Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer (2013) first official pictures

This is Vauxhall's most powerful estate car ever: the VXR8 Tourer. Based on the Australian market's outgoing HSV Commodore R8 Tourer, the VXR8 uses a previous-gen Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine to lug along the biggest loadspace in its class. Is this the ultimate sub-£50k family car? Read on for the full spec...

Power comes from the familair GM LS3 V8 engine, which displaces 6.2 litres and develops 425bhp. That's sent to the rear wheels only via a six-speed manual (fitted with a heavy-duty performance clutch) or a six-speed automatic. Both transmission options use a limited-slip differential for easy tail-out antics, as seen in these lairy official pictures.

The VXR8 Tourer will hit 62mph in 4.9sec, and top out at an electronically restrained 155mph. Thanks to the lack of a clever dual-clutch transmission or all-wheel drive, the VXR8 lags behind super-wagon rivals like the Audi RS6 Avant and Mercedes E63 AMG by around a second in the 0-62mph dash. However, while those cars cost upwards of £80k, the Vauxhall will set you back £49,500 - and includes Vauxhall's 'lifetime' 100,000 mile warranty.

Besides the price, you might opt for the VXR8 over a posh German wagon thanks to the sheer enormity of its boot. With all five seats in place, the Tourer offers 895 litres of space (an E63 Estate manages 695 litres, an RS6 Avant only 565 litres. Drop the rear row and you'll unlock 2000 litres of room in the VXR8. That's 50 litres more than the massive E-class offers, and even challenges some mid-sized commercial vehicles for capacity.

The rest of the cabin is shared with the regular VXR8. Full leather is standard, you get sports seats up front, and a five-inch infotainment screen that monitors the car's lap times, G-force, and the maximum degree at which your Tourer has been drifted (really). Handy for showing off to your mates, but not so handy when a second-hand buyer starts trawling through the records... You also get an active sports exhaust, 20-inch alloy wheels, and launch control as standard. Strewth mate, etc.

By Ollie Kew