HSV Vxr

The yapping terrier of the HSV fleet. The new Nurburgring edition steps it up a notch.

• Comfort

  Its low roofline dictates it's not a car for four large people. It's a great car for a young couple, though.

  

• Performance

  Get in, sit down, shut up and hang on. The VXR is a hot hatch in every sense of the word, spitting out 177kW and 320Nm of torque.

  

• Cool

  The Nurburgring special, in white with its white rims, looks great. Is it cool? It's such a tough question... we say it has its place on the Cool Wall, perhaps towards the bottom though.

  

• Quality

  No better, no worse than any other GM product. Exercise caution when buying second-hand, though.

  

• Handling

  Firm, sporty. Your girlfriend will hate it, but you won't.

  

• Practicality

  Not so much. The rear seats fold flat, but the low roofline restricts larger items being loaded in.

  

• Running costs

  Way better than the bigger HSVs... it returns 9.2 litres per hundred on the strong stuff, and those tyres aren't cheap.