Vauxhall MONARO VXR
Vauxhalls Monaro VXR Has Never Been Shy Of Power But Figuring That We Cant Get Enough Of A Good Thing,
Vauxhall Have Now Fitted A Six-Litre V8. Andy Enright Reports
It seems a strange thought to roll around your brain, but there must be a core group of buyers who felt that Vauxhalls original 382bhp Monaro VXR didnt quite have enough power. Think about that for a second. These customers felt the 5.2 second sprint to 60mph of the old VXR was a little limp and being able to see 175mph on the clock no great shakes.
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Although its worrying to think that such people could live in your neighbourhood, they will no doubt be utterly stoked at the prospect of Vauxhalls latest Monaro VXR. Packing a hairy-chested 6.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, this is a muscle car thats been raised on nandrolone and XXXX cocktails.
Badged as a Pontiac GTO in the USA, this car is a Holden in Australia, an Opel in Europe and a
Vauxhall over here. As a truly global car, it needs to comply with the strictest crash regulations in the world, and thats why when loading your bags into the latest VXRs boot, you could find yourself scratching your head. The fuel tank has been moved to a more sheltered position behind the rear seats, cutting carrying capacity from 370 litres to a modest 245. This has freed up space low down, allowing the Monaro to wear a flat aerodynamic undertray to help aerodynamics, as well as being fitted with a rorty straighter exhaust system.
The old 5.7-litre ironmongery has been bored out to fully 6.0-litres and peak power rises from 382 to 398bhp. Torque nudges up by 20Nm to 530Nm which is put into perspective by the fact that the VXR now comfortably outmuscles a
Lamborghini Gallardo.
In fact, this power boost is enough for the Monaro to claim the mantle of fastest Vauxhall ever from the iconic
Lotus Carlton of 1990. Driven back to back at an airfield venue, the twin turbocharged Carlton steps off the line more sharply than the heavier Monaro and pulls a few car lengths clear before the newer cars superior torque and aerodynamics claw back the advantage. The VXRs value proposition is similarly unbeatable. Back in 1990, the Lotus Carlton wore a £48,000 sticker price whereas today the Monaro VXR asks just £36,995 of its prospective purchaser.
Its also in another league when it comes to safety, security and sophistication.
"The gearchange has been finessed slightly. Its now like arm wrestling Nigel Benn rather than Lennox Lewis"
Granted, sophistication isnt always the first word that springs to mind when you drop into a Monaro. The cabin is adorned with VXR black leather and Alcantara sport seats and while a bit lairy for the more conservative amongst you, they nevertheless grip you very well when you choose to put the Monaro through its paces. A pair of extra engine indicators oil pressure and voltage indicator in the VXR instrument binnacle give a clue as to the cars intent. Externally the Monaro VXR has been upgraded with a deeper front air dam, rear spoiler and side body skirts.
If youve managed to miss all that, you cant fail to spot the enormous 19-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 245/35R19 tyres. The Monaro was originally developed on a tiny budget by Holden, an outpost of the General Motors empire that has achieved renown on the racetrack by shoehorning huge engines into merely large cars. GM have continued their policy of offering interesting niche sports cars by bringing the Monaro to the UK and badging it as a Vauxhall, selling what they reckon will total about 300 cars through a number of specially appointed dealers. Initial takeup for both standard and VXR Monaro has been good, hence the introduction of this uprated VXR model.
Should you disable the traction control, that amount of torque is easily enough to light the rear tyres up with only a gentle prod of the throttle from idle. Get a little more ambitious and youll find the steering nicely geared to catch big, lazy slides although youll need a lot of room preferably a runway or racetrack in order to pull this sort of move. Everything about the Monaro reminds you of its hefty physicality. The clutch requires a hefty shove, as do the brakes and the gear lever as you guide it around the six-speed box.
The shift has been finessed for the latest VXR but its still a physical thing. Believe it or not, but its a development of the box used by the Lotus Carlton! Sixth is massively high geared, which means that the Monaro can cruise at nearly 90mph with just 1,800rpm showing on the clock. Despite this, the Monaro VXR is still a thirsty beast in usual mixed driving conditions, the sheer temptation to plant the throttle at any given stretch of open road contributing to a rather poor combined fuel economy figure of 18.5mpg.
Its on typical British B-roads that you expect the Monaro to fall down. Yes, its doubtless a magnificent thing on a sweeping A-road or bullying its way through outside lane traffic on the M1 but when it comes to mixing it on a bumpy cross country route, something that big and bulky is going to struggle. Or so we figured. In fact the Monaro felt very composed, the body control being exemplary for such a big bruiser.
The steering and damper bushes have been upgraded, giving the helm a far more positive feel and the uprated rear dampers excise the old cars occasionally wallowy feel when executing the sort of manoeuvre where you need plenty of runoff and generate plenty of revenue for the Bridgestone tyre company.The 6.0-litre engine is actually 20kg less than the old 5.7-litre lump and its possible to feel the benefits in the sharpness of the latest VXRs turn-in.
Subtle it aint, but the latest Monaro VXR is a supremely convincing muscle car. At just £36,995 its also something of a bargain. Next to this, a
BMW M3 looks a little antiseptic.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Vauxhall Monaro VXR
PRICE: £36,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 385g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 180mph [approx] / 0-60mph 5.0s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 18.5 mpg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4670/1795/1363
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