Very nice! Were the test shots handheld or on a tripod? (guessing tripod with the shutter speeds on the parking lot shots, but worth asking for the others)
The parking lot is supported and the flag shots were handheld. The distances were quite different.
While VR is a great help, remember that
if VR allows as little as a .5 degree movement, that extends out to inches, or maybe even feet at a great distance. Imagine shooting a rifle that is off a tenth of an inch at the barrel hitting a target at 100 yards..... Inches off center. With VR, your shot could be tack-sharp at 30 yards, but fuzzy at 200 yards.
I will be using this lens with a tripod 90% of the time. Handheld, the pounds of D800 and heavy lens adds up. Holding that weight is tough to hold steady (at least it is for me). I won't kid myself into thinking I'm going to get sharp photos at a long distance with hand-held shots. I'll use a tripod and that's not an inconvenience for me and I accept my limitations.