ON FRONT PAG E N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A , A L P S A N D H I G H CO U N T RY
JULY 10, 2015
> available online - www.nemedia.com.au
INSIGNIA VXR: The lines of this hot new Holden are bold and purposeful.
Holden’s hot new Insignia VXR
By EWAN KENNEDY
in Queenstown, New Zealand
to be placed on the list. The Insignia is designed and built by Opel in Germany, but with a lot of Australian engineering input. And, believe it or not, its engine is built in Holden’s Melbourne plant. As the VXR is the high-performance version of the range, it is powered by a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 producing 239 kW of power and 435 Nm of torque. That sort of torque could overwhelm the front wheels of the VXR unless it was backed
off at times, so a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system has been developed. So confident is Holden in the AWD that it chose to fly Australian journalists to the snowfields of southern New Zealand to let us sample the hot Insignia on snow and ice. The Southern Hemisphere proving grounds (colloquially known as the snow farm) is recognised as being one of the world’s best and is used by many global car makers, including the big name Europeans. Snow and ice certainly didn’t faze the VXR, though you do need to treat the conditions with care as cornering limits are significantly lower and breaking distances
frighteningly longer at times. Note that the cars were on winter tyres during these sessions of our testing, these were changed to summer tyres when we drove on roads below the current snow line. Heated Recaro sports seats were very much appreciated in our below zero testing. They provide good side support without being overly aggressive, similarly entry to and exit from the seats won’t trouble many. Power runs through a six-speed automatic transmission to 20-inch wheels that fill out the guards nicely and certainly play their part in the bold overall look. Continued page 3
RED DOT SALE
10 Templeton Street, Wangaratta
RED DOT SALE
SAVE 1000’s!
Paul Davenport 0408 057 837 Michael Henderson 0418 512 531 Kylie Stevenson 0428 215 677 Noel Gilbert 0438 597 200
SAVE $1000’s!
$
Ends July 31st
ONE MILE
MOTORS ABN 44 048 105 609 LMCT 1060
(03) 5721 5677 www.onemilemotors.com.au
Ends July 31st c21d11337/2715
Holden VXR is one of the most important models for the company in its inexorable move away from building cars in Australia to being a full time importer. GM Holden, as it prefers to be known these days also wants to be seen in a more upmarket light. Very much a sports sedan, Holden says Insignia VXR will compete directly with the likes of Subaru Liberty and Volkswagen Passat CC. We were surprised that Audi’s quattro models weren’t mentioned, given the aforementioned desired upmarket move and we do feel that Audi does deserve