Scoob Vs Astra Turbo.
20 November 2002, 03:51 PM
#31
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Deleted in the interest of good handling vauxhalls everywhere ;-)
[Edited by Pie_n_Chips - 11/20/2002 3:53:37 PM]
[Edited by Pie_n_Chips - 11/20/2002 3:53:37 PM]
20 November 2002, 04:00 PM
#33
20 November 2002, 04:06 PM
#34
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Can't compare their performance but would like to add two points:
1. A mate of mine works for the company that does all the Lotus testing - they tested a few of the spory Astra's (not sure which) and his recommendation was very clear - but it, play with, BUT get rid of it before it gets too old - as they are not built to last. They don't perform well when put under pressure for any length of time.
2. I bought the new SRI when it was first launched (I appeciate that the turbo is in a different league). I have never had a car with so many faults. I believe I had more 'factory' faults that GM has factories !! The main dealer didn't care - needless to say I'll never buy another one.
I love my scoob, but if you want to start comparing performance - try a skyline- that's when the fun starts !!!
[Edited by sexy-blue-scoob - 11/20/2002 4:09:27 PM]
1. A mate of mine works for the company that does all the Lotus testing - they tested a few of the spory Astra's (not sure which) and his recommendation was very clear - but it, play with, BUT get rid of it before it gets too old - as they are not built to last. They don't perform well when put under pressure for any length of time.
2. I bought the new SRI when it was first launched (I appeciate that the turbo is in a different league). I have never had a car with so many faults. I believe I had more 'factory' faults that GM has factories !! The main dealer didn't care - needless to say I'll never buy another one.
I love my scoob, but if you want to start comparing performance - try a skyline- that's when the fun starts !!!
[Edited by sexy-blue-scoob - 11/20/2002 4:09:27 PM]
20 November 2002, 06:45 PM
#35
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Well from the one I've been in, I'd say:
- slower on boost in the lower gears than a standard bugeye, but high speed work benefits from aerodynamics. The one I drove was only a few hundred miles old, so may have been slower as it was tight.
- pulls much stronger from much lower rpm, you'd hardly know it's a turbo as it comes in very early and without the "whoosh"
- handling is really pretty decent for a front driver, although it has Vauxhall habit of being safe rather than outright entertaining. Designed so that reps and muppets don't crash it!
- slower on boost in the lower gears than a standard bugeye, but high speed work benefits from aerodynamics. The one I drove was only a few hundred miles old, so may have been slower as it was tight.
- pulls much stronger from much lower rpm, you'd hardly know it's a turbo as it comes in very early and without the "whoosh"
- handling is really pretty decent for a front driver, although it has Vauxhall habit of being safe rather than outright entertaining. Designed so that reps and muppets don't crash it!
20 November 2002, 06:52 PM
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a bloke in my town has one of those 888 ones, and i was at the traffic lights minding my own, when he decided to speed off when they went green of course.... and me in my usual silly ways thought im not having that...
much to my girlfriends disgust, i decided to catch him which i did, he did have a head start but as soon as i got into 4th i started to reel him in and as i went past he gave me a little wave... nice gesture for once..!!!!
Dan
edited to say my car is an MY95 WRX with 261bhp..
[Edited by dhorwich - 11/20/2002 6:53:14 PM]
much to my girlfriends disgust, i decided to catch him which i did, he did have a head start but as soon as i got into 4th i started to reel him in and as i went past he gave me a little wave... nice gesture for once..!!!!Dan
edited to say my car is an MY95 WRX with 261bhp..
[Edited by dhorwich - 11/20/2002 6:53:14 PM]
20 November 2002, 07:19 PM
#38
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Earlier this year I was outpaced by a modified (must have been) Astra coupe. I've got a 300BHP Sti V5 and got the shock of my life. The guy knew the roads better than me and I wasn't full out but still surprised me how well the Astra handled.
Would take Scoob any day of the week though.
Would take Scoob any day of the week though.
20 November 2002, 08:34 PM
#39
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Ive had 6 Astras, all older types but have had a shot of the newer Turbo. I had a mk1 1.2 Mk2 1.3, 1.6, 1.8Sri, 8VGTE x2 and a 16VGTE.
All of these cars ran very well, I loved having them because they were quite nice to look at, easy to maintain, cheap to maintain, highly Tunable. For me it was a starting point, people are always going to argue but the way I see it these cars were built as workhorses bog standard A to B motors, the GTE's had a few more frills but there still Standard road cars. Just the same as all the other manufacturers Gti's.
The newer turbo still retains the Vauxhall Workhorse/Salseman status its just theyve added a Turbo. It seems that these cars get taken out of there context, its simple to see what Mitsubishi and Subaru had in mind when they put together the Evo and Impreza, then you compare that to the likes of an Astra. Not really a fair game.
You get what you pay for and at £18K for a brand new Astra Coupe, thats all I woould expect.
Going back to my earlier cars Vauxhall have a nast habbit of leaving there heads in the sand. The early design of the 16V (XE engine) belonged to Cosworth and was intended to be used as a Turbo engine, it turned out to be bullit proof. Once Vauxhall took over the making of these engines they cut corners from the orginal Cosworth design and used less Alluminuim in the making of the Heads, thus causing these heads to go pourus but they still continued to produce them! These engines were used right across the model range. Anyway, useless information over.
Ive still got the Mk1 Astra im gonna be putting a 1.6 into it to use to phart around in. I suppose thats the beauty of these smaller older cars there a bit more user friendly when it comes to things like gearbox changing or Engine Transplants.
All of these cars ran very well, I loved having them because they were quite nice to look at, easy to maintain, cheap to maintain, highly Tunable. For me it was a starting point, people are always going to argue but the way I see it these cars were built as workhorses bog standard A to B motors, the GTE's had a few more frills but there still Standard road cars. Just the same as all the other manufacturers Gti's.
The newer turbo still retains the Vauxhall Workhorse/Salseman status its just theyve added a Turbo. It seems that these cars get taken out of there context, its simple to see what Mitsubishi and Subaru had in mind when they put together the Evo and Impreza, then you compare that to the likes of an Astra. Not really a fair game.
You get what you pay for and at £18K for a brand new Astra Coupe, thats all I woould expect.
Going back to my earlier cars Vauxhall have a nast habbit of leaving there heads in the sand. The early design of the 16V (XE engine) belonged to Cosworth and was intended to be used as a Turbo engine, it turned out to be bullit proof. Once Vauxhall took over the making of these engines they cut corners from the orginal Cosworth design and used less Alluminuim in the making of the Heads, thus causing these heads to go pourus but they still continued to produce them! These engines were used right across the model range. Anyway, useless information over.
Ive still got the Mk1 Astra im gonna be putting a 1.6 into it to use to phart around in. I suppose thats the beauty of these smaller older cars there a bit more user friendly when it comes to things like gearbox changing or Engine Transplants.
20 November 2002, 09:07 PM
#41
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When I took the car out yesterday, it didnt occur to me to chuck it round the bends.
I dont know if it is faster, but all I am saying is that it felt faster (I own a bugeye with 271 BHP) than mine ! which when you think about it is quite shocking ?
Oh, by the way the car only had 1500 miles on it, so I guess it would get even faster after loosning up !
Have they upgraded the engines recently ?
I dont know if it is faster, but all I am saying is that it felt faster (I own a bugeye with 271 BHP) than mine ! which when you think about it is quite shocking ?
Oh, by the way the car only had 1500 miles on it, so I guess it would get even faster after loosning up !
Have they upgraded the engines recently ?
20 November 2002, 11:10 PM
#42
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You say it felt faster which is a fair point. I know that when I let a mate drive my scoob he didn't think it was that much faster than his VTR 
When I told him he had just touched 80 mph he was rather shocked! His car feels fast even at relatively slow speeds. You could have felt the same about the Astra?
When I told him he had just touched 80 mph he was rather shocked! His car feels fast even at relatively slow speeds. You could have felt the same about the Astra?
21 November 2002, 09:27 AM
#43
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The relative speed point is interesting. I have a 306 gti 6 and a my03 wrx on order (march seems so far away :-)).
The 306 -GIT 6 is no slouch, but you do feel it is quicker than it actually is. similiar to vtr's ect, cheap light, harsh engines, and most importantly FWD. I have a theory that powerful(ish) small FWD cars feel faster than they actually are due to tourqe-steer, low noise shielding and lack of traction.
But, I hat to say this, I drove a new ST220 Mundano last night and it is FWD and supposed 220 BHP, now there is a section of road running along next to the A1 (not used much) that between 2 fixed points in the Pug can get to 110mph. the st220 felt like it was going 90mph but looking at the speedo was doing 120mph. for a ford it is very well built.
so it seems there is a justifibale difference between build quality, noise shielding and relative speed / real speed.
Now I have driven a STI type 5 and a my02 sti, both quick cars but the MY02 is considerebly more refined / better build quality ( i know the sti 5 IS quicker) but the my02 feels a lot slower because the noise / shakes of going fast are not there.
example. if you are going 30mph down a hill on a home made go kart you would feel like going a lot faster than going 30 mph in a quality car. ( no pun intended to vtr's)
The 306 -GIT 6 is no slouch, but you do feel it is quicker than it actually is. similiar to vtr's ect, cheap light, harsh engines, and most importantly FWD. I have a theory that powerful(ish) small FWD cars feel faster than they actually are due to tourqe-steer, low noise shielding and lack of traction.
But, I hat to say this, I drove a new ST220 Mundano last night and it is FWD and supposed 220 BHP, now there is a section of road running along next to the A1 (not used much) that between 2 fixed points in the Pug can get to 110mph. the st220 felt like it was going 90mph but looking at the speedo was doing 120mph. for a ford it is very well built.
so it seems there is a justifibale difference between build quality, noise shielding and relative speed / real speed.
Now I have driven a STI type 5 and a my02 sti, both quick cars but the MY02 is considerebly more refined / better build quality ( i know the sti 5 IS quicker) but the my02 feels a lot slower because the noise / shakes of going fast are not there.
example. if you are going 30mph down a hill on a home made go kart you would feel like going a lot faster than going 30 mph in a quality car. ( no pun intended to vtr's)
21 November 2002, 02:24 PM
#45
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I've never been beaten by a scooby or a ford yet. I've driven a Scooby WRX and it is a great car to drive but it ain't that special. And once you get to 70mph the vauxhall engine well outpulls the scooby.
21 November 2002, 04:03 PM
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blah blah blah, my cars quicker than your car, your cars quicker than mine.
subaru - japanese 4wd sports car
astra - european 2wd familly hatch with a quick engine
and the subaru is better you say ? wwweeeird.
maclaren F1 beats all of you and is better round corners, how gutted are you?
[Edited by 0ddball - 11/21/2002 4:07:09 PM]
subaru - japanese 4wd sports car
astra - european 2wd familly hatch with a quick engine
and the subaru is better you say ? wwweeeird.
maclaren F1 beats all of you and is better round corners, how gutted are you?
[Edited by 0ddball - 11/21/2002 4:07:09 PM]
21 November 2002, 04:45 PM
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Ok, how is an astra turbo coupe a family hatch? hmmmmmm i think it isnt 
And how does the astra have a quick engine? its only capable of 100mph in 19.9 secs, in modern car terms this is quite average rather than quick (and its still a vauxhall
)
Subaru as stated is actually a "sports saloon" which can quite happily accommodate 4 people and a load of shopping (can even squeeze 5 people in it) something the astra cannot achieve in coupe form
Tony
And how does the astra have a quick engine? its only capable of 100mph in 19.9 secs, in modern car terms this is quite average rather than quick (and its still a vauxhall
)Subaru as stated is actually a "sports saloon" which can quite happily accommodate 4 people and a load of shopping (can even squeeze 5 people in it
) something the astra cannot achieve in coupe form Tony
21 November 2002, 05:08 PM
#53
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maybe i should be more specific, yes i own a vauxhall, but i'm not too impressed with the astra either, but its really a sh-t comparison if you ask me. as it stands the cav turbo is still the quickest and best handling day to day vaux, and thats coming up for 10 years old. its pathetic.
21 November 2002, 05:12 PM
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What you all say is interesting, but I can tell you it had very littly in the way of noice, and I thought it was way smoother through the revs than my scoob (might be my exhaust)
Also I thought build quality was ok, much better than the older opels..
Also I thought build quality was ok, much better than the older opels..
21 November 2002, 07:30 PM
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Ah now as far as handling Vauxhals goes we need the return of
JASONM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that awesome Cav that outhandled every scooby on the planet. Move over Solberg Cav coming through
robski
JASONM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that awesome Cav that outhandled every scooby on the planet. Move over Solberg Cav coming through
robski
21 November 2002, 07:49 PM
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Cav turbo is not best.. Calibra turbo may be.
Astra Vs Scoob is a bit unfair when u take new prices but if u look at second hand values... then a debate is possible.
At the end of the day Vauzhall have some way to get the mainstream cred that Ford have built up. Both are behind the Scoob.
Astra Vs Scoob is a bit unfair when u take new prices but if u look at second hand values... then a debate is possible.
At the end of the day Vauzhall have some way to get the mainstream cred that Ford have built up. Both are behind the Scoob.
21 November 2002, 08:03 PM
#57
i used to have cav turbo before my scooby and the only thing spoiling these cars is 1st gear if they ahd a descent 1st gear they would leave imprezas from a standing start and definately top end , the astra turbo engine is virtually exactly the same as the old cav engine except with a bit more cooling so there is no reason why they should not give the impreza a run for the money
21 November 2002, 08:09 PM
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Steve,
the vauxhall isnt a match, simple reason being is that :-
1. Its heavier than a classic scoob by 100kg
2. Its down on power over the old cav/calibra turbos
Trust me its slow (19.9 secs to 100 v 14.9 in a classic uk turbo)
Tony
the vauxhall isnt a match, simple reason being is that :-
1. Its heavier than a classic scoob by 100kg
2. Its down on power over the old cav/calibra turbos
Trust me its slow (19.9 secs to 100 v 14.9 in a classic uk turbo
)Tony
21 November 2002, 08:50 PM
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One of the magazines tried to reach the quoted top speed in one the Turbo Astra's, I think they struggled to get it above 135MPH. I can remember the jist of the article was slating car manufacturers for giving false performance figures. I know I wouldn't think twice if I saw one in my mirror!
