Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-RL: driving the ludicrous V8 saloon

The 587bhp Vauxhall is now down to its final 15. Boo

There will be no more V8 Vauxhalls after these final 15 VXR8 GTS-R special editions have been sold. Based on a Holden from Australia, GM’s division down under has canned local production, meaning Vauxhall’s sole source of eight-cylinder cars is to end. So it’s decided to send them out with a bang.

What we have here, then, is a 587bhp rear-wheel drive monster, all badged with GTS-R monikers and selling for a hefty £74,500. That’s the sort of cash you normally shell out on fast Merc-AMGs, not Vauxhalls. But then, this is a car that will do 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds despite its monstrous 1880kg kerbweight…

Helping harness this volcanic output are a limited slip differential, fancy torque vectoring by braking and, if all that isn’t enough, gigantic 410mm front brake discs. It’s nothing short of a colossus, and as far removed from sophisticated modern German alternatives as can be.

For example, it has a manual gearbox option as well as an auto: it does not get more hairy-chested than this. It also, sadly, has nasty, cheap, plasticky interior trim and the most laughable fake carbonfibre trim on the dash. But then, it also has shedloads of space, and a surprisingly supportive and plush set of seats that give you the sideways support you need when you have a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 under the bonnet (sorry, hood).

There’s plenty of hooligan highlights in how it drives. The V8 boom is ridiculous, particularly above 4500rpm when valves in the exhaust open up. Needless to say, the engine is also glorious, pulling with nuclear intensity through a gearbox whose ratios feel like they could take you to space.

The thing finds surprising traction on twisting roads and it’s more incisive than you’d expect such a big, heavy saloon car to be. Yes, it rolls, and you have to be patient with it at times, but it’s still game enough to roll up its sleeve, even if it does at times feel like it’s all clad in a cloak of rubber. This isn’t some sort of responsive alternative to a Mercedes-AMG E63, but it is still fun in its own right.

And then you can settle back, disengage Performance mode and savour something that is not unlike a four-door GT car: it’s roomy, effortless and wonderfully laid back. You do indeed feel you could drive it to the moon and back. Provided you can swallow 18mpg at best, that is.

It’s not always a given in modern cars, but this is a Vauxhall that oozes character. It’s probably not likely to lure across a single BMW or Mercedes buyer, but we have no doubt 15 petrolheaded enthusiasts will think it’s an absolute bargain that they must have in their garage. And we completely understand why.

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R
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On sale Now
Price £74,500
Engine Supercharged V8, 6162cc, petrol
Power 587bhp at 6150rpm
Torque 546lb ft at 3850rpm
Gearbox Six-speed manual
Kerb weight 1880kg
Top speed 155mph
0-60mph 4.2sec
Economy 18.0mpg
CO2 373g/km
Rivals BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E63

Rob Adams is a writer for AutoCar.