Chevrolet Cobalt SS

[gallag]

Doing a bit of research on my next car, I am due to change in 9 months and am pretty excited about the new vauxhall (GM) insignia, I have the car it replaces, A 2007 Vauxhall vectra 2.0turbo (z20net) which produces 230bhp 253lb/ft with a remap, The 2.0turbo in the new insignia is a new engine (A20NHT) which you yanks have had from 2007. What is it like? Seems to make good power. The new insignia is 4x4 as well.

This engine is used in:

* 2007–present Opel GT
* 2007–present Solstice GXP
* 2007–present Saturn Sky Red Line
* 2008 Chevy HHR SS
* 2008-2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

It will also be sold and used in:

* 2009 Fisker Karma

[Nanometer]

europe gets a lot better cars then america does interesting, seems europe is using the 2.0 turbo over the 2.4 turbo we use here in the solstice GXP and other similar cars you listed. It sounds like a great choice and pretty good value. post some pictures!

never mind, the engine aren't different, i didnt know the turbocharged model had a smaller engine.

[HuffPCair]

europe gets a lot better cars then america does interesting, seems europe is using the 2.0 turbo over the 2.4 turbo we use here in the solstice GXP and other similar cars you listed. It sounds like a great choice and pretty good value. post some pictures!

never mind, the engine aren't different, i didnt know the turbocharged model had a smaller engine.

So true. I hate it so many cars over there I just want to have.

[gallag]

this is the vxr version 2.8 V6 Turbo OPC
325 PS CV HP 4x4

[gallag]

The same 2liter turbo engine is used in the opel gt and with a remap it can make 312Hp / 439Nm

This is the spot tourer model, Audi s4 avant move over lol
red-hot and raring to go! This is the first undisguised shot of the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer – a high-performance version of the Insignia estate. Our spies have already caught an early mule in testing, but this is the first time production-ready car, complete with a griffin badge on the bonnet and the chrome-rimmed nostrils lifted from the VXR saloon, has been spotted out in the open.

Shoehorned under the bonnet is a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 producing a stonking 321bhp. And for the first time in a car wearing the VXR nameplate – power will be juggled between all four tyres for maximum traction and stability on the move. Expect a 0-60mph sprint in under six seconds and an electronically-limited top-speed of 155mph.

Due to go on sale alongside the saloon variant before the end of the year, the Insignia VXR Sports Tourer will be a performance bargain – starting from around £27,000.

source http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...rer_spied.html

[gallag]

The police over here are getting the sport tourer version @260bhp 4x4

[YukonTrooper]

The police over here are getting the sport tourer version @260bhp 4x4

European cop cars are always so much more bad-ass than North American cop cars. We taze more people to death, though, so we have you beat in that department.

[exemay]

European cop cars are always so much more bad-ass than North American cop cars. We taze more people to death, though, so we have you beat in that department.

lol atleast in america u get good car chase videos to put on channel 5 late at night.....over here our officers either drive about in volvo estaest that they are so scared of damaging they wont ever stop any 1 or any 1 in fear of scratching it.......OR they roll about in a skoda, and quite honneslty they are about as much use as a granny scooter

There is always the Unmarked M3's that drive about in my country......ofcourse they rarely work because u just dont see 2 or 3 men sat in a burgandy brown BWM that often so you know somethings a bit fishy

Mind you the essex police force have a couple of Saubru's and Evo VIII's to play with

Personally i think that italy has it right.....
http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-con...ate_Police.jpg

You just wouldnt speed in italy if you know the cops are driving one of these haha!

[Nazu]

Too bad it's not a proper fulttime 4WD, but a haldex like in almost any other family car.

[gallag]

Too bad it's not a proper fulttime 4WD, but a haldex like in almost any other family car.

Could you explane more please, I thought it was meant to be a fantastic system, Adaptive 4x4 with lsd, It can send up to 90% of the power to the rear in sport mode (in sport mode the dash lights turn red, pretty cool) and for normal driving it sends more power to the front, Each wheel can be given different amounts of power depending on the grip.

[Nazu]

Could you explane more please, I thought it was meant to be a fantastic system, Adaptive 4x4 with lsd, It can send up to 90% of the power to the rear in sport mode (in sport mode the dash lights turn red, pretty cool) and for normal driving it sends more power to the front, Each wheel can be given different amounts of power depending on the grip.

It's not a fulltime 4WD meaning the car is mostly a FWD and the rearwheels only start to pull when there's loss of traction. Though the 4gen haldex is pretty advanced it still isnt as good as the real 4WD's like the quattro system used in A4, A6 and other big Audi's.

[gallag]

It's not a fulltime 4WD meaning the car is mostly a FWD and the rearwheels only start to pull when there's loss of traction. Though the 4gen haldex is pretty advanced it still isnt as good as the real 4WD's like the quattro system used in A4, A6 and other big Audi's.

But is the point of 4x4 not to maximise traction, Is it not better to have 4x4 when you need it? What is the point of driving all four wheels while doing 70mph on a straight motorway? It is a full time 4x4 anyway, It just diverts the power as needed.

From vauxhall

Adaptive 4X4 with FlexRide. Specify the Adaptive 4X4 – permanent fourwheel
drive – system with FlexRide and your new Insignia will automatically
distribute drive from the front to the rear wheels as conditions demand.
The result? Maximum traction for smooth, strong acceleration, outstanding
driving dynamics and more stability in cornering. Press the Sport button and
it distributes additional drive torque to the rear wheels for an even more
dynamic feel.

The advantages begin when you pull away, all four wheels are
engaged for stable acceleration with maximum grip. In normal
driving, the power is split 95% front: 5% rear, but under acceleration
the system automatically diverts more power to the rear wheels for
maximum traction before gradually moving power back towards the
front wheels.
With the Sport button depressed the system apportions more power
to the rear wheels in a 40% front 60% rear split to give an even more
sporting feel.
The electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD) fitted to the rear of
all 4x4 models offers even more benefits for the enthusiastic driver.
By sensing which rear wheel has the most grip, eLSD can transfer
more torque to the wheel most able to utilise it. Up to 50% of the rear
axle torque can be transferred between the rear wheels, increasing
stability during high speed lane changes and providing more traction
when accelerating out of corners.

[gallag]

Irmscher editions

More vxr pics

from autoexpress

Vauxhall’s family car is taking a walk on the wild side! After endless spy shots and numerous rumours the white-hot Insignia VXR is here. And we have the first official pictures of the model that’s leaving more premium rivals shaking in their boots.

Beneath the pumped-up bodywork sits a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 unleashing 321bhp to all four wheels – 69bhp more than the Vectra VXR it replaces. It’s also the first 4x4 ever to wear the famous VXR badge.

With all that power on tap, 0-60mph is dispatched in 5.8 seconds – just four tenths down on the 328bhp supercharged Audi S4 – while the top speed is limited to 155mph.

But it’s not just the engine that’s received a through going over – sitting behind the standard 19’s or optional 20-inch alloys are uprated Brembo brakes with colour-matched callipers larger cross-drilled discs.

To counteract torque steer and maximise grip in all road conditions a new ‘HiPerStrut’ front suspension configuration has been devised.

To boost traction out of corners the adaptive 4x4 system, which juggles torque between the front and rear axles, is hooked up to an electronic Limited Slip Differential.

And if anyone needed proof that it should be just as sharp to drive as it sounds - Vauxhall’s team of test drivers honed the bespoke chassis at the gruelling Nurburgring test track in Germany.

Available in all three bodystyles – hatch, saloon and Sport Tourer, the exterior styling has been taken up a notch in line with the other three models in the VXR range – the Corsa, Astra and 431bhp VXR8.

At the front of the car a deeper, more prominent spoiler is dominated by a pair of enormous matte-chrome nostrils, which not only create a snarling face, but help with engine and brake cooling too.

Extended side sills give the car a ground-hugging appearance, while the unique VXR rear bumper is unmistakeable thanks to the twin trapezoidal exhausts. Both the hatch and saloon variants also get a boot lip spoiler for added visual drama.

The paint colour palette includes the striking Olympic white shown here, as well as Arden Blue, Power Red, Carbon Flash Black, Silver Lake and Technical Grey.

It’s all change in the interior too, where a host of sporty additions mark the VXR out from lesser models in the range. Up-front you’ll find hip-hugging Recaro seats to stop you bouncing off the doors under hard cornering.

The driver is presented with an all-new flat-bottomed VXR steering wheel, as well as a branded six-speed manual gear lever and sill plates, plus unique VXR graphics on the central display.

Considering Vauxhall’s unrivalled reputation for turning ordinary saloon cars into fully-fledged racers in the British Touring Car Championship, with no little success, you wouldn’t bet against this tyre-smoking Insignia from surprising a few people when it’s pitched against more premium competitors.

Vauxhall’s super-saloon will hit showrooms before the end of the year, with prices likely to start from around £25,000.

[Shaz]

The thing is, the general feeling of people who own that range of Vauxhall is that it'll bore you to death. Forget the fix and figures, go down to the dealers and have a test drive.

[gallag]

The thing is, the general feeling of people who own that range of Vauxhall is that it'll bore you to death. Forget the fix and figures, go down to the dealers and have a test drive.

What do you base this on? The insignia is a brand new car that has got car of the year 2009 and many of the models are not even out yet? I do know a few people that have bought the low end diesel models (only been available for delivery since march) and they love them but I am talking about the 2.0turbo 4x4 here that I can not find a single second hand one for sale in all of Europe.

I guess I am wondering how you build this consensus of it being a boring car when every review seems positive, won car of the year and it has only been available to the public for two or three months?

[XS_Rich]

What do you base this on? The insignia is a brand new car that has got car of the year 2009 and many of the models are not even out yet? I do know a few people that have bought the low end diesel models (only been available for delivery since march) and they love them but I am talking about the 2.0turbo 4x4 here that I can not find a single second hand one for sale in all of Europe.

I guess I am wondering how you build this consensus of it being a boring car when every review seems positive, won car of the year and it has only been available to the public for two or three months?

I'm not sure where he's getting the boring bit from, but the important thing to take from his post is that it's all about the test drive.

If the motoring press tell you it's the best car available, but you hated it during the test drive, would you still buy it?

Also, car of the year means nothing, just look at some of the previous winners....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Car_of_the_Year

Hardly the most exciting bunch of cars I've seen.

[gallag]

I'm not sure where he's getting the boring bit from, but the important thing to take from his post is that it's all about the test drive.

If the motoring press tell you it's the best car available, but you hated it during the test drive, would you still buy it?

Also, car of the year means nothing, just look at some of the previous winners....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Car_of_the_Year

Hardly the most exciting bunch of cars I've seen.

I completely agree, I would defo test drive, Was just wondering about the boring bit?

[XS_Rich]

I completely agree, I would defo test drive, Was just wondering about the boring bit?

Objectively speaking, cars in the Vectra/Insignia class aren't designed to be first and foremost interesting. That doesn't mean they can't be, but I'd never get a car in that class again, and I allegedly drove one with the best chassis (Mondeo) at the time.

Hot hatches FTW

[prava]

Vauxhall = opel?

[gallag]

Vauxhall = opel?

Yeah

[Sparky]

Friend of mine has the 09 Cobalt SS, that 2L turbo really moves. I'm not a fan of 4 bangers usually but I must say that is one impressive engine.

[gallag]

Friend of mine has the 09 Cobalt SS, that 2L turbo really moves. I'm not a fan of 4 bangers usually but I must say that is one impressive engine.

Do you or your friend have any info on tuning options for this engine?

[Sparky]

Do you or your friend have any info on tuning options for this engine?

Not really. It has 1600 miles on it with a 100k 5 year bumper to bumper warranty, he isn't going to be looking into doing anything that could void that.

[[XC] riptide]

Friend of mine has the 09 Cobalt SS, that 2L turbo really moves. I'm not a fan of 4 bangers usually but I must say that is one impressive engine.

Is it not a V6?

[Sparky]

Is it not a V6?

No, no cobalt has a 6.