VAUXHALL OPEL VECTRA INSURANCE MOTOR SPECIFICATIONS CAR HISTORY ONLINE QUOTES

The Vauxhall Vectra is a large family car produced by the General Motors group Opel, the main European subsidiary of GM. In the United Kingdom. It has also been sold in Australasia as a Holden and in Latin America as a Chevrolet, although it has since been replaced in those markets. The car is produced at the Opel factory in Rüsselsheim, Germany and in England.

The first Vectra, known as the Vectra A, was introduced in 1988 as a saloon and hatchback, replacing the Opel Ascona C. A coupe based on the Vectra, called the Calibra, was also sold. Both cars were designed by then-Opel design chief Wayne Cherry. Vauxhall, the name for GM in the UK, did not use the Vectra name initially, calling the car the Cavalier until 1995.

Engines ranged initially from a 71 PS (52 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). All-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 was not 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 litre 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 (1686cc), this one capable of achieving 82 PS (60 kW), and a GM designed 1.7 "low blow" turbo-diesel (1699cc), and naturally-aspirated diesel unit, delivering up to 76PS. 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 Vectra also received a refreshing 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 was not sold in Australia, where Holden instead offered a rebadged Toyota Camry called Apollo until 1997.

In Brazil, the Chevrolet-badged Vectra A was not introduced until 1993, when it replaced the Chevrolet Monza, a restyled version of the last Ascona.

The second model, the Vectra B, was introduced in 1995, and the model range included an estate version for the first time. This model replaced the Vauxhall Cavalier in the UK, and the Holden Apollo in Australia. In 1998, Holden began assembly of the Vectra for export to other right-hand drive markets in the region, although this was aversely affected by the Asian economic crisis, and ended in 2001.

Engines started from the 71 PS (52 kW) 1.6 L, Family 1 but eventually the 8-valve engines were all replaced by 16-valve powerplants. The 2.0 L Family II engine, with 136 PS (100 kW) was developed as a basis for touring car racing, but the top of the line was a 2.5 L V6 with 170 PS (125 kW). Diesel power came once again from Isuzu, but now featured direct injection and a 16-valve head.

In 1999 the Vectra was updated, receiving a mildly modified body (that can be identified by the single piece headlight units and body-coloured bumpers) together with somewhat improved handling characteristics and better equipment.

Sporting limited edition models included the touring car championship inspired i500, Super Touring and GSi. The first model was developed in Germany by Opel Motorsport, with the V6 engine's power increased to 195 PS (143 kW), and the other two were created in Milton Keynes by Motor Sport Developments, the team that run the Vectras in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Only 3900 GSi models were ever produced, mostly in saloon and hatchback guise. With only 317 estate versions produced during this time, they became one of the rarest production Vauxhalls ever.

A related model sold in the United States was the Saturn L-Series, introduced in 2000 but dropped from the lineup in 2005. It was replaced by the 2007 Saturn Aura, which is based on the current Vectra.

Vectra C

Introduced in the summer of 2002, the current model, the Vectra C, is built in Germany and the United Kingdom, and is based on the GM Epsilon platform. It is available as a four-door saloon, while the five-door hatchback, known as the Vectra GTS, is meant to recall cult models from Opel in the past such as the Commodore GTE of the 1970s.

The engine range was substantially modified to account for an increased curb weight. While a 122 PS (90 kW) 1.8 Family 1 Ecotec engine was the base model, a 2.0 L turbocharged Family II engine with 175 PS (129 kW) and a new 3.2 L V6, with 211 PS (155 kW) was also offered. Diesel power, now important for commercial success in Europe, was first provided by Isuzu (a 3.0 L V6 is still retained), but the four-cylinder diesel engines were replaced by Ecotec CDTI (Fiat-designed MultiJet) units with 1.9 L, capable of 150 PS (110 kW), in 2004.

The Vectra received a facelift near the end of 2005, and the V6 engine was replaced by an Australian-built 2.8 V6 Turbo unit, similar to the one used in the Saab 9-3. More importantly, Opel introduced, for the first time, an OPC (VXR in the UK) version the Vectra, available only in the hatchback and estate bodies. Power on the Saab V6 Turbo was increased to 255 PS (188 kW), and maximum speed just falls short of 250 km/h (155 mph).

In the UK, the hatchback is not considered a specialty model. In Australasia, the rebadged Holden Vectra ZC is considered more upmarket, though not to the same extent as in Europe. An estate version, called the Caravan in Germany, was released in 2003.

Sales of the Vauxhall Vectra in the UK 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 current model has never come higher than eleventh in the country's car sales charts, though it is still the second best selling car in its sector behind the Ford Mondeo.

The first of Vauxhall's new Vectra cars was being driven off the production line at its main UK plant on Tuesday. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt toured the factory in Cheshire to mark production of the new car.

The model will be built alongside the Astra range at the revamped plant at Ellesmere Port. The launch of the Vectra comes two months after Vauxhall shut down its Luton plant following nearly a century of production.

"This is a very important day for Vauxhall and for the entire motor industry," said Mrs Hewitt. "We often focus on bad news, such as the closure of Vauxhall's Luton factory. "But the investment the company is making at Ellesmere Port is a testament to the UK's status as a world-leading carmaker."

Arvin Jones, Vauxhall's director of manufacturing, said: "This is a momentous day for the factory and for all our employees who have lived with the new Vectra over the past year. "It is apt that we start full production of the English-built and powered new Vectra on St George's Day." By the time it closed on 21 March this year, Vauxhall's Luton plant had produced a total of 7,415,045 vehicles during the 97 years it was open.

Based partly on the Vectra C, the Opel Signum is an 'executive hatchback' with a completely different layout in the rear, along with a few more refinements than the Vectra C.

Chevrolet Vectra, Holden Vectra and Saturn Aura

While the Vectra C is sold in Mexico and Chile as a Chevrolet, it is not marketed in Brazil, where a new, locally designed Vectra saloon, based on the current Astra was released in October 2005. This model replaced the Vectra B, which was still available in Brazil until that date. This new model will also be sold in Eastern Europe as Opel Astra . A hatchback version, released in 2007, is basically a clone of the Opel Astra, is sold as the Chevrolet Vectra GT.

Similarly, in Australia and New Zealand, the European-sourced Vectra was dropped and replaced with the Holden Epica, a rebadged Daewoo Tosca in March 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 2006-built Vectra Cs were not sold in those markets.

Sales of the Chevrolet Vectra in Mexico will end after 2007 due to the redesign and the price of the Euro.

The Saturn Aura is based on the Vectra C, with readjustments to be compete better in the North American market, using the long wheelbase variant of the Epsilon Platform.

The Vectra is dead. Vauxhall announced today that its Mondeo-rivalling rep favourite will be replaced in the middle of next year by an all-new model called the Insignia.

Set to be unveiled at the London motor show in July 2008, the Insignia aims to shrug off the Vectra's staid image and move Vauxhall upmarket.

But we don't know what it'll look like yet. The only clue Vauxhall would give us is the tiny teaser shot in the top photo, which helpfully reveals that the Insignia will get at least one tail-light.

However, we'd expect the Insignia to take a few styling cues from the GTC coupe concept seen back in Geneva earlier this year - so expect a leap in interior quality and a focus on stronger, curved surfaces.

In another move inspired by the GTC, the Insignia looks likely to get a VXR version with four-wheel drive and a 2.8-litre V6. We won't see the hot version until some time in 2010, but Vauxhall has been dropping strong hints that it'll develop 300bhp and get a limited-slip diff along with electronically controlled four-wheel drive.

A juicy prospect, but spare a thought for the ousted Vectra, a car that has sold over a million models in its 12-year lifespan. Will you miss it?

The Vauxhall Vectra range of engines, comprising a 1.8-litre, a two-litre turbo, 2.2-litre and 2.8-litre V6 petrol engines, plus 1.9 (118bhp or 148bhp) and three-litre V6 diesels. The 1.8 is underpowered for a car this size and even the 2.2-litre requires careful anticipation and a good stoking. The two-litre turbocharged engine is much better. It serves up a healthy 173bhp, is exceptionally refined and pulls strongly. The diesels have plenty of torque and pull well throughout the gears. The VXR uses a smooth 2.8-litre V6 turbo with 280bhp and powers the car to 62mph in an un-Vauxhall-like 6.1 seconds.

What a good car. While, the gearchange is flappy, the throw too long and imprecise, and the stitching on the gearknob is spiky, nasty and not good to touch. Yes, the interior is plasticky and has poor ambience generally.

Then there's the cheap-feeling all-plastic handbrake lever, the rubbish satnav/climate interface (for example, the trip computer is called 'BC' or 'Board Computer', which I assume has been literally translated from the German), the cheap and clicky switches, and the chavvy, horribly-coloured dials that look like leftovers from Battlestar Galactica - the original series.

But then you drive it... and you can forget the flaws. You can even forgive it for being a Vauxhall, if you're not keen on the brand, because this Vectra VXR really is good enough as an overall experience to make the negatives go away. Please, oh, please, Mr GM, have a good crack at making your interiors more habitable.

Very few cars give as much performance value as the Vectra VXR. This new updated version churns out 276bhp from its liquid-smooth 2.8-litre turbo V6, up from 251bhp. Torque is 262lb ft at 1,800-4,500rpm. That's the kind of engine we like: lots of torque available from low revs and staying there through the range.

It gets the job done, this VXR - it goes, stops, steers, handles. Its Recaro seats are superb, the driving position super-adjustable and spot-on for all shapes and sizes. It goes hard, all the way to 161mph, but perhaps best of all, it sticks to the road brilliantly, using an advanced active damper system.

It's been tweaked since the Stig nearly under-steered it off the Top Gear track, and it's well executed: the ride isn't harsh, and you can press the sport button to harden the suspension even further and activate a more responsive throttle.

The steering is light, but still has plenty of feel, and there is a surprising lack of torque steer given the amount available. The brakes are stupendous too, both in power and feel - the front discs are a massive 345mm in diameter. It's a car you can really use.

And all this for only £24,395, or £25,495 for the estate - spec an Audi A4 estate, a 3.2 V6 (256bhp) with satnav, leather, electric seats, xenons and 18s, and it's £36,900. Don't do it - buy the Vauxhall.

The Vectra B, despite being praised by many, suffered high levels of criticism, particularly within the UK. Criticisms included uninspiring handling including a tendency to understeer, numb steering, poor interior ergonomics and the somewhat poor reliability as demonstrated in satisfaction surveys provided by Auto Express, Top Gear, & Which? magazines. David Morley of the Australian motoring site Drive.com.au noted that some Vectras suffered from 'Silly Electrical Problems.'

When the Vectra C was launched, Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson made what The Independent described as a "characteristically clever" film, which it judged may have damaged its sales. Clarkson has since described the Vectra as "designed in a coffee break by people who couldn't care less about cars".

The old Vauxhall Vectra scored only 89% up to 2 years old breakdown-free over previous 12 months in a satisfaction survey provided by Which? in 2004. Based on the survey results, Which? verdict on the old Vauxhall Vectra was:

"Disappointment on wheels. A slightly depressing driving experience and woeful build quality."

The current model launched in 2002 and face-lifted in 2005, garnered much better reviews and the Estate version even won an award from What Car? magazine in 2007 as "Estate Car of the Year 2007". 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 Saloon version.

Din 2008, Opel va renunta la Vectra, pentru�a o inlocui cu Insignia. Lansata in 1988, cind a inlocuit, la rindul ei Ascona, Vectra isi va lua adio de la cariera internationala in martie 2008, la Salonul de la Geneva. Ea va ceda locul in gamele Opel si Vauxhall�noii berline Insignia, model prezentat sub forma de concept la Salonul de la Frankfurt, din 2003. Ca motorizari, Insignia va avea propulsoare puternice, precum un turbo de 1,6 litri si 178 cai, un 1,8 litri aspirat de 138 de cai, dar si dieseluri de 1,9 litri si 168 de cai sau un V6 de 200 de cai putere.

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