Review
Vauxhall and Opel need to be bold with the new Vectra. The current model cannot hold a candle to the competition - in particular the Ford Mondeo - in terms of handling and driver involvement, and Vauxhall knows this.
While the car is popular with fleets for cheap running costs and reliable long distance motoring, it does not grab the heartstrings when the roads get twisty.
In terms of delighting the D-segment driver, the Mondeo rules the roost, with the Primera and Laguna not far behind. And with more company car drivers having greater choice as user-choosers or having cash-for-car and PCP options, the Vectra has to convince them as much as it has to convince the fleet manager.
As a result, Vauxhall has created a package for its new car called the Interactive Driving System (IDS), which contains all the elements necessary for making the Vectra a dynamic, yet safe car: steering, brake assist, brake force distribution, ABS, traction control, cornering brake control, an electronic stability programme, completely new rear suspension and revised front suspension fine-tuned by Lotus.
Vauxhall is not yet prepared to allow journalists behind the wheel of pre-production models, but did offer Fleet News an exclusive opportunity to be a passenger round a test track, with the car driven by an Opel engineer.
Our first drive was in the 2.2-litre petrol model, which was quiet enough at idle, and certainly less noisy than the outgoing model.
The engineer pulled on to the snow-covered skid pan and proceeded to do wide circles at 30-40mph. This is where some of the Vectra's fancy new electronics can really show off to maximum effect.
The car is fitted with ESP+ developed by electronics firm TRW, an upgrade to the electronic stability programme seen on many cars. This is the first car to be fitted with the new system.
The older version senses understeer and brakes the inside rear wheel to pull in the nose. With ESP+, up to three wheels are simultaneously braked to pull the car into line. As a result, what you get is a car that wants to drift wide, but is constantly inched back into line in a smoother, more manoeuvrable and safer way than before.
Even on a layer of snow, the Vectra seems to need few, and only very small, corrections to keep it pointing exactly where the driver wants it to go.
Due to a new, lighter, four-link independent rear suspension, lighter front set-up and a substantially stiffer body shell, both diagonally and longitudinally, Vauxhall believes the Vectra is now a much better handling car at higher speeds.
Certainly, high speed lane changing felt more direct and had much less body roll at the end of the manoeuvre than on the current car.
On a bumpy and at times cobbled, slippery and twisty circuit, the Vectra certainly felt assured, and even when pushed hard, did not elicit any wide-eyed, fingers-crossed reactions from me.
The new Vectra also feels better damped over crests than the slightly wallowy outgoing model. It settled down with less histrionics. There was also less tyre noise, combined with a much tighter, sporty engine note and better ride.
The engineers are looking to produce a car that, while not as overtly sporty as the Mondeo, sits just behind it in terms of a sporty feel, but has better ride quality.
Taking a ride in the passenger seat makes it difficult to tell if they have indeed struck gold, and it will need a more thorough evaluation in production-ready cars, but all the signs are there that the new Vectra will certainly be a marked improvement over its predecessor.
