VAUXHALL CORSA VXR- FAR 'LESS SHIT' THAN I EXPECTED...

The one thing I miss since becoming a freelance writer, is the fact I miss out on the new cars manufacturers send magazines to test. I miss it not because they're amazing cars, as tbf my own cars were usually faster and more fun, but I genuinely do enjoy testing cars, seeing how they really drive, and see if there's the potential to actually make them awesome with a few modifications; especially as most reviews I read sound like someone who's had a 30min jaunt around the streets, sat back down at their computer, and made up a load of cliche filled crap they think the reader will want to hear.

Some cars we were sent disappointed me, in fact most cars did, but some were a surprise, and one of the biggest was the then-new Corsa VXR. I honestly HATED it for the first few hundred miles, and didn't like the Astra VXR I tested before it either, and that was much faster...

While they look pretty decent in press photos (it was a red one, exactly as above), in the flesh it looked much taller and bulkier than expected, and from behind the wheel, despite the badass Recaro seats, it felt like the car and seating position was about a foot too high, which is a huge negative point for driving in my book.

For the first couple hundred miles I still didn't warm to it. Yeah it went well for a standard hot hatch, with decent torque from the turbo, all the VXRs do really, though it also had a very noticeable performance drop with sustained hard use that felt to me like the standard intercooler was heat-soaking. 
The main killer of enjoyment was the fact it still felt like I was sitting on the roof due to the seating position and tall thin chassis, which made it feel, well, far worse than any actual timed performance shows it is.
While the car was certainly capable, it didn't stand out at all compared to countless other cars I'd tested, and just like most standard cars, any real fun or feel was sucked up by the fact the manufacturers try to make a refined car that will stop your average Joe from either hating it for being too unrefined, or crashing it.

But I'm not Average Joe, I'm Stupid Stav, so it just felt a let down, too normal- Until I started driving it like a loon that is...

As the miles piled on (I had a lot of shoots to do that week, and I did about 250 miles a day in the thing) my frustration with it feeling a bit numb and crap made me chuck it about far more than it initially felt capable of, and then, well, something just clicked.
It turns out, while still a bit too 'standard' for my liking, was actually bloody good when driven on/over the limit; not at all like it felt when driving at 7/10ths. When driving in maximum attack mode it almost shrank around you, and was in fact incredibly adjustable with both the steering and throttle, to the extent you could get lift-off oversteer at will, and a friend I gave a lift to, after about 10mins of saying nothing and just holding on tight, suddenly goes "So is this thing rear wheel drive then?".

I've never tested a car that look me this long to like it, but once I did like it, I really, really didn't want to give it back, not because it was amazing, but as standard cars go, it had the potential to be one of the most hilarious modern hot hatches there is. Just a few basics, lower seats, lower ride height, better intercooler, and a more audible exhaust, and I felt the car would be the same hilarious fun it was at 11/10ths, but unlike when standard, it'd still be almost as fun at less licence losing, car crashing, speeds.

Funnily enough, a few months later Vauxhall sent us the Corsa VXR 888 edition, which was lower, stiffer, faster, and noisier (to the extent of pretty loud pops and bangs on the over-run), and that pretty much confirmed what I thought it'd be like after driving the standard one; great fun, and stupid enough to not get bored of quickly.

Honestly, if I was in the market for a modern-ish hot hatch to tune (and I'm not), while it's not the 'best' one, not the fastest, for me driving is about fun, and I'd get a Corsa VXR...