT: Fixed.

[Dave]

nope both dead :S

[Aussie-in-London]

i cant open either one

[MaximusSmurf]

should be fixed. sorry again guys. gonna throw this server piece of shit out the window tomoz :evil:

[Desty]

Torrent - 29MB (http://www.desty.net/tmp/Top%20Gear%20-%20Astra%20VXR.avi.torrent)

[Shaun]

not working for me either?

[Aussie-in-London]

tried last night on my comp at home
and nope didnt work either

[Desty]

Try mine now. For some reason the tracker deleted the torrent.

[MaximusSmurf]

your works fine desty. dloading now. then i'll help seed.

[Aussie-in-London]

will try again tonight

[Adrian]

this is what the astra vxr beat on the track run on TG
Look what it beat...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/powerlaps/index.shtml



Mercedes SL 55 AMG - 1.33.2
Volkswagen Golf R32 - 1.33.2
Cadillac CTS-V - 1.33.3
Holden Monaro - 1.33.9
Volvo S60R - 1.35.0
Ferrari 575 - 1.35.2
Alfa 147 GTA - 1.35.6
Lotus Elise - 1.35.6
Aston Martin Vanquish - 1.36.2
Renault Clio v6 - 1.36.2
Honda Civic Type R - 1.36.5
Saab 95 hot aero - 1.37.9

cant be a bad car to drive after these results

F**K me, what a list of cars, then you see the opel at the end of it all, and then the impressive list of cars under the opel is even more astonishing. wow, thats tops :lol:

[Shaun]

i cant get the link to work. could someone please post a link that actually works please

[SSS_Hoon]

i cannot dl torrents.

how else can i get it

SSS_Hoon

[Mr Cali]

Do a google search for Azureus download this program and install. Click on the link then open with Azureus it should then start to download.

I have the whol of season 6 of Topgear, each 1hr episode is usually 300MB.

Clarkson loves the looks and the power, but bags the crap out of the handling etc. The Citreon with 40hp less was actually faster around that track due to handling. And the Golf GTI was slow as.

[rjastra]

The Citreon with 40hp less was actually faster around that track due to handling

You mean the Renault with 15 less hp :) And its the new Trophy version of the MEgane (500 built) with majorly updated suspension. The normal Megane 225 is a barge.

[Aussie-in-London]

Do a google search for Azureus download this program and install. Click on the link then open with Azureus it should then start to download.

I have the whol of season 6 of Topgear, each 1hr episode is usually 300MB.

Clarkson loves the looks and the power, but bags the crap out of the handling etc. The Citreon with 40hp less was actually faster around that track due to handling. And the Golf GTI was slow as.

I have been in contact with Stu Harris, he is the brand manager for vauxhall VXR and i have been informed that vxl had given TG 2 car to trial one was almost full spec and the other the original demo car
SRi suspension chassie breaks etc, one that was meant to be trialed on the track and they other Clarkson was meant to drive but the program switched the cars around. Following this Lotus have offered both the Stig and Clarkson driving lessons on handling a fwd car as the suspension and chassie is there design and make, even Golf aint to happy with the stig loosing the GTi on the track.
Have been invited up to Luton by Mr Harris this coming Thursday for a spin in the VXR prior to its launch 3rd week of Sept.

[Shaun]

Lucky Bastard....

[Adrian]

Finally seen it. Handels like a shopping trolley, and its got 220hp that equates to about 180kw doesnt it? what happend we get 147kw

[rjastra]

Finally seen it. Handels like a shopping trolley, and its got 220hp that equates to about 180kw doesnt it? what happend we get 147kw

Simple.. we get the basic SRiT which comes in 170 (125kw) and 200 (147kw) hp versions.

The Astra VXR is sorta equivalent to the difference between a Commodore SS and a HSV CLubsport.

[Aussie-in-London]

well i had the opportunity yesterday morning to drive the vxr (model that was used for the test on the ring in Germany and shat doesnt she go
minimal torque steer and turbo lag. This thing is fast, has great pick up and handles any tarmac your throw at it. Don't believe all you see and read until you experience it for yourself.