Insignia VXR

Soldato
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Four Wheel Drive, 300 BHP and a fraction of the price of an S4.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/212751/vauxhall_vectra.html

Not the best source, but if you Google around many others are saying the same. Apart from the Traffic Assist System which may well save lives, but I can see this being very annoying, slowing the car down for a lamp post. If there is an option to switch this off, I can see this being very tempting on the 2nd hand market in a few years.

Thoughts?
 
Caporegime
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My god could that Auto Express Photoshop be any more wrong?! They even have some camo shots of the actuall car on the same page which the photoshoppers seem to have completely ignored! lol.

Really hope Ford get their finger out their bum soon and release some details on a Mk4 Mondeo ST... although it would need a drastic visual overhaul to get away from the child scaringly ugly looks of the standard car!
 
Caporegime
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My god could that Auto Express Photoshop be any more wrong?! They even have some camo shots of the actuall car on the same page which the photoshoppers seem to have completely ignored! lol.

Really hope Ford get their finger out their bum soon and release some details on a Mk4 Mondeo ST... although it would need a drastic visual overhaul to get away from the child scaringly ugly looks of the standard car!

dont believe there is going to be one

Theres the Titanium X Sport trim which was never there before, and thats available with the 2.5 Turbo from the Focus ST.

And i really cant see them doing a V6 Turbo engine as any N/A v6 wouldnt be as good as the focus engine. Especially since they sold so little ST220s. Didnt they sell less ST220s than aston martins ?

I honestly cant see them doing a flagship ST model with a v6 turbo or whatever, given the current economic downturn and financial trouble their in. Especially given the low demand. It would be financial suicide.

Reckon the Titanium X Sport is all we'll see of this model mondeo.
 
Soldato
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My god could that Auto Express Photoshop be any more wrong?! They even have some camo shots of the actuall car on the same page which the photoshoppers seem to have completely ignored! lol.

Really hope Ford get their finger out their bum soon and release some details on a Mk4 Mondeo ST... although it would need a drastic visual overhaul to get away from the child scaringly ugly looks of the standard car!

I'm sure Ford have said they're not making one.
 
Caporegime
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While part of me dies a little because I to, altho wishing, dont think we will see a Mk4 ST Mondeo, I dont think I would ever buy one even if the followed the tradition of becoming "OMG CHEAP!" on the 2nd hand market, they are just so dam ugly.

I think the Focus ST and RS have taken the flagship stance in Ford. Are we even going to see a new Fiesta ST?
 
Soldato
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I'd love to see a Fiesta RS. Porbably will not happen due to torque steer and people then might not buy the Focus RS.

Didn't Ford say the chances of even a new Fiesta ST are small as they need to start making money and cutting CO2 on cars.

Infact thinking about it didn't they say after the Focus RS that there wouldn't be another RS car for a very long time and the chances of another ST in the current financial situation was very slim.

Think it was in AutoCar a couple of weeks ago.
 
Soldato
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I quite like he look of that VXR, and will keep my opinions open until i see (and test drive) the real thing, but i agree, Ford could lose out on sales if they don't pull theirfingers out, i don't think the TiT X 2.5, as nice and well specced as it is, will persuade customers away from the insignia VXR, being about the same price too.
 

JRS

JRS

Soldato
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And i really cant see them doing a V6 Turbo engine as any N/A v6 wouldnt be as good as the focus engine. Especially since they sold so little ST220s. Didnt they sell less ST220s than aston martins ?

I honestly cant see them doing a flagship ST model with a v6 turbo or whatever, given the current economic downturn and financial trouble their in. Especially given the low demand. It would be financial suicide.

Thing is, FoMoCO already has the perfect engine provided it will fit - the 3.5 direct injection twin-turbo Ecoboost. It's going in the Taurus SHO later this year in 365hp trim. So it's not as if they have to develop a new engine to go after Vauxhall. If they can use a few more of the SHO's bits then I'm sure they can keep development costs down to a point where they won't end up crippling themselves.
 
Soldato
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It will be a shame not to see a new Mondeo ST imo, like on the Mk3, it had a little bit of exclusivity over the normal mondeo and still looks fantastic in performance blue, whereas in the Mk4, there isn't a model tha stands out over the others, the TiTX sport just looks like the others bar the diffuser at the back. At least give it an exclusive colour so it can stand out from the others.

@JRS, this is exactly what the mondeo needs to compete with the insignia VRX, especially if GM have indeed sorted the chassis out for the insignia where the vectra failed miserably because frankly, i'd choose the VXR over the TitX as things stand and subject to handling being sorted.
 
Caporegime
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Thing is, FoMoCO already has the perfect engine provided it will fit - the 3.5 direct injection twin-turbo Ecoboost. It's going in the Taurus SHO later this year in 365hp trim. So it's not as if they have to develop a new engine to go after Vauxhall. If they can use a few more of the SHO's bits then I'm sure they can keep development costs down to a point where they won't end up crippling themselves.

problem is who'se going to buy it ?

they sold so little ST220s, most of the sales figures came from the ST TDCI. But to call a diesel an ST was a bit of an insult to the badge really. Thats why i think they've not used the ST badge this time round. It was effectively a trim level. A Trim level thats now been renamed Titanium X Sport.

As for the 3.5 V6 Turbo. Im sure they could use it, and produce a cracking ST, and make it their show peace. But given that not enough people will buy it, and there under serious pressure to reduce co2 and become profitable, i just cant see them doing it.
 
Soldato
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Whatever you believe, there are still plenty of ST220's and indeed ST TDCi's about, and i doubt there are less of them about than Astons now, what you're referring to was the Top gear from back in 2003/2004 where more astons were apparently sold than ST220's, the fact remains that you're more likely to see an ST220 on the road than an aston (unless you're in London lol) However, when it comes to buying one, as i tried last year, they are (or were) rare as rocking horse poo except for abused /less desirable colour choices (anything except performance blue (Sorry Pete)) (My opinion only too).
 
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