THERE’S no rest for the wicked at Vauxhall! Only weeks after the Insignia’s British Motor Show launch, engineers were back in Germany honing the range’s performance flagship – the fire-breathing VXR. The black disguise worn by this development car shows it is no ordinary Insignia hatch.
Underneath is a deeper, lower front bumper with enlarged air intakes to cool the engine and brakes. In production form, the car will wear a chrome Vauxhall badge on the grille, which will also feature sporty mesh to
further distinguish the VXR.
The Insignia gains sculpted sills, larger twin exhausts and a reworked rear bumper. Sports suspension and low-profile tyres on 18-inch alloys aid handling, and larger brakes cope with
the uprated performance.
Under the bonnet is a reworked version of the firm’s 2.8-litre V6 turbo petrol unit, producing 280bhp, or a 247bhp 2.9 V6 turbodiesel. Both will be available with six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes.
Importantly, the fastest Insignia will be the first four-wheel-drive VXR, ensuring all of the power is transmitted to the road. It’ll be available in saloon, hatch and estate variants, priced at around £28,000 to firmly undercut rivals such as the £30,990 VW Passat R36. The VXR will join the Insignia
range from next autumn.
Spied: 2010 Opel/Vauxhall Insignia OPC/VXR
