Can the hottest Astra make for a thrilling and cost-effective used purchase, or is it just too unruly?
Is the Vauxhall Astra GTC VXR the hot hatch bargain of the year?Around £6000 will get you a 2012-reg car with a full service history and 95,000 miles on the clock. That’s around £4500 less than the equivalent Volkswagen Scirocco R and £2500 or so less than a Renault Mégane RS 250. So you can buy one and have money left for fuel, insurance and servicing – but should you?In fact, far from being a one-trick pony in familiar Vauxhall VXR style, the front-wheel-drive GTC VXR is an impressively rounded performance coupé that’s as happy cruising the motorway as it is dispatching corners.It’s well built, surprisingly roomy front and back and brimming with kit. It doesn’t look half bad outside either, while inside you could actually accuse it of being a little too classy. (A-pillar and rear visibility are poor, though.)It was launched in 2012 as the range-topper in the three-door Astra GTC line-up and bowed out in 2018, long after the new, seventh-generation Astra had gone on sale. Its predecessor, the Astra VXR, had won many admirers and, with rivals jostling for position, the pressure was on Vauxhall to deliver something better still.Accordingly, it gave the incoming model a new twin-scroll turbocharged all-alloy 2.0-litre engine from the Insignia but this time producing 276bhp and 295lb ft.Then, to keep the front wheels pointing the right way, it fitted the General Motors HiPer Strut suspension system that improves grip and allows more power to be applied during cornering.To reduce torque steer further, it added a motorsport-derived mechanical limited-slip differential by Drexler. FlexRide adaptive dampers gave a choice of three suspension modes: VXR, Sport and Normal.Our testers were impressed, praising the GTC VXR’s in-gear acceleration, sophisticated ride, smooth and accurate steering, composure and astonishing grip levels in fast corners, barely perceptible torque steer, strong Brembo brakes and cruising refinement.We awarded it four out of five stars, deducting a star for the way the rear end didn’t seem quite as willing to join the party as the front.“The VXR remains a touch inert,” we reported. “Its cornering all feels like it’s being done by the front end. The rear is faithful but lift off or turn in while trail-braking and there’s very little evidence, even with the stability control switched completely out, that the back end is willing to pitch in.”At least there was plenty else to occupy the driver, including a VXR button, which, when pressed, called up heightened levels of damper, throttle and steering control.Options for the car included VXR Performance seats with heat control and powered bolster adjustment (sports seats were fitted as standard), sat-nav (included with Navi 650 and 950 IntelliLink infotainment systems) and, most prized of all, the Aero pack, comprising 20in alloys, extended side sills and a bi-plane spoiler. It cost less than £1000 and most first owners chose it.Today, there’s a reasonable number of used VXRs to choose from, and despite the model being discontinued in 2018, some are approved used examples offering a belt and braces purchase. So what are you waiting for?
