C'mon! Vauxhalls: Vauxhall Manaro Holdens sister

PRICE: £29,965 to £36,995

Vauxhall borrowed the Monaro from its Australian sister company "Holden", and made the Vauxhall Monaro available in the UK.

The Monaro shares little but the badge with any other Vauxhall, shunning the 2.2 litre four cylinder in favour of a thumping V8 borrowed from a Corvette. A larger car than most coupes, the Monaro has useable back seats for a couple of adults even though it’s only a 2 door.

Monaro backs up those muscular looks with a thunderous 5.7 litre V8 powerplant. Handling is reasonable and there’s plenty of standard equipment. But you’ll be on first name terms with your local petrol stations & it's not as fast as it could be.

The standard Monaro Chevrolet V8 produces 349bhp and 353lb ft of pulling power. The VXR flagship has a 6.0 litre V8 which produces 398bhp and 391lb ft of pull.
Narrow back roads throw into focus the Monaro’s sheer size. It’s big but fairly nimble for a vehicle of its size. The steering, although slow, is accurate and provides plenty of feedback. The firm suspension keeps the body under control but small, high frequency bumps can cause it to patter.

The Monaro is kitted with a premium audio system, but the only time you’ll want to use it is during a motorway cruise. Because that V8 grumble underneth the hood is to be savoured, not muffled. Road noise is acceptably low, given the low profile tyres, and wind noise is kept to reasonable levels, too.

The powerful V8 engines and amount of kit for your money makes the Monaro seem at reasonable value, but average fuel economy is less than 20mpg or 13mpg around town. Servicing will be expensive, while insurance costs will be steep, too, due to the car’s group 20 rating. High carbon dioxide emissions earn the Monaro a place in the maximum 35% company car tax band.

Equipment may be in plentiful supply, but the switches that are used to operate it do not feel of a high enough quality. The plastics, too, are not worthy of a car that commands such a high list price. It is too early to predict the Monaro’s mechanical reliability.

The Vauxhall Monaro gets remote central locking, an alarm and deadlocks as standard. There are also a visible VIN and locking wheelnuts. Twin front and side airbags are present, as are ABS and seatbelt pre tensioners.
There’s plenty of cabin space up front. The seats adjust electrically, while the large steering wheel can be adjusted for reach as well as rake. However, the heaviness of the clutch and gearbox make the car feel more of a handful than it needs to be, especially in town. The trim is uninspired but hardy.

The Vauxhall occupies a fair amount of road space, but the good news is it’s big on the inside, too. Even with tall people in the front seats, rear occupants will not find themselves short of legroom. There’s plenty of shoulder space, too, although the tallest passengers may find their heads brushing the roof lining above the rear window.

There’s no reason for anyone to feel uncomfortable in the Monaro, because both versions come complete with climate control, leather upholstery, a top end CD multichanger with steering wheel mounted controls and electric front windows, along with remote central locking, cruise control and metallic paint.

And our next blog will be called (Vauxhall's Tiny Tigra).