Hi, i introduced myself a while back, i am looking for an s2 exige! still cant find the one i want!
Anyway, few of my friends keep saying to me why not get a vx220 “they are the same” and to be honest, i dont really know the facts compared to a s2 exige (apart from the obvious ones)as to how they perform/compare back to back.
so could anyone on here just point me in the right direction as to how an s2 exige is better that a vx220? chasis/performance wise (technical)
cheers!
I’ll have a crack at answering this as I’ve owned a VX220 NA (2.2), a VX220 Turbo (2.0), a VXR220 (2.0) and now own an Exige S2 (although it is the S and not the NA I believe you’re thinking about). Bear in mind any answers you get are subjective and it would be helpful if you could say how you intend to use the car. Would it be your only car, a weekend toy for road use or do you intend to do trackdays with it? Your intended use will have a big bearing on the best choice for you.
Anyway here goes…
The first VX220 was powered by the 2.2 Vectra lump and straight out of the box it was a great car but sales suffered badly through appalling advertising and the fact that people just couldn’t get their heads around the fact that Vauxhall had commissioned such a car so very different to anything they’d done before. Earlier models did suffer badly from build quality although most of the early niggles have been sorted by the owners. Roof leaks though the soft top are not unknown and some still have issues with bubbling paint on the clams (some of the turbos also have this problem). Mechanically they’re virtually bullet proof and the 2.2 engine will last forever, and it’s a lightweight lump so the car’s balance is wonderful. Power delivery is very linear and to drive it actually feels slower than it really is. It’s deceptively quick with pin-point handling although for road use the standard suspension can feel a bit harsh and it does tend to crash and bang over potholes. The 2.2 engine doesn’t lend itself to tuning and early attempts failed to produce much in the way of real gains. More recently Courtenay Motorsport in Norfolk have developed a supercharger conversion which puts the power up from about 147bhp to just under 250bhp and it transforms the car whilst retaining wonderfully linear acceleration. 2.2 VXs can be got for �10k - �12k and the conversion I think is around the �6k mark but check Courtenay’s website for full details. I really loved my NA and it was a superb car to drive on track.
Customer feedback in terms of apparent lack of power and harsh suspension lead Vauxhall to launch the VX220 turbo. 0-60 times were noticeably quicker and the suspension set-up was softened which made it a more comfortable car for regular road use. Two major plus points of the NA version were lost though. The revised suspension resulted in the pin point handling characteristics being lost, and the chosen engine being the 2.0 Astra lump was an iron block which completely upset the balance of the car. After the NA I hated it within three weeks of ownership, and on track it was a real handful. The turbo coming in around 3,000-3,500 revs unsettled the car further and the standard mapping resulted in a flat spot (more noticeable on some cars than others) around 4,500 revs. This was done intentionally by Vauxhall for emission reasons but can be mapped out. I also found that, compared to the NA, the front end would go light at high speeds due again to the iron lump in the back. Handling issues can to a certain extent be resolved by adding Nitrons or Ohlins, and swopping the wheels and tyres for 16" front and 17" rear (which was what the chassis was designed for) and the 2.0 Astra engine is easily tuneable from the standard 200bhp to 250bhp and beyond but for my money you still can’t get away from the weight distribution issue. Examples from memory go from �12k to �14k. Both the NA and turbo also suffered from a poor ABS system which was only two channel.
I’ll be back shortly - I need some coffee
Part 2
In 2004 Vauxhall launched the VXR220, intended to be the ultimate VX. Initially only 60 were to be built with the same red/black colour scheme although Vauxhall were pursuaded to build 5 additional VXRs in other colours. To my mind this was what the VX220 turbo should have been from the start. The car had different injectors, a hybrid turbo, revised induction, Lotus 340R seats, revised suspension, 16" front and 17" rear Speedlines with Yoko 048 tyres and a four channel ABS. Compared to the standard turbo the car was a revelation, and on track was nothing short of awesome. Power was only up from 200bhp to 220bhp but the flat spot was gone and the handling characteristics much improved with the car feeling much more planted on road or track. Granted the engine was still the 2.0 iron Astra lump but the overall balance of the car felt much better. Straight out of the box this car did everthing it said on the tin and more. Sadly, quite a few have been written off (number 37 went last weekend) and a few have been repaired to a not very high standard. Buyer beware if you go for one of these.
VX220.org.uk is the owners website and if you seriously think about buying a VX its a good place to look although (and I’ll get shot over there for saying this) VXs are now within reach of the chav brigade - a trait not normally found with Lotus owners generally. Type116.com is where most of the old VX220 owners now hang out but both sites can be useful for info.
So what of the S2 Exige then? Well, I said I’d never be parted from my VXR220 - until I drove the Exige. Firstly, look up close at the wonderful lines which makes the VX now look dated being somewhat angular and slab-sided. Then look at the build quality. Lotus learned a huge amount about this from their involvement with GM over the VX and it shows. The car doesn’t have the kit car feel of the VXs being much better put together, and the cabin is a much more pleasant and comfortable place to be. The lack of rear vision takes a bit of getting used to but it’s just a matter of changing your driving style. In terms of handling, well the pin-point accracy of my old NA is back and improved, and the weight distribution is to my mind exactly how it should be. The car feels very planted and inspires confidence in the chassis’ ability and is very stable at high speeds. I found the high revving Toyota lump took a bit of getting used to after 35 years of driving cars with a red line at 6,000 or 6,500 revs but it is a very nice lump and (as far as I understand) also pretty bullet proof). Overall it’s just lots of little things all added together which just goes to prove how Lotus have advanced since the VXs and results in a superb and complete package. To date I would rate it (albeit it my somewhat limited experiance) as my ultimate drivers car.
There is a big price hike even from a good VXR220 at �18k - �19k to an Exige, but is it worth it? In the words of Churchill Insurance - Oh Yes
Any other info you want on the VXs feel free to ask.
Hope this helps
Jim
cheers jim, that helped alot, was a good overall view of the vx’s as i wasnt clued up on them at all. Now im i bit more cleared up,i test drove a vx not long ago, and couldnt help to feel that it was falling apart(exageration) it was uncomfortable,very bumpy and rattly. Thats the main difference i noticed, but iv only driven one, so cant really critisise.
So is there any difference in the chasis? and suspension set-up…or are they the same? ?
cheers
pete
i test drove a vx not long ago, and couldnt help to feel that it was falling apart(exageration) it was uncomfortable,very bumpy and rattly.
Rattles were not an option on VXs - They came as standard although things improved over time due to pressure and assistance in build quality from GM.
The basic tub is the same for all VXs and Lotus with the rear subframe being the main difference to accommodate the different engines. I can’t remember which dampers were fitted as standard on the NA and Turbo but the NA set up was by far the stiffest and the turbo the softest (by a long way). The standard fit on the VXR were Bilsteins which were a good compromise, much like those fitted to the Exige. 2-way adjustable Ohlins were a factory fit option on the VXR but I think less than half had them fitted.
Did you test drive an NA or a turbo?
Brilliant write ups Jim. You must be a Jedi to go to all that effort just to turn someone from the darkside…
Well done Jim.
Before anyone buys a VX220, they should make serious enquiries into availability/cost of body panels - hen’s teeth & all that, which often makes repairing them “uneconimical” in the eyes of most insurers in the event of a smash.
Before anyone buys a VX220, they should make serious enquiries into availability/cost of body panels - hen’s teeth & all that, which often makes repairing them “uneconimical” in the eyes of most insurers in the event of a smash.
You got inside information Mr Pesky or are you a secret visitor to vx220.org
Yes, it’s true there have been examples of VXs being written off after what appeared to be relatively minor body panel damage, and it’s also true that the availability of clams has from time to time been an issue.
What the position is likely to be in the longer term is anybody’s guess but I suppose logic states it’s not going to get any easier.
Before anyone buys a VX220, they should make serious enquiries into availability/cost of body panels - hen’s teeth & all that, which often makes repairing them “uneconimical” in the eyes of most insurers in the event of a smash.
You got inside information Mr Pesky or are you a secret visitor to vx220.org
StephenM (who painted my car) repairs many Elises/Exiges/VXs, & he has a nightmare of a time obtaining VX clams/panels, & iirc they are about twice the price of lotus items. He recently had a VX sitting around for over 6 months waiting for a rear clam.
That’s about the longest I’ve heard of someone waiting for a new clam but it is obviously an issue as there’s talk over on vx220.org of someone else manufacturing them. Whether that will ever get off the ground and how insurers would view non-standards as replacements I don’t know.
One other point worth making is that the VX is a specialist car in the same way as Lotus, and potential buyers shouldn’t be mislead into thinking any Vauxhall dealership can service or repair them. Most owners wouldn’t touch Vauxhall with a very, very long bargepole and horror stories abound. Only ever be guided by personal recommendation from fellow owners.
I really liked my VX220 but like with an S1 Elise the newer Lotuses are so much more refined.
From standard they need a decent geo set up and ideally the 16inch front wheels.
If this was a comparison with a boggo S1 Elise i would say the VX220 wipes the floor with it, which is why i got one.
Brilliant write up Jim…
Big ding on the replacement parts front… we have a Vx220T here which we damaged last summer, the new clam was a fortune (when available) and the headlights were somthing like �600 each!.. needless to say we have not repaired it yet!!.
On another note the Vauxhall dealers really don’t know what to do with VX220’s…
we had some paint bubbling on the rear clam (fairly common apparently) and the dealer said it was almost definatley rust!!
we had some paint bubbling on the rear clam (fairly common apparently) and the dealer said it was almost definatley rust!!
That’ll be the metallic paint then
So Pete I’ll say what you’re thinking, Exige it is!
your right jonny…im picking up my s2 exige sat. Im soo excited, iv been saving to get one for years!!
There is a big price hike … but is it worth it?
don’t compare prices After two Elise S1 I now drive an Exige S1 and everyone says, it’s not worth it (in Switzerland, for the price of an Exige S1 you get two Elise S1), but I would never swap my Exige, no way… it might be not twice as ‘good’ (what is ‘good’?) as the Elise, but I LOVE IT! So follow your heart
Well done Peter excellent, may see you around…ENJOY
Well done Peter excellent, may see you around…ENJOY
Its awsome!! im so pleased with it, ill post pics later