Talking about the Insignia .. that new model is definitely headed in the right direction. Quite nice IMO. Hard to believe not so long ago in its place was ...the Vectra
What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
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What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
But so much bodywork, so little space inside. Makes me love the Panda more. The lovely tinny clang of the doors shutting, but no effort and only have to shut it once. The Fiesta needs every door shutting twice, the second time in anger.
Yesterday, couldn't fine a working car wash at the right time and place.
Today, darling cat, insisted 5:20am was the time to get up, as feeding her was imperative to prevent starvation. Or at least persistent clawing of the bed, carpet, my flesh, etc.
So at 5:30, I'm outside washing the car, not too hot yet, somehow relaxing and quite enjoyable, but sadly, the AA car, not the Panda. But now it is looking lovely (as lovely as a Fiesta can look) again, in white and AA yellow, instead of slightly beige.
6:45, had breakfast, and now a cup of tea. Ready for another horrible hot day.
Today, darling cat, insisted 5:20am was the time to get up, as feeding her was imperative to prevent starvation. Or at least persistent clawing of the bed, carpet, my flesh, etc.
So at 5:30, I'm outside washing the car, not too hot yet, somehow relaxing and quite enjoyable, but sadly, the AA car, not the Panda. But now it is looking lovely (as lovely as a Fiesta can look) again, in white and AA yellow, instead of slightly beige.
6:45, had breakfast, and now a cup of tea. Ready for another horrible hot day.
Really not the same thing as the W8. There is nothing low key about any VXR. And the Vauxhall was never a stepping stone to a legendary car.
Ignoring the fact the insignia is in your face a moment.
It was more that you look at the components and expect greatness, but the reality begs to differ.
They only sold around 20 manual W8s, the auto does 0-60 in 8.1..so that's barely faster than your 2.0tdi and slower than most fast cars and direct rivals in period, it's only 1 second faster than a Passat 1.8t. Then there's the fact the Passat was never renowned for being a good steer and adding 4wd and a w8 did not improve the situation. While it's a mechanical oddity it has no Q car value as it's not fast enough, a Golf GTD would leave it as would a 2.0 tdi biturbo Passat in the current range. This leaves you with an extremely thirsty Passat that would bankrupt you if you have an engine fault.
Technically interesting definitely and from a period when VW was making some interesting odd balls, (v5 golf anyone?) rather than endless 2.0 turbos in different states of tune. But no it doesn't light my fire.
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With the previous shape Passat, at 1 point, they made an R36 model: somehow, I doubt that was a sales success as well...
I thought interesting was the point, I can demonstrate a whole host of 'fast' cars non of which are particularly interesting.
There is nothing interesting about anything Vauxhall make or have made in a long while, the last Vauxhall that was of any interest was the VX220 which was a lotus with a Vauxhall badge. Before that there we're the 80s and 90s Astra GTE, opal manta, lotus Carlton, now al they sell are dull as dishwater family hatchbacks and cross overs.
VW still at least produce some ludicrous models like the R and multiple special edition GTis not to mention the phaeton or the V10 Diesel engine. TFSI with a turbo and a supercharger.
Fiat have a go with the twinair. Fiat basically changed the automotive world with the multijet. Ford came up with the eco boost while not scared to put the 5.0 litre V8 in the mustang.
If you want interesting you have to really be scraping the absolute bottom of a very deep barrel to find anything of interest coming out of Vauxhall's camp.
It doesn't have to be something you would fall over yourself to own to be interesting. I have no interest whatsoever in Japanese cars but there are lots of interesting jap cars out there that are legends in their own right.
The Passat W8 was in essence the foundation for the Veyron and subsequently the Chiron which are both two of the most coveted cars ever made.
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Buying brake pads for the 156 earlier...
A6 UJB? Is that a private plate?
"Yeah, it came with the car. Shame really as my initials are RJB".
You should change your name to something beginning with U. Like Eugene.
A6 UJB? Is that a private plate?
"Yeah, it came with the car. Shame really as my initials are RJB".
You should change your name to something beginning with U. Like Eugene.
To me it's not disparaging to compare it to a insignia vxr. That car is actually very comprehensively engineered compared to a normal insignia. It has user adjustable haldex 4wd, a torque vectoring rear diff, turbo V6, anti torque steer set up at the front. Its even available as an estate. Unfortunately it's all undone by a kerbweight that gives it it's own gravity.
Yes Vauxhalls back catalogue is filled with half arse cars but they did actually try with it.
Yes Vauxhalls back catalogue is filled with half arse cars but they did actually try with it.
Ok so you're sat in a pub and someone asks you what you drive and you say
'I have a Vauxhall insignia' they look at the blankly... so you add
"It's actually very comprehensively engineered compared to a normal insignia. It has user adjustable haldex 4wd, a torque vectoring rear diff, turbo V6, anti torque steer set up at the front"
That is the point you have conclusively proven just how boring that car is.
The fact you've had to try and explain why it's not boring is the tipping point into being a very boring car.
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I don't know if they'd be classed as interesting or not, but Vauxhall has made some pretty bonkers VXR models, and they brought the Monaro over to the UK.
They also revolutionised the people carrier segment, by creating a compact 7 seater based on a small family car platform when they launched the Zafira.
They also revolutionised the people carrier segment, by creating a compact 7 seater based on a small family car platform when they launched the Zafira.
But by that token "i drive a VW Passat" is just a damning..especially if you then go on to explain at length how it lead to the veyron.
"I've got a Passat with half a Bugatti under the bonnet"
You don't need to say anything else, because the questions will then flow from the other party.
If someone doesn't want to know more about that, they weren't very interested in the first place, and probably bought a Vauxhall.
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Unless they've actually heard of the Passat W8, they'll probably just think you're talking out of your exhaust pipe, whereas if you say that you drive an Insignia VXR, they might know what you're talking about.
That's why with the Passat, people will ask questions, even with disbelief they will want to know more.
With VXR you'll be lucky if they don't fall asleep.
Nobody has been excited about Vauxhall for the last 20 years.
I seem to recall that topgear basically stopped reviewing anything Vauxhall produced as it just wasn't interesting enough.
Now you mentioned the Monaro above, this was a brave move by Vauxhall but... it was a Holden with a Vauxhall badge. And. Although it had a V8 nailed under the bonnet, it still managed to carry on the Vauxhall boringness and steered like an ocean liner in a rough sea.
Oddly enough my best man had one of these for 2 years, and I don't think he ever compared it to an ocean liner or called it boring, his main comments involved drifting. It lead to him buying a superbike as he couldn't get a fast car to replace it. The proper uk VXR versions had uprated steering and brakes over the Holden/Pontiac versions. But as I've had to explain that it's boring by default.
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My mate used to have an Audi A8 W12
It needed work doing to it. Some sensor issue in a typical VaG way. He got the car back from his local Audi dealership £1,400 lighter and it stopped working after a few days.
To get to this sensor they knocked a plastic pipe off the inlet and stuck it back on with silicone.
Not impressed at all he went back and they said it was repaired to their standards and invited him to leave.
He plastic welded the pipe back on, went to a different Audi dealer and traded it in for an RS5
When it was working that A8 was a monster of a thing.
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Meh, with the exception of Jags, big cars just don't interest me tbh.
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It was a reverse Womlings effect. Basically standing twenty feet away from the A8 was like standing thirty feet away from an A4
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On the topic of Jag's we had three separate XF's in limp mode due to the heat today. One crawling along the A17 at 20mph, one in Tesco car park and another on a back road I took home.
Hot air going into the MaF sent the ECU's crazy and my resettermebob wasn't up to date. Meh.
Hot air going into the MaF sent the ECU's crazy and my resettermebob wasn't up to date. Meh.
