Everything about The Opel Vectra totally explained
The
Opel Vectra is a
large family car produced primarily by
Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as "Opel"), the
German subsidiary of
General Motors Europe (GM Europe is a subsidiary of the multinational
General Motors).
In the
United Kingdom, it's sold under the
Vauxhall marque as a
Vauxhall Vectra (except the Vectra A, which was known as the Vauxhall Cavalier). It has been also been sold as a
Holden in
Australasia as a
Holden Vectra, and a
Chevrolet in
Latin America as a
Chevrolet Vectra, although it has since been replaced in those markets.
Since 2003, Opel has manufactured the
Signum, which is based partly on the Vectra C. Marketed an "executive hatchback", it features a completely different layout in the rear, along with a few more refinements than the Vectra C.
Its current mainstream market competators include the
Ford Mondeo,
Volkswagen Passat,
Renault Laguna,
Škoda Octavia,
Honda Accord, and others.
Vectra A
The first Vectra, known as the Vectra A, was introduced in 1988 as a saloon and hatchback, replacing the
Opel Ascona C. A
coupé based on the Vectra, called the
Calibra, was also sold. Both cars were designed by then-Opel design chief
Wayne Cherry. Vauxhall, GM's British subsidiary which shared most of its models with Opel, didn't call this model "Vectra" but rather marketed it as the
Cavalier.
Engines ranged initially from a 75 PS (55 kW) 1.4 L to a 130 PS (96 kW) 2.0 L
Family II.
With the introduction of
Euro I emissions regulations, the base model was replaced by a 1.6 L with the same output, while the top of the line was given to a 16-valve version of the 2.0 L engine, which powered the GT (GSI) version, and had 150 PS (110 kW).
Four-wheel drive versions were added to the lineup in 1990, and in 1993, the car received a limited edition
turbocharged version, with 204 PS (150 kW). The 1.4-litre engine wasn't available in all markets, and even then, it was only available in basic trims (Base/L in
United Kingdom, LS/GL in
Europe). A 2.5 L
V6 engine appeared towards the later stages of the Vectra's life, developing 170 PS (125 kW), turning the car into a relaxed motorway cruiser rather than give it sporty pretensions.
There were a choice of two
diesel engines; one was an
Isuzu 1.7 L
Circle-L unit, in both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged form (1686 cc), this one capable of achieving 82 PS (60 kW), and a GM designed 1.7 "low blow" turbo-diesel (1699 cc), and naturally-aspirated diesel unit, delivering up to . Both units have a reputation for longevity, especially
Isuzu developed units, which were also regarded as some of the most refined diesels available at the time.
The front
suspension was fully
independent, with
MacPherson struts, pressed steel lower control arms, and an
anti-roll bar. The front suspension, together with the major mechanicals (engine and transmission) is remotely mounted on a front
subframe. On front wheel drive models, the rear suspension is semi-independent, consisting of a torsion beam
axle linked to trailing arms, with double conical
coil springs and direct acting telescopic
hydraulic shock absorbers, with certain models also having an anti-roll bar. On the four wheel drive GSi, the rear suspension is a subframe-mounted fully independent design, with semi-trailing arms, double conical coil springs, direct acting gas-assisted telescopic shock absorbers, and an anti-roll bar.
Steering gear is a
rack and pinion type (manual or power assisted, depending on model), mounted on the
bulkhead (
firewall), with a telescopically deformable
steering column.
The Vectra also received a refresh in 1993.
The Vectra gave birth to a
coupé version, the
Opel Calibra, which shared the Vectra's underpinnings, including the most powerful engines (115 PS and up) and transmissions.
In
New Zealand, the Vectra A was offered initially as an Opel, but it wore
Holden badges from 1994. It wasn't sold in
Australia, where Holden instead offered a
rebadged Toyota Camry called
Apollo until 1997.
In
Brazil, the Chevrolet-badged Vectra A wasn't introduced until 1993, when it replaced the
Chevrolet Monza, a restyled version of the last Ascona.
In
Egypt, the Opel Vectra A wasn't introduced until 1994 through GM Egypt Dealerships, and started production in late 1994 by GM Egypt through early 1996 with a range of 1.6 GL,2.0 GL trim and 2.0 GLS trim and only Saloon body style boosting strong sales in Egypt during this short run in Egypt.
Vectra C
Built over the
GM Epsilon platform the
Opel Vectra C of 2002 was initially available as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback, known as the GTS. A five-door station wagon was added in 2003, along with an "executive hatchback" sold under the
Signum nameplate. The Signum, which is based partly on the Vectra C features a completely different layout in the rear.
The engine range was substantially modified to account for an increased
curb weight. While a 1.8 litre
Family 1 Ecotec engine was reserved for the base model, a 2.0 litre
turbocharged Family II engine with was also offered, along with a new 3.2 litre
V6, with .
Diesel power, which by now was important for commercial success in Europe, is provided by an
Isuzu-sourced 3.0 litre V6 outputting, but the four-cylinder diesel engine was replaced in 2004 by a
Fiat-designed 1.9 litre
Ecotec CDTI engine capable of outputting . Handling is reported to be much better than the old car, but reviews still criticise the overlight feel of the steering, complicated indicator switches and the rather ungainly styling of the sedan version.
The Vectra received a facelift near the end of 2005, and the V6 engine was replaced by an Australian-built turbocharged 2.8 litre
High Feature V6 unit. More importantly, Opel introduced, for the first time, an
OPC version the Vectra was launched, using the
VXR name in the United Kingdom. These high-performance variants were available only in the hatchback and station wagon bodies. In the United Kingdom, the power on the
High Feature engine was increased to, and maximum speed just falls short of 250 km/h (155 mph). In
Australia and
New Zealand, the Holden Vectra
ZC series was dropped and replaced with the Holden Epica, a badge-engineered
Daewoo Tosca in 2007. Due to stockpiling of 2005 model Vectras for the Australasian market, there was enough supply of the car for deliveries to last through to 2007, as a result facelifted Vectra Cs were not sold in those markets.
Sales of the Vectra in the United Kingdom have not been as strong as its predecessor's. For much of its production life, the original Vectra was the fourth best selling car in the country, yet the Vectra C has never come higher than tenth in the country's car sales charts, though it's still the second best selling car in its sector behind the
Ford Mondeo. In 2007, it finally made the top 10 of Britain's car sales charts, being the nation's tenth most popular new car with over 50,000 sales, outselling the Ford Mondeo for the first time since 1999. Also in 2007, the station wagon variant garnered the
Estate Car of the Year 2007 award by
What Car? magazine.
While the Vectra C has been sold in
Mexico and
Chile as the Chevrolet Vectra, it isn't marketed in
Brazil, where a new, locally designed Chevrolet Vectra sedan, based on the
Astra H was released in October 2005.
It has been criticised heavily by journalists for the quality of its chassis and its bland styling inside and out, especially
Jeremy Clarkson who expressed his opinions that it's "One of my least favourite cars in the world. I've always hated it because I've always felt it was designed in a coffee break by people who couldn't care less about cars" and "one of the worst chassis I've ever come across".
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