Vauxhall VECTRA dTi DIESEL RANGE
Soft Targets Arent What They Were. In An Age When Even
Vauxhall Vectra Diesels Are Worthwhile, A Motoring Journalists Lot Is Not A Happy One. Andy Enright Reports
Oh, to have been a motoring journalist back in the Seventies, a time when a car designers truly unleashed the power of mediocrity. A generation ago, merely describing an Austin Maxi gave you a hilarious article. The Californian conceptual artist, Phil Garner, used to carry about with him a Maxi workshop manual and when things got dull he would simply show people a diagram of the gearchange mechanism and they would fall about laughing. Its not like that these days.
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Every dog has its day, but could today belong to the latest
Vauxhall Vectra dTi?
In its latter days (and many would argue in its former too), the old Vectra was so far off the pace that it had been lapped by its competitors. Preserved for much longer, the Cavalier-evolved styling may well have become inadvertently retro trendy. So far behind the curve was it that it seemed a huge ask for Vauxhall to bring the second-generation car up to the mark of competence let alone challenge for class honours. Most Vectra sales went to corporate buyers, the overwhelming majority of whose drivers had no choice as to their chosen company drive.
Recent tax regulations have radically altered the way this market works and as such, the Vectra now has to appeal to private buyers as well as malcontent animal feed salesmen.
"All of the parts that are effectively new feel well up to the job."
Much has been written of the new Vectra. Much of this has spouted from the pen of the same Mr J. Clarkson who nailed the previous models press launch with his infamous silent protest. Whilst a fatwah still exists on the bouffant one in Luton, hes been at it again regarding the latest car, albeit in far more voluble terms.
The difference this time is that others have responded, springing to the Vectras defence. The turbo-diesel versions of the latest Vectra seem to be the most sensible models, although their so-so CO2 emissions performance may preclude them from many lists. Neither of these engines are particularly new, both units being carried over from the old range. The 99bhp 2.
0-litre DTi 16v and the 123bhp 2.2-litre DTi both share direct injection and charge air-cooling. They dont offer the common rail technology utilised by many market leading rivals, thats left to Vauxhalls CDTi diesels. In the Vectras DTi engines a single overhead camshaft drives the sixteen valves, whilst a dual mass flywheel keeps vibration down during start up.
Most buyers will opt for the budget 2.0-litre powerplant, enjoying its healthy torque showing of 230Nm at a super accessible 1,500rpm. The 60mph benchmark is a respectable 12.5 seconds away and the top speed is an equally credible 120mph.
Its emissions rating is 159g/km. The 2.2-litre engine features a variable geometry turbocharger for maximum efficiency and guarantees a good spread of torque, the 280Nm of twist action kicking in again at 1,500rpm and can be maintained up to around 3,000rpm. Taken in isolation its a decidedly gutsy engine, but compare it to the best that
Renault,
Peugeot and
Ford can produce and its yester-tech origins betray themselves.
Nevertheless its no sluggard, getting through the benchmark sprint in 10.5 seconds en route to an autobahn-friendly terminal velocity of 128mph. Fuel consumption is acceptable, the 2.0-litre consuming 5.
9 litres of diesel per 100km and the 2.2 drinking 6.5, which in good old money is 48.3 and 43.
9mpg respectively. Again, not class leading, but certainly reasonably frugal. Youll want to know about the handling or at least you will if youre not a typical Vectra customer. The answer is that, like the styling, it falls somewhere in the middle of the class norm.
Mind you, thats pretty darn good these days and will represent a revelation for previous Vectra owners trading up. Lessons have clearly been learnt, with unsprung weight having been taken out of the suspension set-up through the use of aluminium componentry. The track has also been made wider to aid stability. Both dTi-engined cars can be had in Life, SXi, Design and Elite trims, with the 2.
2-litre variant also offered in sportier SRi guise. The 2.0-litre model also comes in Expression and Club trim with the club kicking off at £16,335 the same as the Life. The 2.
2-litre Elite meanwhile, tops the range. This model features such niceties as full leather trim, heated front seats and 17-inch alloy wheels. These dTi Vectra models are a tricky call. All of the parts that are effectively new feel well up to the job.
Without recourse to comparative data most will find the engines generally agreeable. Its only when you see what great strides the opposition has taken in diesel engine technology that the Vectra dTi models smack of a job half done. In a rapidly expanding market sector, these diesel Vectras are hugely significant but struggle to pass muster. And right now the brand doesnt have a whole heap of goodwill to fall back on.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Vauxhall Vectra dTi diesel range
PRICES: £15,290-£23,405
INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-9
CO2 EMISSIONS: 159-176g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.2] Max Speed 128mph / 0-60mph 10.5s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (combined) 48.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4596/1798/1460mm [4dr]
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