New car news

So it's this or an S4? You know you'd have the Audi, you just would

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Let's put it this way - when Mercedes decided to go all power-mad and build cars like the CL and set up an AMG division, did anyone complain? And I don't hear too many people crying about Audi's 'RS' models or BMW's M division either. So theoretically, a VXR Insignia can only be a good thing. :)

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Have Vauxhall just shot themselves in the foot AGAIN? What is the point of this car when you've got the VXR8 for just a few grand more?

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For reasons I can't quite fathom, I actually rather like it.

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A mad, bad VXR saloon you can use every day? Gimme!! It looks sooo good in white, although those vertical intakes either side of the number plate look a bit randomly plonked - they don't entirely mix with the rest of the design, and are only there because of the Opel GTC Concept - but overall if you want you're VXR saloon to be grippy rather than slippy, there's no reason not to. It even looks great in solid white!

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I loke it A LOT, but would still have the Audi, mainly because, IT'S AN AUDI! The only thing I don't like about this car is the sabre-teeth it seems to have grown next to the licence plate!

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I know this will be cheaper than an Audi S4 but i'm not sure it'll be a better car.I don't think will be THAT fun to drive, and you'll probably get bored of the air vents and wheel arches and so on.If were me to buy reasonably fast saloon, I'd get ab S4.

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What would you prefer:a Vauxhall or an Audi?

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The normal Insignia looks great, but bolting mad, bad racer parts to make it look disgusting.

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vauxhall have allways been on the cheap list of cars. the last years they have been much better to make their cars more attractive for buyers who want chap cars that are good to drive. it is a really positive thing that they have made this insignia VRX. the insignia is the car of the year 2009, and they have made it even more attractive when they made a more exclusive reputation by building cars that are a little bit too much for the average guy. I think this can work very well for Vauxhall and for all buyers out looking for a nice car...

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Best of The Best?

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Look, how could anyone not like it, you all get exited when a new Kia Rio comes out but not this, an amazing looking, amazing feeling car. And thank you Asheilgh Wilson (TheCarKnowitAll) for being clever. Audi is BORRRING BORRRINGG looking and BOOORRRing feeling. The Insigna on the other hand, is the oppersite to all these things.

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We have an infestion of James May's in the forums!

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im sorry 'thecarknowitall', the way you are talking clearly marks you out as a cock yourself. the previous s4 was a let down but i recently read some reviews on the new s4 and they say its the best handling Audi ever except for the R8. check it out: "Where S4s and Audis of old were still enjoyable to toss around in such conditions, the Sport Differential dials it up to virtually full-on hooligan as you might expect in a rear-wheel drive BMW? except there?s a safety net ? front wheels pulling you along as well. Sliding around yet another tight corner on the Circuito Mallorca, we?re ready to declare this the best handling Audi ever, second only to the R8. The Sport Differential is a game changer and we can only hope it will proliferate into as many Audi quattro models as possible." thats from fourtitude.com anyway back to the vauxhall. i think this is one handsome looking car even if it is a bit chavish, i think we are all entitled to a bit of chavdom once in a while. lol

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I wonder if Americans will make a Buick Grand National or GNX out of it.

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CarKnowItAll, have you ever actually seen an Audi S4? And i'll bet you certainly haven't driven one, being 13 and all. You're not the car know-it-all. We know cars better than you think. Thinking you know more than we do just because we like the Audi S4 shows that you're ignorant and you're really showing your young age. The S4 is a great car. Better than the Insignia VXR? Well the technology and quality definitely is, but I doubt it'd be as fun to drive. But then again since Audi's 'Quattro' 4WD system was developed and perfected through rallying, i'd imagine it to be a riot if it wanted to be.

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Well aside from this dicussion of cocks and know-it-alls, i don't particularly like the look of this Vauxhall. As mentioned before by others, those tall air vents look out of place, maybe if they were reduced in height so the top was at the height of the plastic insert visible in there, that would make a line from to the top of the other vent further out, and in my eyes I think it would look better, unless that just made it boring... hmmm. And since JohnAstonMartin mentioned Kia Rios , I think the back of the VXR looks like an angry version of the first generation Rio, with that chrome strip making a monobrow. Also, i don't know if anyone noticed, but in the gallery, the pic of the stationary VXR has a different front grill to the other 2 pics in which the front grill is visible. Wonder which is the final grill?

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I think the time had come for the VXR to repay the Australians. HSV had been building and shipping the Monaro, VXR, and the VXR8 over to the UK to be badged as Vauxhall for a long time. Its time to bring this into Australia and let us have this awsome car to be badged as HSV.

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who is this idiot 13 year old trying to tell us a 300bhp small family car is gonna be slower than a massive barge with only 21bhp more?! please, get some knowledge mate. The insignia will weigh the same as a small country compared to the already lardy focus rs, watch these insignias get taken at the lights by 5k cheaper hot hatches, will be very entertaining to know a fwd hot hatch will damage a 4wd "performance" car all day, in any situation-i know where my 30k would go, 2nd hand rs4 please.

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Ahem, in South Africa, we don't get Vauxhall. Instead we land up with Opel. AND we don't even have a VXR8, we're stuck with a previous gen Chevy Lumina (Monaro or the old equivalent of the VXR8 badged as a Chevy) SS, and a damn previous gen Corsa Bakkie (pickup in SAfrican). We don't get the Insignia, let alone the VXR which is a flippen sweet car. But versus Audi, I'd take the VXR any day, simply because, as The Clarkson Man himself said, all the cocks have moved out of BM's and into Audis. And with the S4, when I drove it, I didn't get the feeling the car was made for people who wanted to have fun but rather for zee peepol who hav zis thiing for going ground zee corners very fast, you know, the guys who compare lap times and all. But will this Insignia be different? Hopefully it comes to SA so I can drive it. Steve (Motoring Journo)

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Ahem, in South Africa, we don't get Vauxhall. Instead we land up with Opel. AND we don't even have a VXR8, we're stuck with a previous gen Chevy Lumina (Monaro or the old equivalent of the VXR8 badged as a Chevy) SS, and a damn previous gen Corsa Bakkie (pickup in SAfrican). We don't get the Insignia, let alone the VXR which is a flippen sweet car. But versus Audi, I'd take the VXR any day, simply because, as The Clarkson Man himself said, all the cocks have moved out of BM's and into Audis. And with the S4, when I drove it, I didn't get the feeling the car was made for people who wanted to have fun but rather for zee peepol who hav zis thiing for going ground zee corners very fast, you know, the guys who compare lap times and all. But will this Insignia be different? Hopefully it comes to SA so I can drive it. Steve (Motoring Journo)

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And just to clear things up, i wroe that myself, Ashleigh Wilson, Yet my car knowledge and common sence seems to surpass most you, and you are adults!!!!!!!!

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Think I'd rather spend the money on a Golf GTi or a Leon Cupra .. at the end of the day this thing is still a Vauxhall.

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you how people say that if you drive s4 it means you cant afford rs4. well if you drive the vauxhall all your saying is that you cant afford an s4. dont you think?

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I would have ( if I had the age ) this Vauxhall. In my country it's opel, but it's the same thing. This car is really , REALLY good looking, and it's not common to see one. In my country.

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it look good but only thing if it for essex it got to have a blue bage on the front it. only thing 30k lot of mony when you can by a m3 or s4 not verey old for that.

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When I first saw that I thought it was ugly and pointless, but it doesn't look that bad actually. Still pointless though. It's a shame, when Audi do something like this we get all excited, but when a car company that, let's honest, doesn't really produce that many nice cars tries, we all ignore it.

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Dear dorme, CheeseyPanda and AshHorne You ausome that i know nothing of cars, just because i am not of age to drive one. You then patranise me because you dont like what i said. Anyway what my MAIN point was, was that people who go for the audi normally get it because it is an audi. Because of it's badge appeal, if you really think about. For example, u most people woudln't buy a Kia or Hyundai or any other korean manufactuar because, 1. depreciation is massive and also people think your being cheap. What my point of this is, is that you get alot more value for money with the vauxhall and probably alot more fun. Whoever said the S4 is "Audi's best handling car apart form the R8" what are you going on about?

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Audi has other sports cars and normal cars which handle and ride very well. The audi is slower buy 21bhp and is actually lighter not a small country as an idiot sacrcastically tried to point out. Also compare the prices, how do they compare to each other in looks??? Well the S4 looks pretty much identical to a stock A4 just ith 4 exausts it'stoo subtle when you look at it's rivals. So please I maybe 13, but we are all writing in blog beacuse we have at least one thing in common. We love cars. So please can we juts get along have a laugh and topic about the actual topic. Kind Regards Ashleigh Wilson

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the insignia is lighter*

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just* talk*

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Looking good. While a touch anonymous in standard trim, the Insignia pimps up nicely. Just muscular enough to look purposeful, yet understated enough to be tasteful. I even like the oh-so-fashionable white paintwork, which I usually hate on big cars. Nice work, Vauxhall.

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Someone said "who is this idiot 13 year old trying to tell us a 300bhp small family car is gonna be slower than a massive barge with only 21bhp more" Which 'small family car' are you all talking about? The latest S4s are enormous great tanks, easily as big as an Insignia (4703mm vs 4808 and 2040kg vs 2025 is pretty much the same in my book - thanks 4car site) I probably would prefer an Audi over a Vauxhall (having owned two of the latter and a Skoda over the years), but let's not pretend the S4 is all svelte and compact these days... £30K's too much for me any day of the week, but I suspect two years down the line an Insignia VXR will be a much better second hand buy (price wise at least) than an S4. It's also true to say it's a huge leap forward in quality after years of lacklustre mid-range saloon Vauxhalls.

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Working in Luton I see loads of Insignias, I struggle to tell the difference between them and the Toyota Avensis... not very aspirational :( Having owned Vauxhalls, Fords, VWs, Audis and BMWs, I will always put the Vauxhalls at the bottom of the pile as the most uninspiring drive and the most unreliable cars I have ever owned.

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hello and i agree with ashlie as i am also 13 and that dosnt make us any the wiser about cars just because you can drive them. now for the vauxhall vs audi argument.........i can say i like both cars equally as i have always had a bit of a soft spot for vauxhalls even when they never even dreamed up the vxr range and were bringing out those sri's which you gotta agree looked very good but didnt really have the punch or quality to match really a diesel passat and for the audi ....... well ive allways loved audis but ive gotta agree they havnt really made the s4 stand out from an a4 with an s-sport body kit on have they apart from those exhausts i mean i get confused, but anyway for vauxhall in recent years its been looking good. the astra has came on massively along with the vectra and now this and you have gotta admit the interior quality could match any german c-class or 3 series or lets say an s4

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you're on about the s4, and the larger engined bmw's. NOT the M5 or the RS4, which suggests this is not good enough. But then again, you cant really do worse than the early 00's GSI with 170hp. LOL

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And for 30,000 you can get what i help make at work. Which is a Litchfield Type 25 Subaru impreza. which is lighter, has semi racing AST suspension, Porsche brakes, and a cosworth block developing 430hp. And its the hawk eye model, not the new one which is abysmal. I'd like to see topgear test that. Especially seen as though EVO have classed it as a ferrari beater and 'the best impreza on the planet' LOL review that!!!!! =P

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As a wise man once said "I have the money to buy a Porsche, but the sense to buy a Skoda" Give me the new Seat Exeo ;-)

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DJ05 >>> If you looked outside UK (and Australia) you would notice that the VXR8 is only right-hand drive. Opel Insignia OPC will be top of the Opel/Vauxhall range in all other countries. Why even compare it to VXR8? It's not a same-class car! Insignia is bigger than the VXR8 (at least on the inside), and more importantly I am pretty sure that it's far better built. Why only talk S4 vs. Insignia? How about comparing it to the VW Passat R36 or something like that?

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BRYDON my email address is: 0ROKR0@gmail.com By the way whoever said that if buy a vauxhall insignia means you couldn't afford a S4 is talking rubbish. I like both cars equally (believe it or not) yet if u buy an insignia in my outlook you are showing that you haven't been suckered in to buy a car purely for the 4 rings I.e. people buy just because it is an audi, not just that u r getting better value for money and performance, and at the end of the day on any vauxhall u can see where ur money is going just by looking at it. It screams practicality, performance and fun. :)

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Joke, this one. FIRST OF ALL, haldex AWD system is no match to Audi's permanent AWD system. Secondly, the new S4 has such a great engine and new computerized clever differential that mentioning the S4 here is an INSULT.

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I normally do not like the VXRs because they have too much power going to the front wheels but this one sounds fantastic. Hopefully Ford will bring out a Mondeo ST now to match the VXR. I do not think you can compare it to a Audi S4 different kind of people buy them If im honest chavs mainly buy VXRs and cocks buy Audis. Thats saying to me they are the same to me (no offence to anyone who owns an audi or a vauxhall VXR who aren't a chav or a cock)

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You get what you pay for - I'd have the Audi any day. I currently have two Audi's and know their quality and performance. I also think the styling of the Vauxhall makes it look "fat"

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http://www.dailymotion.pl/video/x9012f_opel-insignia-opc_auto

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Yeah sure it looks really good, yeah sure the stats are really good but deep down inside the bodywork its just a vauxhall

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I have to say I agree totally with BRYDON and TheCarKnowItAll on two fronts. one i am 11 and know a enough about cars to know a good one when I see one and that both cars are good.

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Personally, I wouldnt have either the Insignia VXR or the S4. the only thought I get when I see an S4 is that the owner couldnt afford an RS4, and Vauxhall havent exactly got the best history when it comes to 4-door cars, and does look a bit on the cheap chav side. Dont get me wrong I like both cars, but for different reasons. at the end of the day, as much as I do like them, I wouldnt buy either with my own money. Also a good point someone made earlier, why buy the Insignia VXR when for an extra couple of grand get the VXR8?? a much better performance saloon, with a rear wheel drive. now that would be much more fun to drive! P.S to the kids on the blog - theres a difference actually driving, and imagining what theyre like to drive; how can you justify your comments on what theyre like to drive when your only 11/13?!? what do you know of practicality and performance?

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Nice Car! I wouldn't mind having one of those Insignia VXRs Its not wrong to like this car- Top Gear Rules OK

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It seems to me that most people have forgotten that only c*cks by Audis! This is 2 fingers in the air to the flashy, exec S4. That's what makes it brilliant.

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JonF1 yes, we r not old enough to drive but that does not give you the right to patranise us because of it. If you must know my dad is a car test driver for, I am in the cars with him 9/10 times so I know what they r like, how they ride how they feel. So don't treat us as if we r stupid we maybe young but we know alot more then u believe. Ashleigh Wilson Age: 13 Speaking on behalf of us young people

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And by the way JonF1 we do know about practicality etc email us, go on email us about any car we will give u the verdict maybe then you will show respect.

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wooo go who eva is young im young 16 and i love cars i could whop ani ones ass about car fact and thn i could talk about thm all day. but wen is the mondeo st and the mazda mps coming out. because i think we all know that those two cars can be the only rivals to this. comon comparing this to an s4 get real, and isnt this the same size as an A6 so you would have to campare it against the S6 and i bet this would be much much cheaper.

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and another thing we do know about performance have you ever heard of the top gear magazine???? well what you can do is go to the back and read 0-62 and top speed and very clever people can also read the reviews i have for the past three years. and i cant help thinking would either car be comfortable to be in for long journeys?so why not save up a little longer and get the diesel v6 jag. or get the better looking amazing supercharged 4.2 v8 jag xjr its great, sexy and amazingly lovable, and elegant, purposeful many more things ontop

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i know of quite a few people who love the styling of this car, but i have one point to make. look at it, then look at a jag xf. look again for good measure.everything is overly bulgy. i don't like the way that the vauxhall badge at the front is too big, and it makes the car look almost like a manga cartoon - you're not sure why some of the lines are there. compare this now to the jag xf, and you get an idea of where the base model competition is. However, it seems that most of this is solved in the VXR version-it looks much more modern and imposing, something you want from an executive saloon, it should either make anyone earning less than you want a promotion very quickly, or make them too scared to park next to it for fear of scratching or denting it. It shouldnt make them wonder why the hell you bothered buying that car when there are other options that are so much better. The VXR styling makes far more sense to me, but it is definitely more of a "look at me" car.

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overall, the Vxr is not a bad looking car but 30000 for a vauxhall?? nah mate. Passatt r36 all day long. To the kids - we understand you love your cars but when you have to work for every penny you get and you have to transport your own kids/mother/wife/toys/babyseat etc and the rare occasion of purchasing a 30k car comes along you begin to look at all aspects of the car, not just badge or performance. This is something youll never understand till you get there im afraid. Id buy a second hand RS6 for £15000, spend 5k on better brakes and wheels, engine remap and suspension and 10k on a 3dr mk 4 golf r32. 2 performance bargains in these times of economic strife!!

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oh and the dash is not the best looking, mondeo. A4 and passatt much better

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Quote "email us about any car we will give u the verdict maybe then you will show respect." YAWN .. thats what G00gle is for .. how can people give you respect for "knowing things" about cars when you're not even old enough to drive one?? I could read books about musical instruments but it wont mean I can play one or give me the authority to say what is good or bad. Come back when your a little older and paying some bills, perhaps then people will listen to you, and give you the respect you crave.

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Chr15 what is your problem??? You seem to be showing the sam patranising attitude i have seen before on this blog. END IT. NOW. In the 21st century my generaton have been forced to grow up knowing alot before are years. Like the ressesion for example or global warming etc. And by the way I do pay bills, and if you had read are posts you would understand. Moreover my Dad for the (last time) is a car test driver i go round milbrook proving ground with him when he tests new. Not only that, you believe that because you are an adult, taht automatically buys you respect. It doesn't. We are all human beings. We are all equal. But we have just been put on this earth to do and know different things, so this should not be alien to you when, us teenagers and "the younger generation" don't fit your generalisation of what one should be. We do know what makes a good car. and what qualites make it so. Ashleigh Wilson age: 13 Speaking on behalf of us young people

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Also: Anyone who is on this blog and on any blog and is a teenager (like me) or younger we shouldn't feel rained in and uncomfortable about our beliefs about a topic we love. So you guys email me younger members of this blog only (teenagers like myself or younger) don't hesitate to email me at: 0ROKR0@gmail.com so we can exchange emails address's and talk about what we love cars. More to the point when i said my dad is a car test driver (which he is) i am with him i go through the relevant test's a car well before it hit's the showrooms so myself and other young people have a message for you adults. WE KNOW ABOUT CARS TOO. :) So let's have an orderly debate withoutthings being said about my generation. Thank You

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TheCarKnowItAll, I have no problem and don't know where you get that idea, I also dont actively seek respect as you seem to, I dont care what people think of me. I only have an opinion, and seems to me like everyones opinion is wrong except yours now on that basis who is being "patranising." Knowing a bit about the recession, global warming or cars does not mean you actually understand everything about it. Thats very cool that your dad tests cars, however I fail to see that you could actually learn much about a car from the passengers seat other than how effective the cup holders are or how fast the electric windows go up and down. Im only 21, I remember being 13 trust me, your opinions will change in future years when you see cars for what they really are. Have fun, dont waste you teenage years pretending to know everything about cars, theres alot more to life.

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Fellow old guys: stop arguing with a daft-as-a-brush know-it-all teenager. It's beneath you and he'll never listen. Also, he's clearly mental. MENTAL.

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JamesC: i am not daft as a brush (implying that i am stupid) and i am no where near mental. The point I am trying make is that we all have different views of which I do listen (and other younger generations of the blog) it just seems that because we are younger you see us as a threat because you respond so negatively that's the point i have been trying to convery, but then you start an argument all over again about how i am stupid and daft anywat. In response to Chr15 i am really sorry if i come accross patranising i am only being like this when people treat me as if i am stupid (being patranising towards me) look at all the comments about younger people on this blog (myself included) it is all negative. Chr15 i do like your sarcasm about the electric windows and cupholders. Anyway can we just debate about cars. Ashleigh Wilson age:13 on behalf of us young people.

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See what I mean?

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Look, just stop this childish cyber-squabbling, and stick to what this site is about. This is coming from a 17 year old, and the adults actually ARGUING? Seriously, just no. Back to the subject of the article... 4 wheel drive? at least it won't understeer like the last gen vectra.

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*stays out of the argument* The more I look at it the more I like it actually. Although I'm hoping it's not going to be the case of seeing one on the road and thinking 'omg what is that?!?!'

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oddcarzrule:it was mentioned that it would be quicker than the focus rs, so the family car comment was directed at that comment. this asleigh is hilarious, thinking he knows anything about cars is hilarious. the insignia will be 1777kg at least i would of though as the normal v6 turbo is 1760odd, so its bloody heavy, hence the terrible 0-60 time, it will be crushed by the s4 oh and a lot of duff info is being passed around here too, the audi s4- 328bhp 0-60 4.9secs insignia vxr - 321bhp 0-60 5.8secs s4 is quicker to 60, more powerful and better looking. age, experience and knowledge trumps children who just read the back of top gear mags.

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Ok ok im back to fight for the young generation and also to make a point about people who say vauxhall cant make a brilliant fast car. ok then how about the vauxhall lotus carlton or lets say the old drop nose coupes and have you not forgot about the monaro and even the new vxr8 (P.S i have added your email ashlie do you have msn)

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TheCarKonowItAll person, if you are so smart, then tell me this: Combien de modèles Avantime a fait un certain constructeur automobile français de vendre et quand? (And no peeking at Wikipedia!)

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Please forgive my spelling everyone

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this is a car too be bought, being advertised now for under 23k. BARGAIN or what? yep, think i just might buy this baby...

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