Opel Vauxhall revealed today the hotted-up VXR (OPC) version of the gorgeous new Astra. It’s got 280 horsepower.
At first glance it appears to be just like the previous Astra OPC, very beautiful, very powerful, but kinda edgy and hard to live with.
The car has a tower of power in form of a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine with 280 hp and 400 Nm of torque, but it’s still very front-wheel-drive. Those of you who know about the old hot Astra are probably thinking about torque steer already. To make sure that is not the case, Vauxhall has fitted the new car with a trick mechanical limited slip differential.
The LSD works in harmony with the sophisticated HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) also used in the Astra GTC, and carefully tuned chassis to minimize the side effects of that massive torque, putting it into good use to take the car to its top speed of 155 mph with no drama.
The Astra VXR also comes with Vauxhall’s fully adaptive FlexRide system with a Sport button for more focused stages of damper, throttle and steering control, and standard Brembo brakes.
Even better than the technical stuff, we think, is the way this car looks. As far as hot hatches go, this Astra is one of the prettiest. The base car is a good-looking brute, but this one with its sculpted sport bumpers, side skirts, an aerodynamic roof spoiler and two exhaust tail pipes in a trapeze shape, is just fantastic.
The interior is also a pleasant place with bespoke performance seats with embossed logos in the backs, a flat-bottomed VXR steering wheel and upgraded instruments.
It would be a difficult job choosing between this and the GTC. The most powerful engine you can get with the GTC has 180 PS, but it will be cheaper. But the VXR is more fun… and it has a cooler name… VXR!
