Vauxhall VXR8

Vauxhall VXR8

Average. Expensive, irresponsible, thirsty and noisy, but great fun for it. The VXR8 is a likeable moment of madness.

Sometimes even the biggest, most sensible car manufacturers have their mad moments, and the VXR8 is Vauxhall's. The company itself admits that bringing the Australian super saloon over to the UK doesn't make total sense, but that is half the point.

The stats alone place it a world away from 90 percent of Vauxhall's range, with a 6.2-litre V8 engine producing 425bhp, fuel consumption at a claimed 21mpg (reality dictates you will see much worse than that), CO2 emissions of 320g/km and a price tag in excess of £50,000 for the GTS version.

That price means Vauxhall will not make a loss on the importing of the VXR8, but this is only achieved by keeping all costs to a minimum. As a result, the changes are minimal, making this to all intents and purposes a rebadged Holden. The steering wheel and mats still bear the Australian car's logo and the indicator stalk is on the right rather than the UK's almost ubiquitous left hand side.

Thankfully the engine has also been left untouched as well, and the result is a beast that produces an addictive roar every time you prod the accelerator. For all this remarkable shouting, it's a shame it is not quicker. A 0-60 time of 5.0 seconds is not slow, but it feels like it could be that bit more insane.

Bizarrely, the VXR8 is actually quite a practical vehicle once you've got past thinking about its engine. Rear passengers might not appreciate you throwing them around corners, but they will have plenty of room while you do it. Something this shouty and fast should not have room for five and a boot big enough for the weekly shop.

The interior also feels of a pleasingly high standard, and does not let the Vauxhall name down one bit. There are more toys than you might know what to do with, including a computer dubbed EDI (Enhance Driver Interface) that displays stats from the car's most recent hooray around the local lanes or circuit. It will record such things as torque, lap times and even the G-forces exerted on the car.

With that in mind, it is telling that the only two modes for the car are 'Performance' and 'Track', revealing the sort of owner this car might find. If those options don't make sense to you, best look elsewhere.

Its rarity - around 30 are expected to arrive off the boat from Australia each year - means it might be quite valuable in the future if you store it in a garage, but finding a back road to blast along to your local track day would be much more fun and entirely worthy of this car's insane nature.