General Comments:

This car is great. It is very comfortable, nice to drive and in "Active" trim, with nice alloys, looks smart.

Handling is very good - it sticks to the road well, and has a good driving position.

No problems in terms of reliability - can't fault it.

Acceleration on the 1.4 is adequate for city driving, but maybe a bigger engine would be better for motorway etc. Stuck in traffic however, the 1.4 is fine.

Only criticism is the shape of the boot, which can make getting large items in difficult.

Faults:

Rear centre set-belt was fitted incorrectly (the buckle was fitted below the plastic stopper so the belt couldn't be used).

General Comments:

The MK5 Astra is leagues ahead of the mk4 Astra I used to own. It has a nice smooth ride, and the diesel engine is very quick.

The styling of the Sport hatch with the X-pack is spot on! It looks the business.

My car had the optional heated leather seats and sat-nav fitted from the factory. The heated seats are very nice on a cold morning, although I find the seats a little bit uncomfortable on long journeys (over 30 minutes); maybe this is just because they are relatively new and need to bed in???

The sat-nav is brilliant! Very clear and is very well designed; it works perfectly and does everything you would expect it to! Better than any Tom-Tom or Garmin unit! The only slightly annoying thing is that it doesn't accept the full 7 digit post codes :(

On a whole, the car is fun to drive, cheap to run, comfortable, fast, and looks the business!

The extra options such as leather seats are a must for that extra bit of luxury :) And thanks to Vauxhall's lead balloon depreciation, these cars are much cheaper than they were new! I paid £14800 for mine at 8 months old; purchased new it would have been over £21,000.

Faults:

Heater control unit for the air conditioning failed at ten months old.

Drivers side air vent broke in the closed position.

Offside rear tyre went pop at 2700 miles (not really a fault with the car though) and new tyre cost £178 fitted... ouch.

Car was poorly prepared by dealer for pick up by me (it was brand new) with various scuffs on the interior.

General Comments:

Like some of the other reviewers on this site, I test drove the Focus ST, Golf GTI, Golf R32, Octavia vRS, Impreza STI, BMW M3 and a used (three year old) 911 C2 before choosing the VXR. I chose it because it is simply the most rewarding and exciting car to drive out of the bunch. Yes it can be a wee bit unruly when you are pressing on, but the torque steer is really very minor, and hardly noticeable when you are concentrating. Unlike some media types, I tend to be gripping the steering wheel when driving hard, so perhaps this is why my car does not pull to the left?

It compares well with the Focus ST, which is a bit sedate and middle aged for me (but still a good car) whilst the Golf R32 is nose heavy and feels like a diesel to drive, and the Golf GTI is really, really slow, and feels like an ordinary family hatchback. The Impreza STI was a great drive, but I could not live with the image, whilst the Octavia vRS handles like a big slow barge.

The two more expensive cars, the BMW M3 and the used 911, were both very comfortable, fairly quick and good fun. The BMW is really nice inside and seems well built, but I was really surprised at the lack of pace; it was nothing like as quick as the performance figures would have you believe. The 911 is fairly quick, but pretty expensive (even a used one), and the tiny rear seats ruled it out for me, no matter how much I tried to kid myself on that I could live with it.

I have now had the VXR for over a year, and still think I made a reasoned choice. It is very easy to drive around town (in non sport mode), has surprising interior space for four people, and it really moves when out on quieter roads in the countryside.

Another reviewer stated that his VXR could be forced to under steer, and it is true that most powerful front wheel drive cars can be pushed into this, but it is not a problem I have had. It handles pretty well, corners in a flat and rapid manner, and only seems to get out of shape when the road is a bit too wet, or there are plenty of road repair marks for the wheels to tram line over.

It cannot be overstated just how blisteringly quick this car is when you thrash it; you really have to try one to see if you like the sensation (the noise from the standard exhaust and turbo charger is superb inside the car, but can become a bit wearing on sensitive ears). This is not a car for drivers who are not really very good at driving; the BMW or Golf is probably your best bet. The experience is brutal (but very enjoyable), however, if I had to drive every day (and I usually stick to two wheels so I do not have to), I could see how it could begin to lose its appeal.

The interior quality of the car is average, but the car is a good looking beast from the outside; it really is all about the driving experience (not the "ownership" experience) with this car.

Vauxhall dealers seem to get a bad review in the press and on forums, and in my experience they really deserve it. Once you have paid your cash, you become a nuisance who will be fobbed off if at all possible, or kept waiting for days for simple tasks to be carried out. Bear this in mind if you fancy trying a VXR, as this can detract from your enjoyment of the car.

The running costs are not too bad. I am old enough that insurance is not a real problem for me (£331 FC), and the mileage attainable is surprising for such a powerful machine; around 18 mpg when "making progress" to around 38 mpg on a long journey.

I hope this review will give you some ideas as to why some people like the VXR so much, but, if you can, you should do what I did and take long tests in all of the contenders to see what works for you.