Vauxhall Vectra Range
For all its good points, of which there are many, the Vauxhall Vectra still labours under its repmobile image. The stereotype persists that these vehicles are the preserve of company car drivers who spend their lives pounding the countrys motorway network, doggedly intent on gaining promotion and the resulting passport into some compact executive wheels. Is it deserved? You could have argued the case for Vectra models of old but todays car is a far more rounded piece of work. It is still purchased largely by fleets and company car user-choosers but theyre getting much, much more than a crude motorway mile-muncher.
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We were told that the cars styling was completely new from the A-pillars forward but on viewing it, there was the sneaking suspicion that the front end had been sighted somewhere before. It had, the Vectra appears to have been driven into the back of an Astra family hatchback at extremely high speed. The resulting concertina-effect sees the bonnet, lights and grille of the smaller car now protruding from the front of its larger sibling. This is no bad thing of course: the Astra has been hailed for its bold, sharky looks since launch and todays Vectra inherits them. The large headlights jut upwards into the bonnet and the grille, married effectively to the under bumper assembly, provides real presence on the road. At the back, the bumper has been reworked on some models and the range of wheel designs has also been given a good going-over.
"Its a fairly well-established fact that the Vectra can match any car in the medium range sector on grounds of refinement and comfort"
The Vectras cabin has long been a haven of tranquillity. Ever since the launch of the original version of the current car, it has provided a suitably relaxing environment for marathon motorway trips and this facelifted model has upped the anti. Soft touch is revealed as the key phrase as you run a finger over the surfaces, press the buttons and flick the switches in the tried and tested manner. The old cabin was a little too grey for many tastes but upgraded seat fabrics and trim inserts, a smaller, more sports-orientated steering wheel and a jazzed-up instrument panel all help to make the current model a more interesting place to be.
The range of trim, body and engine options is massively diverse but Vauxhall have always gone large in this area. There are saloon, five-door hatchback and estate bodystyles, along with trim levels that draw increasingly heavily from the options list as they ascend from Exclusiv through Life, Design and sporty SRi to the ultimate Elite (luxurious) and VXR (quick) models. Even the Exclusiv option that props the others up gives you air-conditioning, six airbags and a drivers seat with eight adjustments that furthers the Vectras reputation for comfort. Skipping up the range a little, the Design option yields climate control, rain-sending wipers and auto headlamps - which presumably are dark sensing.
It also gives estate buyers an electrically opening tailgate. In the engine room, its business largely as usual but there have been some noteworthy changes. The petrol line-up now opens with a 140bhp 1.8-litre 16v powerplant, then theres the tried and tested 2.
2-litre with 145bhp and the 173bhp 2.0-litre Turbo engine thats offered with the more frenetic models. All of these are carried over from the pre-facelift Vectra but the range-topping petrol model isnt. This is now a 2.
8-litre turbocharged V6 making 227bhp when offered with Elite trim, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The same powerplant churns out 276bhp in the performance-orientated VXR which will fire you from 0-60mph in 6.1s. The diesel range remains totally the same but Vauxhall have some accomplished oil-burners in their ranks.
The 120 and 150bhp versions of the 1.9-litre CDTi models are predicted to be the biggest sellers but those craving more torque can upgrade to the mighty 174bhp 3.0-litre CDTi. The entry-level 1.
8-litre might be the unsung hero in all of this with its 173g/km CO2 emissions, 40mpg economy and a 9.9s 0-60mph sprint. Its a fairly well-established fact that the Vectra can match any car in the medium range sector on grounds of refinement and comfort. The trick for engineers working on the current facelifted car was to retain those respected qualities while injecting more by way of driver involvement and improving the cars dynamic abilities.
It sounds a fine balancing act but they may have pulled it off. Theres more steering feel and better chassis control in todays Vectra but the crown jewels of that silky ride and the whisper-quiet cabin remain intact. In fact, Vauxhall claim that refinement is actually improved as well. The current facelifted Vectra has addresses the criticisms levelled at the original model.
It should be more rewarding to drive and the styling has a more distinctive and sporty edge. The standard of the cars ride and refinement were never in doubt and although equipment levels look generous, pricing remains tight. Theres substantially more to the Vauxhall Vectra than many peoples repmobile preconceptions will allow them to discover but their loss is the photocopier salesmans gain.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Vauxhall Vectra range
PRICES: £14,900-£25,775 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 154-271g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.2i petrol] Max Speed 133mph / 0-60mph 10.0s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.2i petrol] (urban) 23.7mpg / (extra urban) 42.2mpg / (combined) 32.8mpg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4596/1798/1460mm [4dr]
