Vauxall Zafira joins the Elite

Vauxhall has introduced a new top-of-the-range luxury variant of the Zafira to further strengthen its position as the leader in its market segment. Loaded with standard equipment and offering great value for money with on-the-road prices starting at only £18,950, the new Elite is at Vauxhall retailers now.

As well as the innovative Flex7 seating arrangement with which the Zafira broke the mould in the MPV market, the Elite comes with full leather trim, electronic climate control, cruise control, CD30 stereo with MP3 socket, alloy wheels, a multifunction trip computer and a sight and light
pack, which incorporates automatic lighting control, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers and an electro-chromatic self-dipping interior mirror.

Engine choices include 1.8i 16v, 2.2 16v Direct and 2.0i 16v Turbo petrol engines, or a choice of 120PS or 150PS 1.9-litre CDTi diesels. Vauxhall’s clutchless Easytronic gearbox is available on 1.8-litre models, with a conventional automatic offered on all other variants except the 2.0 Turbo.

As well as introducing the new flagship, Vauxhall has reduced the price of the entry-level Zafira Expression, making it the least expensive seven-seat monocab on the market, even undercutting rivals from the Far East.

Available with Vauxhall’s sophisticated 1.6-litre Twinport engine, the award-winning MPV costs just £12,995 on-the-road yet includes such equipment as a stereo-radio CD player, electric windows and mirrors, multiple airbags, a 12v auxiliary power socket, a height adjustable driver’s Seat and remote control central deadlocking.

New Vauxhall Tigra Exclusiv Red edition

With spring just around the corner, every driver dreams of catching some rays in a stylish and dynamic drop top. Now there is a way to get the most Exclusiv roadster on the street at a surprisingly affordable price.

The new Tigra Exclusiv Red edition is based on the Sport model, but features an extra £1,350 worth of goodies for no additional cost.

Perhaps Tigra Exclusiv Red’s most distinct feature is the bold interior. The two seats and door trim inserts are trimmed in scarlet leather, and the red treatment is even mirrored in the gear lever surround.

This is complemented with the usual classy fixtures you would expect from Tigra such as a leather covered steering wheel, alloy effect centre console and gear knob insert.

It’s not just the interior which gets the Exclusiv look. This special Tigra is available in three metallic or pearlescent colours, Metro Blue, Star Silver and Black Sapphire, each with the distinctive silver-finish targa roof bar. The Tigra Exclusiv Red also sits on uniquely-finished 17-inch alloy wheels.

As with all Tigras, it’s not just the sunny weather which makes the Exclusiv Red shine. The hard top roof raises up in just 20 seconds to make the car as snug and secure as a coupe, and the leather seats are heated to make open top driving even more comfortable during cooler months. If the sun gets too hot, then air conditioning is standard to make sure you can keep looking – and feeling – cool.

A choice of two petrol engines are available, a nippy 1.4-litre and a punchy 1.8-litre. Both are available now from Vauxhall retailers, with prices starting at £15,515.

Vauxhall GTC

Сoolest two-door to be unveiled in Switzerland: the Vauxhall GTC (GranTurismo Concept).

Vauxhall's official line is that this two-door sport coupe is a design exercise indicating its future styling direction.

Sadly the firm says it has no plans to produce a coupe in the near future, so it seems much more likely that the GTC is a stylistic forerunner for the next-generation Vectra, due to appear sometime in the middle of 2008.

It might sound a bit far-fetched, but Vauxhall has a history of producing coupe concept versions of non-coupe production cars - the new Antara was initially shown off in coupe guise before morphing into a production soft-roader.

So stick another couple of doors on the GTC, raise the roofline, and cut back on the bling and you might just be looking at the next Vectra.

The GTC is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 developing 300bhp - an engine that General Motors is unveiling in Geneva and which Vauxhall says could find its way into a production car very soon.

It puts the power to the road through an adaptive four-wheel-drive system that electronically adjusts the power distribution between front and rear wheels for maximum grip.

Once again, Vauxhall has hinted that it won't be long before this technology makes an appearance in its current line-up.

However, we don't reckon you'll see many Vauxhalls on the road with matt-grey paint, 20-inch machine-polished alloys and LED night-lights for a while to come.

source: topgear

See also:
Vauxhall VXR8
Vaux in the box
First Drive: Vauxhall Astra 1.6T 180 SRi

Vauxhall VXR8

Like the distant cries from the mad uncle locked in the attic, we hear that Vauxhall has another barmy Aussie motor on the way, just waiting to howl at the moon.

The Antipodean is called the VXR8, so it won't take a forensic scientist to work out that there's a big old V8 lurking under the bonnet.

It's the same 6.0-litre 420bhp monster that we last saw in the end-of-line Monaro VXRs, and in this VXR8 saloon, this is enough to see off 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, although there's no word on top speed as yet.

Sticking with rear-wheel drive, the VXR8 comes with either a six-speed manual gearbox or, included for the first time, a five-speed auto.

The auto attracts a £1,400 premium, but when the VXR8 costs only £34,995, we reckon you can afford to indulge in a few extras when the car goes on sale in July.

Source: topgear

See also:
First Drive: Vauxhall Astra 1.6T 180 SRi
Vaux in the box

Vaux in the box

Ah, the great gap between concept and reality.
We rather liked the Vauxhall Antara concept that we saw a year-and-a-half ago - a swoopy, funky little SUV with coupe stylings.
Eighteen months on and this is what we get as a production model. A dull-as-daytime-TV soft-roader.

Targeting the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4 - and impressively managing to be even more anodyne and unthreatening than either - the Antara is Vauxhall's first 4x4 since the Frontera died a little-mourned death in 2004.

Perhaps its most telling feature is what Vauxhall is calling Intelligent Four-Wheel Drive.

Basically it means that the Antara operates in two-wheel-drive mode for everyday, on-road use, and only switches to the full-four when it hits the slippery stuff.

Call us cynics, but we don't reckon that'll happen often in Bromley.

This half-baked four-wheel-drive system does at least have the benefit of decent economy.

The two-litre turbodiesel - yep, that's the top-of-the-range engine - returns 38mpg on the combined cycle, or for big thrills you could choose the 2.4-litre four-pot petrol unit.

The diesel comes with the option of a five-speed manual or auto gearbox, while you'll have to make do with the manual 'box if you specify the petrol engine.

Elsewhere, kit levels are pretty comprehensive with top spec 'SE' models getting, well, just about everything. Good thing too, as a range-topping Antara will set you back £27,695 when it arrives in July.

First Drive: Vauxhall Astra 1.6T 180 SRi

First opinion

As the best-selling compact family car after the Ford Focus, Vauxhall knows not to mess with a successful formula – hence the Astra’s mildly updated looks. The new 1.6 Turbo engine is brilliant, though; it’s powerful, efficient and very clean. And while the Focus still has the edge, it makes for a fun driving experience. With prices increasing only slightly given the considerable leap in performance, the Astra represents better value than ever.

Cabin gets fresh trim, while design is sharper. New turbo combines pace and economy.

Don’t worry; your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This really is the revised and updated Astra. But while the minor cosmetic changes aren’t likely to get many pulses racing among enthusiasts, what’s now sitting under the bonnet most definitely will.

That’s because flagship versions of the compact family hatchback get the manufacturer’s latest 1.6-litre turbocharged engine – a unit that already takes a starring role in the Corsa VXR and is set to appear in the forthcoming all-new Vectra in 2008.

Replacing the old Astra’s 170bhp and 200bhp 2.0-litre turbo powerplants, the new engine pumps out a healthy 177bhp and a useful 230Nm of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard.

Completing the benchmark sprint from 0-60mph in 7.8 seconds, and accelerating on to a maximum speed of 137mph, the newcomer is quicker than the outgoing 170bhp car (which covered 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds). It’s nearly as fast as the 200bhp variant (7.7 seconds), and has enough pace at its disposal to keep up with today’s hottest hatches.

But the figures alone can’t do the new engine justice, as one of its most impressive features is its power delivery. The strong low-down urge continues throughout the rev range, making for rapid progress and easy overtaking. It’s also commendably smooth, and quiet at motorway speeds.

You would expect there to be a price to pay for this performance – both at the fuel pumps and in terms of emissions. But the new 1.6-litre manages to be more economical and cleaner than the previous 170bhp 2.0, returning 36.7mpg on the combined cycle (up 6mpg) and cutting CO2 output from 216g/km to 185g/km.

That would save company drivers as much as £758 a year in benefit-in-kind tax, and private buyers would also see their road fund licence fee drop from £190 to £150. Yet while the new engine is powerful, frugal and clean, most customers – whether business or retail – would be better off with the 150bhp 1.9-litre CDTI turbodiesel Astra instead.

As well as the turbo, the revised Astra is offered with an updated 1.6-litre Twinport petrol powerplant. This benefits from a power hike, taking it from 105bhp to 115bhp.

Visual changes have been kept to a minimum, though. There are new lights all-round and a restyled front bumper, while inside you get a choice of piano black or matt chrome trim.

The driving experience is as good as ever, with a firm but well controlled ride, excellent agility and accurate steering – although it’s not as sharp as the set-up in Ford’s Focus.

Prices haven’t changed drastically, either. The new 1.6-litre Turbo is only £220 more than the old 2.0, while other models rise see an increase of a mere £15. It all adds up to an even better package than before.

Price: £18,220

Engine: 1.6-litre petrol, 177bhp

0-62mph: 7.8 seconds

Top speed: 137mph

Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Economy: 38.7mpg

CO2: 185g/km

Service intervals: 20,000 miles

Standard equipment: Four airbags, ESP stability control, climate control, automatic headlights, alloy wheels

On sale: Now

By Jan Horn
www.autoexpress.co.uk