Initially powered by a 411 bhp (306 kW) Gen IV LS2 6.0 litre V8, from late 2009 it was upgraded to the Gen IV LS3 6.2 litre V8 with 425 bhp (317 kW), shared with the Chevrolet Corvette C6 and the Chevrolet Camaro SS.

The Vauxhall initially mainly competed with other large sport sedans such as the Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E55/E63 AMG, and although it was somewhat bigger in almost all dimensions than them, was not enough to touch luxury territory.

[1][2][3] A rebadged version of the Maloo pickup (coupé utility) was also offered under the Vauxhall brand but only a few were ever sold as the "sport coupé utility" market was only a niche on the British market.

In 2013, the VXR8 GTS (based on the HSV GTS Gen-f) was introduced with a 577 bhp (430 kW) supercharged Gen IV 6.2 litre LSA engine, also used in the second generation Cadillac CTS-V and fifth generation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The final run was 15 of the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R; fitted with a 587 bhp (438 kW) version of the supercharged LSA V8 engine.