ollyshorey

Booked myself in for a test drive on the 30th March. I am gonna drive the turbo, and then the non turbo.

Really looking forward to it, I rekkon its gonna be a belter.

Anyone care to do some power weight retio's against the scoob ?

wilf

bout the same bhp/ton as a P1 or STI 7 PPP. PS I thought it was 930kgs!

Its gotta be a fantastic motor - an elise with a decent engine and gearbox at last!

Dave T-S

I'm test driving one on Saturday, and expect to order one to replace the MY02 STi PPP

polarbearit

And I heard it was very easy to get 250bhp from that engine too!

That would be pretty quick don't you think!

russell hayward

Dave

Have you tried the standard model ?

Russ

Dave T-S

Russ
Nah, going straight for the turbo nutter version

I did toy with the idea of a 2.2 NA version and tweak it a bit though.....

Why do you ask

russell hayward

I was going to buy one last year, but after driving one, changed my mind.

Hope the new suspension setup/changes will improve it, so interested to see how you get on.

Reidy2

I drove the standard 2.2 yesterday and was a bit disappointed.

It had only 1500 miles on it so the engine was a little tight but is still felt a bit noisey and wheezey.

It is too harsh for the roads in this country and if you want a decent track car buy a westerham, more fun and cheaper.

hades

Vaushall engineers are talking about bringing out a "sprint" version with something like 240-250bhp. One has been quoted as saying that 300-310 is reliably achievable.

I have also seen aftermarket tuners getting around 300bhp for that engine in the Astra/Zafira for sensible money. Ask around on migweb as I'm sure there'll be guys on there who have tuned this engine.

Big Col

www.courtenaysport.co.uk

3 levels of upgrade for the Z20LET engine.

mutant_matt

I'm test driving one on Saturday too - can't let that Standing fellow have all the fun

All these big power claims are interesting because Evo stated that Vauxhall have had cooling problems with this engine in this car....

Matt

RoadrunnerV2

vx220 turbo is excellent especially in the wet . The other friday I had a track day at bedford autodrome. The JP guys and girls there rate the car very highly.

kamikaze

given that vauxhall pay for trackdays at bedford for every new driver i wouldnt expect them to be critical of the car

RoadrunnerV2

kamikaze - true no doubt they are biased due to back handers However I drove the car and it was great fun. I thought I would never say that about a Vauxhalls

Brendan Hughes

Please can someone let me know if there is turbo lag and how much. One of the beauties of these little cars is immediacy of response, both engine and handling; I would have thought that, by putting a turbo in, you lose one of those.

And is it a 1.9 engine, did I hear?

codhead

It's the 2 litre Z20LET engine, packing 200bhp.

ollyshorey

Hmm,

As I am borderlinging onto maybee buying a vauzxhall, I took the new lotus 111s for a spin today, and I must say overall I was dissapointed.

Bad points :

1. Rover Engine.
2. Underpowered engine.
3. Servo-less brakes !! Havnt seen this since my old mini !
4. Very noisey.
5. Hard to get in and out of.
6. £28K (That seems pricey)
7. Roof was hard to remove, and put back on.
8. Cramped inside.
9. No central locking.
10. No power steering.
11. No lecy windows.

Good points.

1. Handles well.
2. Nice looking.
3. Good badge.
4. Alot of fun.

So, as you can see I got more bad than good points. I guess tho the VX even though it is still basic, I think it would be ok cause of the engine Know what I mean ?

Robertio

iTrader: (1)

Olly, given your list of faults I don't think it is really the sort of car you are looking for. Central locking? you can reach the only other door without stretching, Power steering? is for wimps it's not as if it weighs 1500kg and has 255section tyres Cramped? it's a small lightweight (allegedly) 2 seater, more size equals more weight Hard to get in/out of? there will be a technique which you will get used to quickly enough, however trying to get out while wearing a helmet and having the roof on is another matter ... It sounds like you are after a Porsche Boxster, short of that only a supercharged MX-5 springs to mind as a solution to most of the listed problems.

I like the Lotus Elise, but have to agree it does look very expensive for what you get, having said that it is very refined compared to the likes of a westie or caterham.

BTW, if it is engine noise rather than just general noise that's the problem then the standard Elise exhaust is very quiet.

mutant_matt

Olly,

I think you may have missed the point of the Elise/VX220. Why is not having servoed brakes a negative point? OK, so you have to push the pedal harder but the feel you get from it is top notch! Dito with the power steering, the feel you get is great (and the steering in the Elise can hardly be described as heavy can it?).

The Elise/VX is all about the driving experience and zero about creature comforts/practicalities. I think it excels at what it is supposed to do but I wasn't a fan until very recently when I got to spend a decent amount of time with a 111S (old shape).

Matt

screech

0-60 in 4.5 secs, now 250bhp tuning is 0-60 in about 4 secs. now these things are seriously quick. i thought i'd never have a vauxhall but i really want one of these. i like the looks, the handling and the performance. can't fault it on desirability.

russell hayward

So Dave, what's the verdict ??

mutant_matt

Test drove one today and I have to say, I was expecting more

It *is* quick but I didn't think it felt anywhere as quick as I thought it was going to Nice interior, better than the Elise and a little less sparse looking without actually being much different. It feels nothing like a Turbo charged car which I guess is in the main a good thing. There is basically no lag at all, it feels like a NA car, there is no turbo surge, and no lag, it needs thrashing like an Elise to get going which is fun. It has a lot of grip and feels like a proper RWD car where you have to be committed to a bend for it to feel planted, otherwise it understeers. I didn't get the tail wagging but then I was being very careful, being on the road in someone elses car and all that but it feels fairly loose at the back and I think you could get into a lot of trouble if you are not subtle with the inputs!! (especially on two direction changes in quick sucession)

The ride is very good, it's very compliant yet had virtually no body roll, and is smooth and low speed as well as at high speed. It has the Elise clonking (for want of a better word) over some bumps but it's never intrusive and I don't think it would wear you out on a long trip. It is happy driving slowly as well as on it - you can burble along in top no trouble, it is surprisingly torquey at low revs, pulls strongly in the mid range and then really gets going around 5000-6000rpm. The gearbox is nice, a slick change with close ratios and a short throw, but the trouble I had is, I'm 5'8 and had to slide the seat quiet a way forward to be able to push the clutch all the way to the floor. This got me really close to the steering wheel which is fine because I like to be very close with very bent arms but put the gear stick way too close and made changing a little harder than it should be! Operating the handbrake was quiet difficult because of this as it was kind of behind me a little bit

Steering - steering is nice with a very small wheel, is very direct and is very weighty in the corners. What I didn't like was that it seemed quiet vauge/dead around the centre with very little resistance but then got much heavier once you had some lock on. I'd rather it was weighty all the time which would make it feel more predictable as you turn in. I think the wheel is just a little bit too small as well which is a shame - the Elise steering wheel feels slightly bigger and is more comfortable and seems more "right".

The brakes are very good and the ABS is setup "properly" so that it doesn't cut in until really late so, like my STi, unless you are really taking the mick, it shouldn't annoy you or get in your way. The salesman drove the car first and did an emergency stop from about 80 and was enthusing about the stopping power. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't as suitably impressed as he would have liked (having had AP4 pots on my MY00 and the Brembo's in the STi ) but the brakes are up to the job and adequate but I would deffo put braided hoses on and perhaps look at some better pads. My main grumble about the brakes is that they are over-servoed, which kind of spoils the feel a little. I can understand they want the car to have more mass market appeal so went for a servo (unlike the Elise which is un-servoed, fantastic feel but the pedal is on the heavy side) but it's a shame they went a bit too far (like most modern "normal" cars IMHO!

All in all, a very nice car with some very nice features - I think it's going to sell like hot cakes (only 500 to be made but the rumour is that they will change this to 1000). Waiting list is currently 6 weeks but this will lengthen as more orders are placed.

Is it enough to temp me out of my STi? .... Well, no. It *is* tempting to change but, there is not enough in it for me to change. I could live with the impractibilities if it had a bit more performance (silly I know ) but I think I'll be sticking with the STi.

Matt

Dave T-S

Well....the demo was supposed to be as fast as my STi MY02 in a straight line - 0-60 4.7 and 0-100 in 12.6 -, but it only had 55 miles on the clock and was as tight as a duck's chuff - it did still go well though

Matt, how many miles did yours have on the clock? Think how sluggish even an STi is with that mileage

Having said that, I went straight out in the NA version afterwards which was fairly quick with 6000 on the clock, so I have no doubt that with a few thousand miles on the turbo will be a lot more rapid.

I know what Matt is saying, but I think that the fact that it is on pretty much maximum torque/boost from 1950rpm will come as a surprise to STi owners - it's a much more linear torque curve - prettty much flat from 1950-5500 rpm. You don't think you are going fast in the VX, but then you look down at the speedo

Overall, it was fairly civilised to drive, and good fun, I was impressed, and (unlike Matt) I think I shall buy one I can't see anything else as quick for the money

I think you could embarrass/pee off quite a few Imprezas on track days - hmmm, there's an idea

If when run in it isn't quick enough, there are enough people out there that can get another 50bhp or more from the engine safely (probably more so than an Impreza ).

I also had the brake test demo - must be a standard thing - and I also told him I wasn't overly impressed having previously had 330mm AP racing 6 pots on my MY01

It isn't launched until 24 March (strictly speaking dealers shouldn't even be giving rides in them yet) so I need to see what colours are available, delivery times etc first before commiting.

Oh, and I have to sell the STi in the meantime Anyone want a MY02 STi PPP with 7800 miles for £22,500?!


[Edited by Dave T-S - 3/15/2003 9:53:05 PM]

Big Goon

Dont want to sound sour, but Vauxhall dealers couldn't even fix the most basic of problems on my old Vectra GSi.

I know that some Subaru dealers can be terrible too, but the 220turbo is much more complicated than your average Corsa and I wouldn't want one of those Vauxhall chimps touching my pride and joy.

Sorry if I offended any chimps.

Dave T-S

BG

There are only 40 Vauxhall dealers authorised to sell/service the VX220, for that reason.

I would probably feel happier dealing with Vauxhall than IM - i'm outta here - one STi gone, one to go

Chins

Whilst I like the sound of the turbo, I have to say that the lad that has a 220 at work seems to use a LOT of courtesy cars

Hopefully they have the TVR type build quality sorted on the Turbo.

Rememeber that its pretty easy to chip

Jonathan

Jeff Wiltshire

NEWS FLASH

On news today that Dave T-S is buying a Vauxhall to replace his STi7, shares in International Motors falls 50%.......more later

[Edited by Jeff Wiltshire - 3/16/2003 10:32:05 AM]

Dave T-S

Hehehe - Jeff, I think IM will be glad to see the back of me

mutant_matt

I dunno Dave, they may miss your £50k over three years....

On the mileage front, it had 130 miles so was tight as a tight thing so I would hope that was the problem

Dave, what did Carolyn think of the VX's? Were you two allowed out together at all?

Matt

Jeff Wiltshire

LOL.....doubt it