UPDATE – check out our review of the Vauxhall Astra and its launch at Millbrook The first official pictures of the 2010 Vauxhall Astra have been unveiled. Clearly influenced by the design of the larger Insignia, the new Astra will be bigger ‘more upmarket’ than the current model.Obviously the pictures are of a five-door model, but there will...

While the outcome of the 2008 BTCC manufacturers championship may have been something of a foregone conclusion, Vauxhall are still keen to celebrate their championship winning form with two special edition VXRs – the Corsa and Astra VX Racing.Both cars take the standard VXR and add some visual tweaks. Available in either red or black, the VX Racing...

Thorney Motorsport have a long history of tuning Vauxhalls, and now they unveil their latest work – the Vauxhall Astra VXR-S and Astra VXR-R.Launched at the same time as a new Corsa VXR-R and VXR-S, the modified cars feature various upgrades to squeeze even more performance out of the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. The new models have been built to...

Another head-to-head from Fifth Gear, this time featuring the facelifted 2008 Ford Focus ST against the Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition. Take it away...

A quick promotional video from Vauxhall, showing what the lads at the VXR Performance Centre can do when they bolt a few goodies onto a standard Astra VXR. How about a Remus Sports Exhaust, 18-inch alloys with Toyo tyres, and a 49PS ECU upgrade? It seems to work pretty...

No need for explanation here, this is Paul Swift doing what he does best – making cars dance!He’s driving a standard 1.6-litre Vauxhall Astra as part of the VXR Track Day at...

UPDATE – what you were about to read has been proven wrong as the 2011 Astra VXR is tipped to have as much as 300bhp! In a move that will make hot hatch fans roll their eyes in despair the next generation Astra VXR, due in 2010, will feature a smaller engine! In an attempt to make the hottest Astra more affordable in this current climate of high taxes and...

This is one of Fifth Gear’s on-track comparisons. Two cars head-to-head on a timed lap, and may the best car win. In this case it’s the Vauxhall Astra VXR up against the Renaultsport Megane 225. Let battle...