“The Astra VXR owes
  much to Vauxhall’s
  British Touring Car
  Championship
  successes. It’s wild,
  willing and yes, you’ll
  want one...”

A COLLEAGUE OF MINE who
got his hands on the Vauxhall Astra VXR three-door hatch-back before me — mine was damaged by a previous road-tester — said if the VXR was a person it would be issued with an Asbo. And having now got
to grips with this motorsport-derived hot-hatch I can confirm it really is today's wild child of motoring.

All too often manufacturers turn out high-performance cars that on paper have real performance but when driven have had the thrill of driving refined out of them by today's on-board technical wizardry.

Which is why it makes a refreshing change to come across a real out-and-out stormer that, if you are too inexperienced or you have no concept of driving within your own — and the car's — limitations, will bite you back.

Vauxhall applies the VXR insignia — taken from their motorsport activities — to the really hot models in their range above and beyond the sporty Sri-badged versions. Vauxhall says the VXR badge is only given to models with a race-bred DNA developed from the British Touring Car Championship successes. So we have the VXR Astra, VXR Monaro, VXR Vectra and, surprisingly, the new VXR Zafira and Meriva people carriers.

Early indications of customer profiles suggest a 50:50 split between retail buyers and company car or user-choosers. And the majority of them are ticking all the boxes and ordering the full range of options. Over 1,000 units have already been sold and May delivery dates are now being quoted.

The Astra VXR has been designed and tuned in the UK and created with the needs of the British motorists in mind. Vauxhall and Lotus have between them further tweaked the chassis — already one of the best in the industry — and the set-up is now uniquely tailored for British roads rather than pan-European straight-line highways with smooth road surfaces.

I suppose the two main rivals in the hot-hatch sector to the Astra VXR are the VW Golf GTI/R32 and the new Ford Focus ST. The Golf is probably the best compromise between quality, refinement and performance. The Focus ST is good, but lacks real bite. And so it is the Astra VXR that's the real racing machine. If budget is a consideration then the other hot newcomer — the £17,500 Skoda Octavia vRS — is cheaper and livelier than the Golf.

The Astra VXR costs £18,995, but the real numbers of interest are the power output (237bhp), the performance (the 0-62mph dash is covered in 6.2 seconds) and the top speed — 152mph.

Delivering 237bhp of turbocharged power and 236lb ft of torque through the front wheels is never an easy task. The Astra VXR does need to be handled with care. It will surprise you. Torque-steer is very evident, but controllable with care, and you need to learn the knack for getting the best acceleration. Using a heavy right foot will not allow the front wheels much chance to find grip under hard acceleration in first, second and third gears. Use first gear to get moving, slip it briefly into second and then use the maximum torque on hand from 2,400rpom onwards to whisk you away from the competition.

The six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox is great. And it's great to find a six-speed manual 'box which you can fully use on A and B roads rather than just on motorways. Really well sorted gear ratios allow you to make the best use of the turbocharged power right through the range, and it is delivers really silky-smooth and very precise gear-changes. Because of the torque available, you can chose to adopt 'block' gearchanging techniques very easily.

Fast and furious driving is not to be recommended — mostly because it will hurt you in your pocket. Push the VXR hard and expect around 21mpg. But use it sensibly while still driving it pretty quickly within the legal limits and, like me, you should see 29.6mpg — almost spot-on with Vauxhall's official combined figure of 30.4mpg.

The anti-lock brakes are strong and give the driver bags of confidence. The lowered and tuned suspension is very compliant, and absorbs potholes and bumps pretty well, although it is firm. Even with the large alloy road wheels and low profile tyres it is generally a comfortable car, although road noise generated by the wide tyres can be intrusive on some road surfaces.

The grip — other than in heavy-handed straight-line acceleration mode — is very good. The car hangs on well during high speed cornering and the VXR has a sharp and accurate steering response. Handling is helped by the standard-fit electronic stability programme which, unlike some, does not take away the fun of driving. Recaro sports-style seats keep you firmly in place during the action.

This Astra is not cheap but it is well equipped, with lots of kit ranging from electric windows, air conditioning, CD player, deadlocks, alarm and a driver information computer. Side and curtain airbags are standard.

The exterior of the Astra VXR leaves you in no doubt as to the role of this car. The body-styling kit gives it a low and mean looking profile and the 18-inch alloy wheels fill the wheel arches nicely. There are elements of 'bling' about the exterior looks of the car — lots of gleaming brightwork — but it will impress your friends, particularly if they like 'bold statement' cars.

Above all, the VXR is all about unleashed driving fun and performance. It's very quick, roomy for four and — if you can afford it — buy one. Be warned, though, that the residual values are unlikely to be as strong as those for a Golf GTi. And finally, do be careful how you go in it — the Astra VXR will bite. And it has very sharp teeth! — David Miles

Vauxhall Astra VXR 3-door | £18,995 Maximum speed: 152mph | 0-62mph: 6.2 seconds Test MPG: 30.4mpg | Power: 237bhp | Torque: 236lb ft Visit Vauxhall's website