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Don't worry about the cruise control. Mine started working part time at 130k kms and started working flawlessly again at 150k. I am now at 230k kilometers and it still works
As an average family man back in the day, I had many Cavaliers and Vectras. They never let me down and were good roomy family cars. When the C model came out I just didn’t like the styling so I bought two cars to replace the old Vectra. A Corsa as a runabout and an Alfa Romeo 156 for journeys and weekends. Many people will mock the Alfa but in the 9 years I owned it, it ran as sweet as a nut. I regret to this day selling it.
Interesting. My father had a cavalier in the 90’s a brown coloured one. Said it was the worst car he’d ever owned. I forget why but it had a huge design flaw that caused serious failures of the clutch or gearbox I think. I’m guessing it must have been rectified in later revisions. I’ll ask him next time I speak to him. My first car was a nova that was given to me by a nice lady at work. It had been sat for two years on her driveway. Went to collect it with a mate, used jump leads to turn it over, drove it home then it flew through the MOT without any advisories even. Was a great little car , never had any issues with it that I couldn’t fix myself with my limited knowledge as a 20 year old.
If it makes you feel any better, the floorpan would probably now require welding, and the 156 has virtually no crash protection. Plus, you'd have probably had an annoying Cambelt failure, or something else irritating.
Bought a 2006 1.8 Sri two months ago. One owner, 60 k mileage for £2000. I'm really trying not to tempt fate, but so far it seems like it has been one of the best car purchases I've ever made. It drives like a dream, and is spacious and comfortable. Wish I'd realised earlier how good a vehicle the vectra is.
I had the same. Owned my 06 for 7 years 1.8VVT and did nearly 60k and it was faultless, never let me down. Moved to an 09 Mondeo and what a financial mistake this has been! And it's a 1 owner from new. 🤦♂️
My landlord used to have one of these in Mexico, where it was sold as a Chevrolet. I actually enjoyed this oddity of a car, a real torquey sleeper with a great ride, funny ergonomics and a steering too light for my taste. Happy to see this video!
In Australia, they came out in 3 grades. Cd was 4cyl. Cdx was v6, 3.2 auto only. Cdxi was auto / manual.Had the Cdxi with manual,pulled like a freight train. Also had aluminium bonnet and aluminium in the front end. Indicator stalk was over sensitive and the audio display was out dated from the start. But still a cracking drive.
same engine in my 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero cabriolet, we Saab people are not very proud of the GM era, but I think the engine is actually a big highlight of the car, with a MapTun tune, very subtle BSR exhaust and air intake it's very enjoyable, especially with the top down, on a sunny day with turbo noises echoing off buildings and trees. Very smooth, powerful and reliable!
Mainly because as our beloved Swedish cars got newer... They got worse, metal got thinner, build quality left the chat with the NG 9-3 and sadly, they dropped the hatchback! but... Having owned 5 NG9-3's I can say... They aren't that bad! I've owned countless other Saabs too. And they are far better than the Vauxhalls !
Me too, I have an 06 sportcombi. The interiors seem to hold up pretty well despite being cheaply made. I have 160k miles and my interior still looks almost mint. But the powertrain definitely makes up for what it lacks in quality, such an amazing motor with tons of low down torque. And also very easy to make large power from the b284
I loved the cavalier 2.0 petrol 8V, 115 bhp. Could reach 100 mph in 3rd gear. Amazing car. Most reliable car I've ever owned. Bought it at 80k miles and NO breakdown after 60k miles. Absolute dream. And... Extremely economical.
I love these Vectras. I bought an immaculate SRi as a cheap stop gap car in 2016. Its was such a great car that 6 years later its still in the family having gone to my brother and now my nephew. It has the X pack styling kit, full leather and the 19inch snowflake wheels. Still a damn good car.
I drove a Sri vectra estate with the 19" factory wheels. back in 2006. had the factory bodykit it was a company car. I would always get pulled over in it. 19" alloys were incredibly rare on the average car back then. it felt so harsh over bumps and a harsh rid it felt like it had no tyres on the rims. if I remember it was 235/35/19 tyres.
i had the sri 150 tdi, bought it as a cheap motor while i looked for something decent, had it 3 yrs and never let me down and went like an absolute rocket! handling was always a bit suspect on the limit but generally a suprisingly good car for a vauxhell!
I had a 1.8 sri 2006. Great family car that cost me next to nothing to run for 7 years. Ended up doing 187k and the engine was still quiet. I changed the oil and filters each 6-8 k. The 1.8 is an Isuzu engine. Dyno'd at 149 bhp. It was not quick but extremely reliable. I do miss it but replaced with a Zafira due to a growing family. Easy and cheap to work on too.
Great honest review. I'm using a vectra c 1.8sri for the last 9 years. Never let me down once . Passed most mots straight through never failed an mot on anything worse than one spring, and averages 46 mpg on a commute. 54 mpg on a 270 mile coast trip. Its not a race car but it's a car that does the job quite well.
Vauxhall - the pretend British American car. I had a "boy racer" Vectra SRI which I genuinely bought by mistake/desperation from a car dealer friend (very cheap) The 130. It had been modified a lot! Debadge style, and "chipped" by some chav. I was incredibly embarrassed to be seen in it, it had an exhaust you could fit your arm down to the elbow (I actually did this) and had a 4000 watt stereo system (when they called it "ice") which to be fair was bloody brilliant! And I ended up LOVING it! 😂 It was very balanced, handled wonderfully, and 2as far faster than I'd expected. It ended up setting on fire! Funny story, I was driving behind two police horses. Those massive ones they use for crowd control at football matches. The streets were filled with football fans, and I'm doing 5mph behind two massive horses when I notice that the temperature was skyrocketing! Badly! Redline when I noticed it! (water pump had died) Suddenly smoke... From under the bonnet!! Lots of it. And steam. Smoke and steam, coppers everywhere, and the streets FILLED with football fans! I managed to just get it into a car park of a train station as it died. Melted block. Totally dead! I lofoten the bonnet? Flames!! Genuinely flames!! 😂 I poured my drink onto the flames, looked at a crowd of cops, they looked back at me, shrugged, one giggled, then turned away and carried on chatting like I didn't even exist 😂 thanks guys! I spent 80 quid towing it home and then sold it for 120 quid scrap. Kept the "ice" which was all Kenwood! Someone, likely a young chap, spent a LOT of money on that awful, *bloody beautiful* banger. I've never bought a Vauxhall since, though my wife now owns a turbo thing that I hate. Still love that horrendously awful, amazingly good fun car to this day. It's stories like that which make us car lovers.
I'm currently the owner of the 1.9 cdti 150 2009 model. The actual final vectra as the insignia cake out that same year. It's certainly not the fastest thing on the road but it does the job. The engine has never let me down and its got 139000 miles on the clock. Good car.
I had this generation of Vectra as my driving school car, also knew several people who owned a Vectra. One of my best mates had Vectra A back in the day with 150 hp version, i think it was GSI. Its a decent car that gets job done, can`t understand why many hate them like that bloke Clarkson.
@@v4skunk739 That is a personal opinion. Cavaliers and Vectras sold by the hundreds of thousands. Most people aren't enthusiasts and just want a vehicle to take them to the shops the school run and the annual vacation and these vehicles perform those tasks perfectly. Jeremy Clarkson smells his own flatulence and thinks it smells better than the sweetest rose.
@@williamegler8771 Clarkson also fails to realise, that Opel own Vauxhall and sell in the UK as that. He seems to think all cars are bad because of the brand, when for Years Opel have been solid cars for the German and European market. He may be very funny but he is also deluded.
Generally most people think the original release of the Vectra B was a disappointment, however by the turn of the 2000s and the launch of the Phase 2, along with the GSI/SuperTouring they gained quite a good reputation, even Clarkson liked that one.
Had a 1.8 SRI (57 plate) and did 130k miles in it. Totally reliable and economical. Had the luxury of its built in sat nav , so basic compared to what’s available nowadays but beautifully straightforward .
I had the SRI 150 cdti, had a remap on it and went like the clappers plus gave 50+ mpg, traded it in against a A4 avant and was offered £200 for it.. I’d not long put 4 new Michelin’s on it at a cost of nearly £400, can’t believe to this day I let it go for £200 was without doubt the most reliable car I’ve had in nearly 30 years.
I SO miss the days of the exciting versions of regular cars. For me it started when i as a kid got to experience Type43 Audi 1005E, and the 2005T version of the same car, and lasted through VWs many interesting VR5/6/8/12, and Opels Vectra A 2,5, aso aso aso. Cars that got my blood boiling, without costing an arm and a leg. Those were the days, imho. Lovely seeing one example of bonkers engines in a sensible car on this channel.
I can absolutely understand the owner! My old daily (2007 3.0 V6 CDTI with the OPC-Line package) now has nearly 440.000 km on the clock... and best of all, my father has bought it new and we both can't even imagine to let it go. Even if the Isuzu engine can be a bit of a struggle to keep being maintained properly, it has become a family member!
My parents had the 2.2 diesel estate from 2004 till 2014 or so. Not comparable to this v6 sedan at all but that boat was so comfortable and never left us stranded. Still have a soft spot for the Vectra's.
I had the same 2004 Opel Vectra 2.2 Dti Estate from 2009 to 2021. Frugal and highly practical but Nightmarish engine whose turbo had a tendency to cut out regularly, often when overtaking! Spent loads on repairs....I drew the short straw from the looks of it.
That‘s the thing about vauxhalls and opels of that era: they are unexpectedly good for their price. I recently had a go in one of these Vectras but with a 2.0 turbo. My first impression was: this thing is supposed to be rubbish so why the hell is it that good?! It drives well, it steers well, it has a punch under the bonnet, it is spacious, the interior is nice, the quality is nice and it is only 2 grand! it is a very fine machine and it shares its platform with Alfa Romeo 159 which tells quite something about the chassis.
I find these videos way more interesting than supercar vids. They dont mean anything to me. I had several vxhalls years ago and they were reliable and good to drive. Best was my mk1 astra gte and worst mk I vectra.
I owned a 2005 2.2 Direct (petrol) a couple of years ago, for a period of 12 months I think. Bought it for 3000€, spent 3000€ fixing it and sold it for 2000€ in the end :D. Every single one of which was considered a "common fault" on these landed on me - the high pressure fuel pump failed, alternator failed, power steering failed, windshield wiper linkage needed replacing, the AC compressor needed fixing. The sad bit is that I know the guy I sold it to and he hasn't had any major issues since :). Anyways, I still have very fond memories of how I liked the car when it was running well. The best bit was the silky smooth way it ate motorway miles, which is comparable to a Passat B8 with the DCC set in Comfort mode. The second best trait was the cavernous and comfy interior, followed by the huge boot with the most practical hatch opening you could ask for. Also I remember I really liked all the control weights - the switches, steering, gear changes were all just on another level compared to an Astra of the same era (the one that Jay was talking about). Fuel economy was excellent actually for the power (114kw / 155bhp).
If you like the Vectra, you should give the Signum a shot, with the same engine. The boot is enormous on them - it's basically a short estate with 4 seats - but kinda has a bit more character than the Vectra.
I owned a Vectra C 3.2 V6 Elite estate many years ago and to be fair it was a very comfortable powerful car and fully loaded even with cooled seats. Bit thirsty though!
My Dad was never a GM type (that's me, for all my sins. Cavalier SRi Redtop, Couple of Astra GTE cabbys, Manta, now very much a Saab man). However, he did venture into the world of Vectra's (bought a 2.2). Said he really liked it.
I’ve got the saab 93 aero with the 2.8turbo and it came with 260hp 280tq or so, and it’s perfect for the fwd platform and very tunable for some torque steering tire chirping power.super cheap as well
Bought a 1.8VVT SRI 2008 for £900 6 months ago as a stop gap - 10,000 miles later, its still here! Pleasantly surprised and ridiculous value for money! Owned a 2010 TTiD 9-3, and the Vectra is much better built, surprisingly!
Excellent review, as usual. One of the main reasons why I watch car videos is in case I have to buy a new daily, to know new interesting options that i never thought-out , or if a family member or friend is looking for a new car, to be able to give a recommendation. This is now on my radar.
Well done for reviewing this. I occasionally drove this and the previous version and was always blown away, having been conditioned to hate them by the motoring press. The suspension was generally excellent on UK roads. If only I could recall specific engines, but alas forgotten. Getting into these from my boy-racer Golfs/Jettas/Ventos was a breath of fresh air on a journey from London to Manchester. Never would have bought one back then of course, but now, as an old fart.....
I remember the Vectra being universally panned when it was new, but I have fond memories of GM products; my brother had a Vauxhall Calibra, which was a very attractive car, and I later drove his Opel Berlinetta, which I really enjoyed.
Solid car. We still have a 2006 basic model with a mere 1.8 with only 35k on it. Never serviced and never really had any issue. Even the smaller engine 1.8 is rather sporty on the motorway. It actually had no problem keeping up with a focus RS on the m6 toll and has a really nice pickup in the upper speed range
Back in 1994 a friend had a Cavalier 2.5 V6 as a company car. Very, very rapid, for example 75mph on the redline in 2nd gear. And easy to get on with on a daily basis!
the engine was really cramed in those being front wheel drive and a V6. if I recall the 2.0 turbo was faster and 4wd. a lot of the V6 cavaliers had those 15" fan/propeller design alloys. but I think you could also get a V6 in GLS spec that was a bit of a sleeper considering its bland looks.
They were very quick for the time though and would have been even quicker were it not for the long gearing and heavy flywheel. This was a repmobile that typically didn't hang about with a 115hp 2.0 and weighed in at just over a tonne so the 2.5 V6 was a bit of wolf in sheep's clothing with 170hp when most hot hatches were around 150. 0-60 was a shade over 7 seconds and top speed was 145. The standard spec one even came with wheel trims. I don't know why the algorithm has only just shown me this video 😂
What i find strange is theres still plenty of old xsara picassos the flimsy tin foil shape, mk3 boxy mondeos and gen 1 zafiras knocking about across the country but this which was an 02 to 08 run are few and far between. I cant remember for the life of me when I last saw one. They were so chunky and fairly solid looking inside and I think its aged quite well tbh.
Yeah I've thought that too. My Dad had one from 06 to 2010. Maybe these cars didn't sell as well as the other German equivalent. Also maybe lots were diesels so they gained a high mileage very quickly. Checked my Dads late 1.9 diesel online and the last owner had it up to 170k miles.
They got quite maintenance hungry once you clocked quite a few miles. Nothing dramatic, they just needed regular care which made them less cheap to run. Diesels were especially hungry, I was forever dealing with EGR and DPF faults, and had a turbo let go.
Great cars these. I was introduced to them because they were always used as taxis in Manchester. Always in 1.9 150 Diesel SRI trim. I liked the understated but sporty styling. Fiat diesel was good and the suspension had the right balance of sport and comfort. Driven a 2006 Astra as well and it was just a all round decent car. 👌
That engine is amazing with manual gearbox and tune. As the stock turbo is so small, it runs out of grunt on automatic as you kickdown into higher rpms. As Opel, you could buy one with manul without OPC trim.
I had two as taxis, a saloon and an estate. You're quite right, the estate was cavernous. I'd happily drive 4 or 5 people to the airport and still have room in the boot for more bags. Although I think the slightly newer Avensis estate would be a better alternative - similar in size and interior space, but with the benefit of a flat rear floor. Both make mincemeat of your Quashqais and your Sportages.
Really nice ‘story’ this, refreshing to watch. I also think it’s sad that saloon cars seem so out of fashion, but does mean value for money! Find a 3.0 24 valve Senator and review of you can, I always wished my Fathers company car options would stretch to one of those!
@@johnsmith-nl3js Lol the Carlton was off this planet as far as "hype" goes, wasn't it... It was nicknamed the "Ram-Raiding Rocketship" round my old neck of the woods 🤣 Local Old Bill had a Vehicle Crime Team which used an Escort Cosworth with the 3.0 Senator running in tandem which carried a dog in the back. The 90s were fucking wild...
I have never met the owner of this car but I respect him already. The man cares about his money and overall value propositions - ignoring marketing completely. I.e. a smart man.
I do know that this edition of Vectra had really good Diesel engines. Possibly the cleanest burning ones at that time. Neighbour had one and was a big DIY servicer, showed me the oil during it's 87K service and it was near transparent (though darker than fresh). I haven't owned one, but I have had 2 competitor cars, Mazda 6 2.2 Skyactiv D. one estate and one saloon. Great cars both of them, Worth a look for a daily. I had one of them remapped and the torque was such fun! Mileage was good as well, if I was a good boy it would return 750 to the tank and even when having fun 600. I miss my Snowy 😒.
I remember you saying about this car when I met you at Steph's meet. I've got a pre-facelift C GSi automatic, that's got the 3.2 v6. Excellent video, glad to see you enjoyed the car!
Never thought I'd see the day when I viewed a video featuring a Vectra that I actually liked; blimey!! As for the fuel economy in that thing, incredible.
I always imagined a Vectra VXR estate would be most things to most people. Quick, huge, well specified and understated... potentially fairly frugal too based on these numbers.
Very nearly. One can get a Skoda superb/Passat estate too. And since 2016 when the MK3 superb came with the 2.0 turbo, that's the benchmark for quick, huge, sleeper looks, fairly good efficiency at an unmatched price. I know because I got the hatch version of the superb. 😂
Im on my 4th vectra and second VXR. Yes the car is getting on a bit now but like david said there just isn't anything that one takes my fancy or ticks the boxes for what i need without spending a fortune. I love these cars and in my opinion was the best era for vauxhall. I just wish they were given the credit they deserved from the start. Too many people slating the car giving it bad publicity. Reading the comments it seems the vectra has surprised a few others as well. If you ever want to review the VXR give me a shout.
I currently run a 1.9cdti Vectra c Elite estate and is my second Vectra. I personally love how under-appreciated the Vec C is. Anyone you speak to will say it's a crappy old Vectra. But if you speak to someone who's actually owned one, you'll get a completely different response. With the Elite estate, I get an electronic open/close tailgate, full parking sensors, rain sensors, auto headlights, auto dim mirror, electronic mirrors, front/rear heated black leather seats, built-in satnav (granted is a little out of date) cruise control, climate control, aircon, electric windows, 18" alloys, plus probably some more features I'm forgetting...and I paid £2500 with 86k on the clock. You'll be lucky to find anything else with that many features, for that mileage, for that price. One of the best budget all-rounders you can get.
I wouldn't normally expect to find a Regular Car Reviews viewer here! Nice to see someone else who appreciates both Brian and James. I'd love to see the two of them geeking out together over humdrum cars like this.
GM sold that car (a very close version of it) in the US as the *Saturn Aura* but with just a 2.4 four and a 3.6 V6. Had a V6 Aura as a rental once as was impressed with it's overall package. Boring to look at but drove nice and had just enough features to be useful without being over-complicated. Unfortunately the Saturn brand was killed and so was the Aura.
This car was so good that police forces used this for their traffic policing cars. It was either these or the VXRs but I'm fairly sure it was these specific Vectras, infact an ex traffic cop who has his own channel and does video even says this was the best traffic car he's ever driven and he's driven BMW 3 series traffic vehicles etc
Miss the VXR part of Vauxhall. They ( Vauxhall ) have released some interesting cars over the years like the Calibra and ( Opel ) Manta. Current Mokka might be a Peugeot but it's interesting on the styling side of things at least
You mentioned the variants but forgot about the Saturn L series which was based off the Vectra. I've been using the same one as a work vehicle (I'm a locksmith) for almost 20 years. It's never let me down, even when a valve cover seal unexpectedly blew (after about 100,000 miles with no serious looking after) which means I was driving with no oil for a couple of days... They just run, AND even with, in my case 600 pounds of tools and parts onboard, it STILL handles surprisingly well for a FWD car.
As far as budget micro saloons go, I can’t think of any area where this is better than a Skoda. I got my 2005 Octavia L&K for peanuts, and it’s built like a panzer tank, not far off a Mk1 Octavia VRS in terms of driving fun, a mammoth boot, and great value for money
Really good cars and massively underrated IMHO. Completely no frills but I don't think that was a bad thing. Hugely practical, the estates were enormous - definitely better made than a Mondeo too BTW the drivers mirror is auto dimming most likely, cant remember if its meant to be like that or if the LCD fluids gone bad/leaked in it.
ive got an sri cdti 150 2008 and paid nothing for it. 200k on the clock and ive had it 12 months with no issues. So much better and faster than the 2lt petrol Mondeo i had even with only 2bhp difference. Though it was a 2003 it's head and shoulders above it
ive owned both a mk1 mondao and a mk3 and a mk 6 vectra and even though the sri 150 diesel vectra was far quicker the mondaos were so much more fun to chuck around
Dad had a 06 vectra estate then moved to a insignia estate after. Maybe I was still growing but nonetheless the Vectra looked and felt like a bigger car both inside and outside.
@@markfox1545 nah definately looked at the back a few times and im a mechanic so no excuses really!🤣 i was pretty spanked when i wrote that at about 3 am at the weekend though tbh! 🤣
Thanks Jay...loved this one..not many of these in NZ...the interior did remind me of my Subaru. Here this car would be up against the Legacy 3.0R with the H6 engine. Everything about these cars was great, and still is....apart from the gas mileage. But hey...4WD. And pretty.
Excellent review, thank you. I've read so many of the comment below, and so nice to see so many other owners and buyers had a positive experience! I had a 2.2Sri for over 7 years, it was rock solid in that time, bar an issue with a cracked spark plug, crrectly reported by onboard diagnostics, exploited by main delaership - engine stripped by third party garage, nothing wrong with it - apart from the cracked spark plug (car fell into limp mode with this fault. Swapped for an Astra 1.4 turbo limited edition, which is another great car with huge capacity. My seventh Vauxhall.
Video was proposed to me, as I own such... car(s) ;). It has few solid points for me. It runs perfect on LPG, the spare wheel container holds a big gas tank. It has really good active suspension option. And... this car, especially with autobox, really belongs on the autobahn, it grips well at high speeds. Autobahn cruising at 160km/h, 3k rpm, 10l/100km. About 21l/100km @ 220km/h, feels strong and relaxed, flowing at 4k rpm.
I think you are right about it pulling harder in third. My old Saab 95 aero was limited in power in the first two gears. For if I remember correctly either traction or protection of the auto box.
So-called "boost by gear" also featured in a few fast Fords of the time, specifically the RS models. And yes, it was a traction/torque-steer limiting thing. By the time you'd need third gear, the engineers decided both phenomena wouldn't be an issue.
I used to own a pre facelift 3.2 V6 n/a Elite between 2009 and 2013. I used it to commute to work and then travel 400 plus miles at the weekend for 6 months. It was very good as a car for those duties and never let me down once. Thirsty around town but it wasn't a terrible car by any stretch of the imagination. I only sold it as I bought an E39 M5.
I used to be the Police Interceptors boss in Essex. We had an unmarked grey one on our team. Despite the Subarus and Evos, the boys absolutely loved this in a high speed pursuit. A hugely fast and capable car back in the day ! ..as many a criminal found out in Essex !.
My Saab 93s share the basic platform with the Vectra C as I understand it, although heavily revised with active rear steering etc but, I can see similarities in them.
I think Opel/Vauxhall et al, got a lot of things right with their basic platforms. GM had problems with Saab because they would always want to "improve" things. Whether you thought these were improvements is obviously subjective. However, having owned several Saabs and done something like 1,000,000 miles in five of them, I can vouch that Saabs are quite a good variant. To be fair, my first Saabs were pre-GM. I still own two 9-5s. One has done 265,000 miles, the other 212,00. Both still drive beautifully.
I had an Omega Elite with the 2.5 V6, same as this engine. If I remember correctly, the power was limited in the non turbo Vectra by a restrictor cone in the air box. Easy to remove.
Had a vectra saloon on a 52 plate at a year old . It was the last one in a long line of vectras at a car supermarket and the cheapest as the rest were hatchbacks . Kept it 5 years and was forgettable but as was the servicing and repairs . In hindsight reliable and cheap motoring.
I've had my Vectra Elite 2.8L Turbo for 13 years, currently on 110K miles. What a great car, It replaced a 2.5L V6 Omega which I also loved. I also have a Ferrari Dino 308GT4. I have to say that getting out of the GT4 into the Vectra the Vectra does seem very boring. But heyho - it's a good car.
Had 3 as company car's did 110k in a 1.8 VVT in 3 years only part replaced was the Thermostat as it was running cold, Never had a bad Vectra C a much underrated machine.
Bought mine in 2018 for 2200 with 70k miles (2007) replaced coil packs and usual servicing.superb drive only thing is the tax currently 748 quid but I just can’t sell it!2024 now 88k apparently it’s worth more now than what I paid for it and it’s in mint condition apart from one stone chip on bonnet!
I remember booting it onto the M1 years ago and wondering why the Vectra behind me wasn't disappearing rapidly and it turned out to be one of these in full grandad spec. Pretty impressive factory sleeper once I figured out what it was. Although it was a very foolish thing as at the time the police definitely used to have unmarked Vectra C's running up and down the section of M1 I used to use. If you kept an eye out you usually noticed the hidden lights and I think they had a massive ANPR thing in the back window.
Reading up on the history of Vauxhall (back to the 19th century) is enlightening. The Russian royal family were regular customers. The Queen had 4 big Vauxhall estates as HER horseshow driver. UK's first production car to reach 100mph. World's first sportscar (Vauxhall Prince Henry). Baby Bertha etc. With the Cavalier, Vectra and Insignia, the thing to keep in mind is the intended customer base: fleet sales. GM absolutely mastered this. That's not to say that the cars were necessarily bad. Salespeople, junior directors etc wanted a reliable, practical, smart, comfortable car with reasonable cruising pace, few annoying features - and - inoffensive to potential customers. I remember I worked in an office where the IT people turned up in something like new BMW or Evoque, and my colleagues' reaction to this was "what a bunch of wankers". I own 4 cars, 2 of which are a 2007 Saab 9-3 with Hirsch conversion and all the bells and whistles, nothing wrong with it. It's SORN. I instead drive a 2008 Vectra SRI daily.
We are on our 3rd. All diesel. The 1.9's are good. The 3.0 cdti we had was a lemon - lots of issues with the engine, expensive parts and NOBODY would work on it.
I had the Saab incarnation of this a 2006 9-3 Aero V6 with the same 6 speed auto. with a stage one map it was pretty nippy, 288 wheel horsepower and 320lbft wheel torque. Comfy quick cruiser, shame it went all rusty.
Vauxhall Opel is certainly a mixed bag. I love my 2014 Insignia. It's certainly not the last word in performance, handling or alike but it is a capable trouble free and cheap form of motoring. My previous Tigra was a hateful electronic mess! Vauxhall's are also much cheaper than the equivalent sized Ford
I always had something with the Vectra, my first car i bought was a 2000 Vectra B, 15 years old when i bought it, drove with it for 2 years, never let me down, after those 2 years i upgraded to a 2006 Astra 1.3 diesel, which failed in les than 3 months, went and bought a 2006 Vectra 1.9cdti, and drove that for about a year, after which i sold it for a profit, main reason for me to sell it was that it was a automatic, and i prefer manual gearboxes, and a familie friend needed a automatic. now in a 2013 Astra 1.7 diesel for 4 years, really great car, but i still miss both Vectra's, such great driver cars for long journeys, kinda boring looking, but also interesting, i always love the front of the Vectra B with the mirrora integrated in the hood flow, and the roof line of the Vectra C, especially with the hatchback version, making it a long and pretty sleek sedan About 2 years ago, i accidently did run into my old B at a dealer, sadly enough the guy already sold it, otherwise i would have bought it back
The Omega was my favourite Vauxhall of the period. The original Vectra was the Skoda Felicia of it's sector. Did the job but it was utterly soulless and outclassed buy everything else not only the Mondeo and Passat but Accord, Primera, Laguna and even Citroen Xantia and Rover 600 were dynamically superior. The Insignia was the same and also felt like a very heavy car. Same thing with a Fiesta Vs Corsa and Astra Vs Focus. Kind of like having a microwave meal Vs one that's been home cooked.
Great review!!! These Vectras and Omega V6s were predominantly used by Thames Valley Police in Road Wars (early seasons!). Jay, do an Omega V6 next please!
I worked for a company part-owned by GM so our company cars were Vauxhalls. Mostly Cavaliers but the last few were V6 Omegas (they were changed for new cars every 6 months - something to do with keeping Vauxhall's sales figures high). Changing tax law made company cars pretty much unviable so we went over to a car purchase and company mileage scheme. I bought my last company car (a V6 Omega estate) from the leasing company for a very good price and ran it for a a few years but as it got older stuff started to go wrong. I don't know if the V6 in my car was the same (but un-blown) as the one in this review car but its big problem was it had plastic cam covers which got brittle with age and started to leak oil. The oil collected in the 'V' of the engine and shorted the HT leads, leading to coil pack failure. The Omega was rear wheel drive so the engine was mounted fore and aft with the coil packs on the back of the block - very difficult to get at to change so an expensive garage job. When it also started to blow the soundproofing wire wool from the silencers out of the exhaust tail pipe it was time to get rid. So I view Vauxhalls as 'OK' but not really built for high mileage.
No, the engine in your Omega was Vauxhall's own Ellesmere Port built unit, with a 54-degree angle between the banks. The 60-degree engine in this is one of a global GM family used in everything from this to Saabs to Alfa Romeo 159s and Breras to base model Holden Commodores and Chevrolet Camaros (the Camaro being built on the Holden platform) plus a multiplicity of bland GM US market saloons and crossovers.
I had the 3.0 V6 diesel auto estate SRi it wasn’t fast but a great motorway cruiser and the load area with the rear seats folded was class leading the love affair ended when after 3 yrs of ownership it decided it wouldn’t go faster than 70mph 🤫 and costs were mounting up to fix it so it went to the auction’s, as it turned out this was a common issue with Isuzu engine.
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Its a saturn aura
Don't worry about the cruise control. Mine started working part time at 130k kms and started working flawlessly again at 150k. I am now at 230k kilometers and it still works
Cruise control with a break in period of 120,000+k
Who knew.
Fixed mine (Vectra C) with contact cleaner, just sprayed the switch while operating it.
As an average family man back in the day, I had many Cavaliers and Vectras. They never let me down and were good roomy family cars. When the C model came out I just didn’t like the styling so I bought two cars to replace the old Vectra. A Corsa as a runabout and an Alfa Romeo 156 for journeys and weekends. Many people will mock the Alfa but in the 9 years I owned it, it ran as sweet as a nut. I regret to this day selling it.
Interesting. My father had a cavalier in the 90’s a brown coloured one. Said it was the worst car he’d ever owned. I forget why but it had a huge design flaw that caused serious failures of the clutch or gearbox I think. I’m guessing it must have been rectified in later revisions. I’ll ask him next time I speak to him. My first car was a nova that was given to me by a nice lady at work. It had been sat for two years on her driveway. Went to collect it with a mate, used jump leads to turn it over, drove it home then it flew through the MOT without any advisories even. Was a great little car , never had any issues with it that I couldn’t fix myself with my limited knowledge as a 20 year old.
If it makes you feel any better, the floorpan would probably now require welding, and the 156 has virtually no crash protection. Plus, you'd have probably had an annoying Cambelt failure, or something else irritating.
Bought a 2006 1.8 Sri two months ago. One owner, 60 k mileage for £2000. I'm really trying not to tempt fate, but so far it seems like it has been one of the best car purchases I've ever made. It drives like a dream, and is spacious and comfortable. Wish I'd realised earlier how good a vehicle the vectra is.
I had the same. Owned my 06 for 7 years 1.8VVT and did nearly 60k and it was faultless, never let me down. Moved to an 09 Mondeo and what a financial mistake this has been! And it's a 1 owner from new. 🤦♂️
@@JR90. I never realised how good a car it is !!
Don't hammer it too much, I think the HG on the Z18XER's a bit fragile.
@@adejames1960 - great cars! I miss mine, even still!
@user-sf7kl9uh7k - speaking from experience, mine was faultless and I used to hammer it from time to time.
My landlord used to have one of these in Mexico, where it was sold as a Chevrolet. I actually enjoyed this oddity of a car, a real torquey sleeper with a great ride, funny ergonomics and a steering too light for my taste. Happy to see this video!
In Australia, they came out in 3 grades. Cd was 4cyl. Cdx was v6, 3.2 auto only. Cdxi was auto / manual.Had the Cdxi with manual,pulled like a freight train. Also had aluminium bonnet and aluminium in the front end. Indicator stalk was over sensitive and the audio display was out dated from the start. But still a cracking drive.
same engine in my 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero cabriolet, we Saab people are not very proud of the GM era, but I think the engine is actually a big highlight of the car, with a MapTun tune, very subtle BSR exhaust and air intake it's very enjoyable, especially with the top down, on a sunny day with turbo noises echoing off buildings and trees. Very smooth, powerful and reliable!
Mainly because as our beloved Swedish cars got newer... They got worse, metal got thinner, build quality left the chat with the NG 9-3 and sadly, they dropped the hatchback! but... Having owned 5 NG9-3's I can say... They aren't that bad! I've owned countless other Saabs too. And they are far better than the Vauxhalls !
Me too, I have an 06 sportcombi. The interiors seem to hold up pretty well despite being cheaply made. I have 160k miles and my interior still looks almost mint. But the powertrain definitely makes up for what it lacks in quality, such an amazing motor with tons of low down torque. And also very easy to make large power from the b284
Same I used to have one I love and miss it all the time
I loved the cavalier 2.0 petrol 8V, 115 bhp. Could reach 100 mph in 3rd gear. Amazing car.
Most reliable car I've ever owned.
Bought it at 80k miles and NO breakdown after 60k miles.
Absolute dream.
And... Extremely economical.
@chris jones
Yes, I actually forgot to mention it. The engine had its torque at very low revs, it was brilliant.
i had 2 mk2 cav's and loved them both, They did everything i ever wanted and very comfy
@chris jones that's actually pretty good for a car of that time and bhp!🤟
I love these Vectras. I bought an immaculate SRi as a cheap stop gap car in 2016. Its was such a great car that 6 years later its still in the family having gone to my brother and now my nephew. It has the X pack styling kit, full leather and the 19inch snowflake wheels. Still a damn good car.
I drove a Sri vectra estate with the 19" factory wheels. back in 2006. had the factory bodykit it was a company car. I would always get pulled over in it. 19" alloys were incredibly rare on the average car back then. it felt so harsh over bumps and a harsh rid it felt like it had no tyres on the rims. if I remember it was 235/35/19 tyres.
@@chrishart8548 yep a slightly fatter tyre makes a world of difference. The SRI spec also had 20mm lower and stiffer springs.
i had the sri 150 tdi, bought it as a cheap motor while i looked for something decent, had it 3 yrs and never let me down and went like an absolute rocket! handling was always a bit suspect on the limit but generally a suprisingly good car for a vauxhell!
I had a 1.8 sri 2006. Great family car that cost me next to nothing to run for 7 years. Ended up doing 187k and the engine was still quiet. I changed the oil and filters each 6-8 k. The 1.8 is an Isuzu engine. Dyno'd at 149 bhp. It was not quick but extremely reliable. I do miss it but replaced with a Zafira due to a growing family. Easy and cheap to work on too.
But it does need a lot of gas, and the money keeping it too...
Great honest review. I'm using a vectra c 1.8sri for the last 9 years. Never let me down once . Passed most mots straight through never failed an mot on anything worse than one spring, and averages 46 mpg on a commute. 54 mpg on a 270 mile coast trip.
Its not a race car but it's a car that does the job quite well.
Vauxhall fan boy here. I will always remember my Cavvy GSI 200 4x4 It never let me down !
Vauxhall - the pretend British American car.
I had a "boy racer" Vectra SRI which I genuinely bought by mistake/desperation from a car dealer friend (very cheap)
The 130.
It had been modified a lot! Debadge style, and "chipped" by some chav. I was incredibly embarrassed to be seen in it, it had an exhaust you could fit your arm down to the elbow (I actually did this) and had a 4000 watt stereo system (when they called it "ice") which to be fair was bloody brilliant!
And I ended up LOVING it! 😂
It was very balanced, handled wonderfully, and 2as far faster than I'd expected.
It ended up setting on fire! Funny story, I was driving behind two police horses. Those massive ones they use for crowd control at football matches. The streets were filled with football fans, and I'm doing 5mph behind two massive horses when I notice that the temperature was skyrocketing! Badly! Redline when I noticed it!
(water pump had died)
Suddenly smoke... From under the bonnet!! Lots of it. And steam.
Smoke and steam, coppers everywhere, and the streets FILLED with football fans! I managed to just get it into a car park of a train station as it died. Melted block. Totally dead! I lofoten the bonnet? Flames!!
Genuinely flames!!
😂
I poured my drink onto the flames, looked at a crowd of cops, they looked back at me, shrugged, one giggled, then turned away and carried on chatting like I didn't even exist 😂 thanks guys!
I spent 80 quid towing it home and then sold it for 120 quid scrap. Kept the "ice" which was all Kenwood! Someone, likely a young chap, spent a LOT of money on that awful, *bloody beautiful* banger.
I've never bought a Vauxhall since, though my wife now owns a turbo thing that I hate.
Still love that horrendously awful, amazingly good fun car to this day.
It's stories like that which make us car lovers.
I'm currently the owner of the 1.9 cdti 150 2009 model. The actual final vectra as the insignia cake out that same year.
It's certainly not the fastest thing on the road but it does the job. The engine has never let me down and its got 139000 miles on the clock. Good car.
I think time has been extremely kind to this Vectra. Handsome cars.
I had this generation of Vectra as my driving school car, also knew several people who owned a Vectra. One of my best mates had Vectra A back in the day with 150 hp version, i think it was GSI. Its a decent car that gets job done, can`t understand why many hate them like that bloke Clarkson.
Because it was a rebodied Cavalier which was already known as not a good driving car.
I had a vectra b. It was also the 2.2 sri 150. Bloody Great car never let me down
@@v4skunk739 That is a personal opinion.
Cavaliers and Vectras sold by the hundreds of thousands.
Most people aren't enthusiasts and just want a vehicle to take them to the shops the school run and the annual vacation and these vehicles perform those tasks perfectly.
Jeremy Clarkson smells his own flatulence and thinks it smells better than the sweetest rose.
@@williamegler8771 Clarkson also fails to realise, that Opel own Vauxhall and sell in the UK as that. He seems to think all cars are bad because of the brand, when for Years Opel have been solid cars for the German and European market. He may be very funny but he is also deluded.
Generally most people think the original release of the Vectra B was a disappointment, however by the turn of the 2000s and the launch of the Phase 2, along with the GSI/SuperTouring they gained quite a good reputation, even Clarkson liked that one.
I had the V6 diesel Vectra, lots of torque. Great for overtaking
Had a 1.8 SRI (57 plate) and did 130k miles in it. Totally reliable and economical. Had the luxury of its built in sat nav , so basic compared to what’s available nowadays but beautifully straightforward .
I had the SRI 150 cdti, had a remap on it and went like the clappers plus gave 50+ mpg, traded it in against a A4 avant and was offered £200 for it.. I’d not long put 4 new Michelin’s on it at a cost of nearly £400, can’t believe to this day I let it go for £200 was without doubt the most reliable car I’ve had in nearly 30 years.
I SO miss the days of the exciting versions of regular cars. For me it started when i as a kid got to experience Type43 Audi 1005E, and the 2005T version of the same car, and lasted through VWs many interesting VR5/6/8/12, and Opels Vectra A 2,5, aso aso aso. Cars that got my blood boiling, without costing an arm and a leg. Those were the days, imho. Lovely seeing one example of bonkers engines in a sensible car on this channel.
I can absolutely understand the owner! My old daily (2007 3.0 V6 CDTI with the OPC-Line package) now has nearly 440.000 km on the clock... and best of all, my father has bought it new and we both can't even imagine to let it go. Even if the Isuzu engine can be a bit of a struggle to keep being maintained properly, it has become a family member!
Heard that those Isuzu lumps were terribly unreliable? Strange it being a Japanese engine 😅
@@Runeakb only the high-pressure diesel pump is a pain in the a**
@@trrruls ok! If I remember correctly they improved a lot when they went from y30dt to z30dt
@@Runeakb Z30DT has the same issue 😂
My parents had the 2.2 diesel estate from 2004 till 2014 or so. Not comparable to this v6 sedan at all but that boat was so comfortable and never left us stranded. Still have a soft spot for the Vectra's.
@chris jones No 125BHP in a big estate car
@chris jones 2.2 DTI can be remapped to 150bhp though which would help a lot
@chris jones Hopefully 😂 I had a frontera 2.2 DTi 115bhp was surprisingly quick for the weight
I had the same 2004 Opel Vectra 2.2 Dti Estate from 2009 to 2021. Frugal and highly practical but Nightmarish engine whose turbo had a tendency to cut out regularly, often when overtaking! Spent loads on repairs....I drew the short straw from the looks of it.
@@maxkolbe8893 was it a wastegate issue?
That‘s the thing about vauxhalls and opels of that era: they are unexpectedly good for their price. I recently had a go in one of these Vectras but with a 2.0 turbo. My first impression was: this thing is supposed to be rubbish so why the hell is it that good?! It drives well, it steers well, it has a punch under the bonnet, it is spacious, the interior is nice, the quality is nice and it is only 2 grand! it is a very fine machine and it shares its platform with Alfa Romeo 159 which tells quite something about the chassis.
Had snow mode on an old Astra years ago which was genius. Only car to get out my estate any time there was heavy snow.
in my 4 years of owning this car (manual), the only thing I had to fix was a light bulb. Probably the best bang for your buck you will get
I find these videos way more interesting than supercar vids. They dont mean anything to me.
I had several vxhalls years ago and they were reliable and good to drive. Best was my mk1 astra gte and worst mk I vectra.
I owned a 2008 Vectra VXR absolutely loved it I always wanted one unfortunately ownership was cut short when it was stolen
Very very unfairly underrated cars and when you actually take in that curving roof line it is very cool detail.
I owned a 2005 2.2 Direct (petrol) a couple of years ago, for a period of 12 months I think. Bought it for 3000€, spent 3000€ fixing it and sold it for 2000€ in the end :D.
Every single one of which was considered a "common fault" on these landed on me - the high pressure fuel pump failed, alternator failed, power steering failed, windshield wiper linkage needed replacing, the AC compressor needed fixing. The sad bit is that I know the guy I sold it to and he hasn't had any major issues since :).
Anyways, I still have very fond memories of how I liked the car when it was running well. The best bit was the silky smooth way it ate motorway miles, which is comparable to a Passat B8 with the DCC set in Comfort mode. The second best trait was the cavernous and comfy interior, followed by the huge boot with the most practical hatch opening you could ask for. Also I remember I really liked all the control weights - the switches, steering, gear changes were all just on another level compared to an Astra of the same era (the one that Jay was talking about). Fuel economy was excellent actually for the power (114kw / 155bhp).
If you like the Vectra, you should give the Signum a shot, with the same engine.
The boot is enormous on them - it's basically a short estate with 4 seats - but kinda has a bit more character than the Vectra.
I think especially the back seat legroom is much larger in the Signum and that makes it feel more like an executive car than the Vectra.
Here is the Signum lover ❤ 🤟 2.8 mapped a bit amd still lovin it after 4.5years
Signum Class ❤
First Vectra was so underwhelming after the hype, but this looks a good, honest car, nice to see them still about! Remap has done it good! 🙏🙏
I owned a Vectra C 3.2 V6 Elite estate many years ago and to be fair it was a very comfortable powerful car and fully loaded even with cooled seats. Bit thirsty though!
My Dad was never a GM type (that's me, for all my sins. Cavalier SRi Redtop, Couple of Astra GTE cabbys, Manta, now very much a Saab man). However, he did venture into the world of Vectra's (bought a 2.2). Said he really liked it.
I’ve got the saab 93 aero with the 2.8turbo and it came with 260hp 280tq or so, and it’s perfect for the fwd platform and very tunable for some torque steering tire chirping power.super cheap as well
Had two 3.0 v6 Vectras. Great motorway munchers and reasonably frugal for the power. Cheap to buy used with only 10k on each. Did 100k miles in each.
Bought a 1.8VVT SRI 2008 for £900 6 months ago as a stop gap - 10,000 miles later, its still here! Pleasantly surprised and ridiculous value for money! Owned a 2010 TTiD 9-3, and the Vectra is much better built, surprisingly!
Excellent review, as usual. One of the main reasons why I watch car videos is in case I have to buy a new daily, to know new interesting options that i never thought-out , or if a family member or friend is looking for a new car, to be able to give a recommendation. This is now on my radar.
Well done for reviewing this. I occasionally drove this and the previous version and was always blown away, having been conditioned to hate them by the motoring press. The suspension was generally excellent on UK roads. If only I could recall specific engines, but alas forgotten. Getting into these from my boy-racer Golfs/Jettas/Ventos was a breath of fresh air on a journey from London to Manchester. Never would have bought one back then of course, but now, as an old fart.....
I remember the Vectra being universally panned when it was new, but I have fond memories of GM products; my brother had a Vauxhall Calibra, which was a very attractive car, and I later drove his Opel Berlinetta, which I really enjoyed.
Solid car. We still have a 2006 basic model with a mere 1.8 with only 35k on it. Never serviced and never really had any issue. Even the smaller engine 1.8 is rather sporty on the motorway.
It actually had no problem keeping up with a focus RS on the m6 toll and has a really nice pickup in the upper speed range
Cool Story Bro.
fords are overrated junk
Back in 1994 a friend had a Cavalier 2.5 V6 as a company car. Very, very rapid, for example 75mph on the redline in 2nd gear. And easy to get on with on a daily basis!
That just means it was long geared, not necessarily fast.
the engine was really cramed in those being front wheel drive and a V6. if I recall the 2.0 turbo was faster and 4wd. a lot of the V6 cavaliers had those 15" fan/propeller design alloys. but I think you could also get a V6 in GLS spec that was a bit of a sleeper considering its bland looks.
@@MercSLRFan Thank you for pointing that out; it saved me the hassle. I wish more people understood that.
They were very quick for the time though and would have been even quicker were it not for the long gearing and heavy flywheel. This was a repmobile that typically didn't hang about with a 115hp 2.0 and weighed in at just over a tonne so the 2.5 V6 was a bit of wolf in sheep's clothing with 170hp when most hot hatches were around 150. 0-60 was a shade over 7 seconds and top speed was 145. The standard spec one even came with wheel trims. I don't know why the algorithm has only just shown me this video 😂
What i find strange is theres still plenty of old xsara picassos the flimsy tin foil shape, mk3 boxy mondeos and gen 1 zafiras knocking about across the country but this which was an 02 to 08 run are few and far between. I cant remember for the life of me when I last saw one. They were so chunky and fairly solid looking inside and I think its aged quite well tbh.
Yeah I've thought that too. My Dad had one from 06 to 2010. Maybe these cars didn't sell as well as the other German equivalent.
Also maybe lots were diesels so they gained a high mileage very quickly. Checked my Dads late 1.9 diesel online and the last owner had it up to 170k miles.
They got quite maintenance hungry once you clocked quite a few miles. Nothing dramatic, they just needed regular care which made them less cheap to run. Diesels were especially hungry, I was forever dealing with EGR and DPF faults, and had a turbo let go.
Ok I’m going to come out, I love it, and I’ve always liked the Vetra
Great cars these. I was introduced to them because they were always used as taxis in Manchester. Always in 1.9 150 Diesel SRI trim. I liked the understated but sporty styling. Fiat diesel was good and the suspension had the right balance of sport and comfort. Driven a 2006 Astra as well and it was just a all round decent car. 👌
hate to say it being a ford fan generally but the vectra sri 150 diesel i used to have was one of the best cars ive owned tbh!
Always like the look of the Vectra C, a mix of Mk3 Cavalier at the rear and Mk2 Cavalier at the front.
That engine is amazing with manual gearbox and tune. As the stock turbo is so small, it runs out of grunt on automatic as you kickdown into higher rpms. As Opel, you could buy one with manul without OPC trim.
I had two as taxis, a saloon and an estate. You're quite right, the estate was cavernous. I'd happily drive 4 or 5 people to the airport and still have room in the boot for more bags. Although I think the slightly newer Avensis estate would be a better alternative - similar in size and interior space, but with the benefit of a flat rear floor.
Both make mincemeat of your Quashqais and your Sportages.
Really nice ‘story’ this, refreshing to watch. I also think it’s sad that saloon cars seem so out of fashion, but does mean value for money! Find a 3.0 24 valve Senator and review of you can, I always wished my Fathers company car options would stretch to one of those!
Even better, a 4.0 Irmscher Senator...
the 3 litre senator was a fucking decent car! just a shame it lived under the lotus carltons shadow really!
My father had a 24v Senator, it was excellent and definitely very cool (especially to me when I were a lad!)
@@johnsmith-nl3js
Lol the Carlton was off this planet as far as "hype" goes, wasn't it...
It was nicknamed the "Ram-Raiding Rocketship" round my old neck of the woods 🤣
Local Old Bill had a Vehicle Crime Team which used an Escort Cosworth with the 3.0 Senator running in tandem which carried a dog in the back.
The 90s were fucking wild...
@@residentelect 90s was fucking good fun, glad i grew up through them! kinda like the last dance before the powers that be ended the party!
I have never met the owner of this car but I respect him already.
The man cares about his money and overall value propositions - ignoring marketing completely. I.e. a smart man.
Reminds me of the police spec VXRs. Anonymous yet very powerful.
I do know that this edition of Vectra had really good Diesel engines. Possibly the cleanest burning ones at that time. Neighbour had one and was a big DIY servicer, showed me the oil during it's 87K service and it was near transparent (though darker than fresh).
I haven't owned one, but I have had 2 competitor cars, Mazda 6 2.2 Skyactiv D. one estate and one saloon. Great cars both of them, Worth a look for a daily.
I had one of them remapped and the torque was such fun! Mileage was good as well, if I was a good boy it would return 750 to the tank and even when having fun 600.
I miss my Snowy 😒.
I remember you saying about this car when I met you at Steph's meet. I've got a pre-facelift C GSi automatic, that's got the 3.2 v6. Excellent video, glad to see you enjoyed the car!
I agree about the vague steering really worrying on the motorway at night when somewhat tired. The 1.9 TD pulls well to doesn't feel like a big car .
The boys in blue from Road Wars loved these, as they did the V6 Omega
Never thought I'd see the day when I viewed a video featuring a Vectra that I actually liked; blimey!! As for the fuel economy in that thing, incredible.
I always imagined a Vectra VXR estate would be most things to most people. Quick, huge, well specified and understated... potentially fairly frugal too based on these numbers.
Very nearly. One can get a Skoda superb/Passat estate too. And since 2016 when the MK3 superb came with the 2.0 turbo, that's the benchmark for quick, huge, sleeper looks, fairly good efficiency at an unmatched price.
I know because I got the hatch version of the superb. 😂
The worst thing about the VXR in the UK is the tax. £600 a year.
Im on my 4th vectra and second VXR. Yes the car is getting on a bit now but like david said there just isn't anything that one takes my fancy or ticks the boxes for what i need without spending a fortune. I love these cars and in my opinion was the best era for vauxhall. I just wish they were given the credit they deserved from the start. Too many people slating the car giving it bad publicity. Reading the comments it seems the vectra has surprised a few others as well. If you ever want to review the VXR give me a shout.
I currently run a 1.9cdti Vectra c Elite estate and is my second Vectra. I personally love how under-appreciated the Vec C is. Anyone you speak to will say it's a crappy old Vectra. But if you speak to someone who's actually owned one, you'll get a completely different response. With the Elite estate, I get an electronic open/close tailgate, full parking sensors, rain sensors, auto headlights, auto dim mirror, electronic mirrors, front/rear heated black leather seats, built-in satnav (granted is a little out of date) cruise control, climate control, aircon, electric windows, 18" alloys, plus probably some more features I'm forgetting...and I paid £2500 with 86k on the clock. You'll be lucky to find anything else with that many features, for that mileage, for that price. One of the best budget all-rounders you can get.
Being philosophical works pretty darn well for Mr Regular so I say philosophize away!
I wouldn't normally expect to find a Regular Car Reviews viewer here! Nice to see someone else who appreciates both Brian and James. I'd love to see the two of them geeking out together over humdrum cars like this.
GM sold that car (a very close version of it) in the US as the *Saturn Aura* but with just a 2.4 four and a 3.6 V6. Had a V6 Aura as a rental once as was impressed with it's overall package. Boring to look at but drove nice and had just enough features to be useful without being over-complicated. Unfortunately the Saturn brand was killed and so was the Aura.
This car was so good that police forces used this for their traffic policing cars. It was either these or the VXRs but I'm fairly sure it was these specific Vectras, infact an ex traffic cop who has his own channel and does video even says this was the best traffic car he's ever driven and he's driven BMW 3 series traffic vehicles etc
Miss the VXR part of Vauxhall. They ( Vauxhall ) have released some interesting cars over the years like the Calibra and ( Opel ) Manta. Current Mokka might be a Peugeot but it's interesting on the styling side of things at least
You mentioned the variants but forgot about the Saturn L series which was based off the Vectra. I've been using the same one as a work vehicle (I'm a locksmith) for almost 20 years. It's never let me down, even when a valve cover seal unexpectedly blew (after about 100,000 miles with no serious looking after) which means I was driving with no oil for a couple of days... They just run, AND even with, in my case 600 pounds of tools and parts onboard, it STILL handles surprisingly well for a FWD car.
As far as budget micro saloons go, I can’t think of any area where this is better than a Skoda. I got my 2005 Octavia L&K for peanuts, and it’s built like a panzer tank, not far off a Mk1 Octavia VRS in terms of driving fun, a mammoth boot, and great value for money
Really good cars and massively underrated IMHO. Completely no frills but I don't think that was a bad thing. Hugely practical, the estates were enormous - definitely better made than a Mondeo too
BTW the drivers mirror is auto dimming most likely, cant remember if its meant to be like that or if the LCD fluids gone bad/leaked in it.
ive got an sri cdti 150 2008 and paid nothing for it. 200k on the clock and ive had it 12 months with no issues. So much better and faster than the 2lt petrol Mondeo i had even with only 2bhp difference. Though it was a 2003 it's head and shoulders above it
ive owned both a mk1 mondao and a mk3 and a mk 6 vectra and even though the sri 150 diesel vectra was far quicker the mondaos were so much more fun to chuck around
Dad had a 06 vectra estate then moved to a insignia estate after. Maybe I was still growing but nonetheless the Vectra looked and felt like a bigger car both inside and outside.
@@johnsmith-nl3js - in all the time you had a Mondeo, you never looked at the rear and noticed how to spell it?
@@markfox1545 nah definately looked at the back a few times and im a mechanic so no excuses really!🤣 i was pretty spanked when i wrote that at about 3 am at the weekend though tbh! 🤣
Thanks Jay...loved this one..not many of these in NZ...the interior did remind me of my Subaru. Here this car would be up against the Legacy 3.0R with the H6 engine. Everything about these cars was great, and still is....apart from the gas mileage. But hey...4WD. And pretty.
Excellent review, thank you. I've read so many of the comment below, and so nice to see so many other owners and buyers had a positive experience! I had a 2.2Sri for over 7 years, it was rock solid in that time, bar an issue with a cracked spark plug, crrectly reported by onboard diagnostics, exploited by main delaership - engine stripped by third party garage, nothing wrong with it - apart from the cracked spark plug (car fell into limp mode with this fault. Swapped for an Astra 1.4 turbo limited edition, which is another great car with huge capacity. My seventh Vauxhall.
Video was proposed to me, as I own such... car(s) ;). It has few solid points for me. It runs perfect on LPG, the spare wheel container holds a big gas tank. It has really good active suspension option. And... this car, especially with autobox, really belongs on the autobahn, it grips well at high speeds. Autobahn cruising at 160km/h, 3k rpm, 10l/100km. About 21l/100km @ 220km/h, feels strong and relaxed, flowing at 4k rpm.
I think you are right about it pulling harder in third. My old Saab 95 aero was limited in power in the first two gears. For if I remember correctly either traction or protection of the auto box.
So-called "boost by gear" also featured in a few fast Fords of the time, specifically the RS models. And yes, it was a traction/torque-steer limiting thing. By the time you'd need third gear, the engineers decided both phenomena wouldn't be an issue.
I used to own a pre facelift 3.2 V6 n/a Elite between 2009 and 2013. I used it to commute to work and then travel 400 plus miles at the weekend for 6 months. It was very good as a car for those duties and never let me down once. Thirsty around town but it wasn't a terrible car by any stretch of the imagination. I only sold it as I bought an E39 M5.
Lol I did pretty much the same ! Had an '03 Vectra Elite 3.2 doing 600 miles a week commute and sold it to buy an E39 M5 !
@@craigsg01 are you and I the same person? 😂
Why not a VXR8.?
@@kristianspencer1978 I'd lusted after an M5 for years. It was also much cheaper than a VXR8, better specced etc.
I used to be the Police Interceptors boss in Essex. We had an unmarked grey one on our team. Despite the Subarus and Evos, the boys absolutely loved this in a high speed pursuit. A hugely fast and capable car back in the day ! ..as many a criminal found out in Essex !.
My Saab 93s share the basic platform with the Vectra C as I understand it, although heavily revised with active rear steering etc but, I can see similarities in them.
For revised, read improved.
GM nicked a lot of Saab intellectual property after taking a half share in 1989.
I'm on my 2nd vectra, love them. So comfortable to drive.
I think Opel/Vauxhall et al, got a lot of things right with their basic platforms. GM had problems with Saab because they would always want to "improve" things. Whether you thought these were improvements is obviously subjective. However, having owned several Saabs and done something like 1,000,000 miles in five of them, I can vouch that Saabs are quite a good variant. To be fair, my first Saabs were pre-GM. I still own two 9-5s. One has done 265,000 miles, the other 212,00. Both still drive beautifully.
Irrelevant but the fact that Saab and lancia aren't around anymore but Vauxhall (Open) still is just blows my mind.
Great video Jay a well laid out review, I had a Vectra SRi hatch and loved that, very well built, solid cars and very underrated
I had an Omega Elite with the 2.5 V6, same as this engine. If I remember correctly, the power was limited in the non turbo Vectra by a restrictor cone in the air box. Easy to remove.
Had a vectra saloon on a 52 plate at a year old . It was the last one in a long line of vectras at a car supermarket and the cheapest as the rest were hatchbacks . Kept it 5 years and was forgettable but as was the servicing and repairs . In hindsight reliable and cheap motoring.
I've had my Vectra Elite 2.8L Turbo for 13 years, currently on 110K miles. What a great car, It replaced a 2.5L V6 Omega which I also loved. I also have a Ferrari Dino 308GT4. I have to say that getting out of the GT4 into the Vectra the Vectra does seem very boring. But heyho - it's a good car.
Had 3 as company car's did 110k in a 1.8 VVT in 3 years only part replaced was the Thermostat as it was running cold, Never had a bad Vectra C a much underrated machine.
Bought mine in 2018 for 2200 with 70k miles (2007) replaced coil packs and usual servicing.superb drive only thing is the tax currently 748 quid but I just can’t sell it!2024 now 88k apparently it’s worth more now than what I paid for it and it’s in mint condition apart from one stone chip on bonnet!
Watched this as police interceptors favourite. 2.8 vxr. Nothing got away from it
My brother drove these as a Police traffic car and loved them.
I remember booting it onto the M1 years ago and wondering why the Vectra behind me wasn't disappearing rapidly and it turned out to be one of these in full grandad spec. Pretty impressive factory sleeper once I figured out what it was.
Although it was a very foolish thing as at the time the police definitely used to have unmarked Vectra C's running up and down the section of M1 I used to use. If you kept an eye out you usually noticed the hidden lights and I think they had a massive ANPR thing in the back window.
I had a chipped Sri, took it across the autobahn at night and got an indicated 147mph briefly. Took a little while to get there but I was surprised.
Still got my 1.8sxi had it 19 years been a good motor 👍
I have the same motor with dark leather trim, I dont think I'll ever sell it, with sports springs it's a really great car to drive cruising or flying.
The drivers mirror is in sepia because it's knackered :) The auto dim mirrors go like this once they leak.
I had Opel Vectra when I lived in Germany. It was dirt cheap and incredibly reliable.
The build quality is also different.
The cars build in Germany did feel better compare to the rubbish build in the UK with the Vauxhall badge.
Reading up on the history of Vauxhall (back to the 19th century) is enlightening. The Russian royal family were regular customers. The Queen had 4 big Vauxhall estates as HER horseshow driver. UK's first production car to reach 100mph. World's first sportscar (Vauxhall Prince Henry). Baby Bertha etc. With the Cavalier, Vectra and Insignia, the thing to keep in mind is the intended customer base: fleet sales. GM absolutely mastered this. That's not to say that the cars were necessarily bad. Salespeople, junior directors etc wanted a reliable, practical, smart, comfortable car with reasonable cruising pace, few annoying features - and - inoffensive to potential customers. I remember I worked in an office where the IT people turned up in something like new BMW or Evoque, and my colleagues' reaction to this was "what a bunch of wankers".
I own 4 cars, 2 of which are a 2007 Saab 9-3 with Hirsch conversion and all the bells and whistles, nothing wrong with it. It's SORN. I instead drive a 2008 Vectra SRI daily.
I would go for the first Insignia. Also a 2.8 T in the OPC package. More modern interior and way way better looking with a very good ride.
We are on our 3rd. All diesel. The 1.9's are good. The 3.0 cdti we had was a lemon - lots of issues with the engine, expensive parts and NOBODY would work on it.
I had the Saab incarnation of this a 2006 9-3 Aero V6 with the same 6 speed auto. with a stage one map it was pretty nippy, 288 wheel horsepower and 320lbft wheel torque. Comfy quick cruiser, shame it went all rusty.
Thames Valley Police still have one of these in silver at the M4 J11 station. Its their secret unmarked motorway weapon.
Vauxhall Opel is certainly a mixed bag. I love my 2014 Insignia. It's certainly not the last word in performance, handling or alike but it is a capable trouble free and cheap form of motoring. My previous Tigra was a hateful electronic mess! Vauxhall's are also much cheaper than the equivalent sized Ford
I always had something with the Vectra, my first car i bought was a 2000 Vectra B, 15 years old when i bought it, drove with it for 2 years, never let me down, after those 2 years i upgraded to a 2006 Astra 1.3 diesel, which failed in les than 3 months, went and bought a 2006 Vectra 1.9cdti, and drove that for about a year, after which i sold it for a profit, main reason for me to sell it was that it was a automatic, and i prefer manual gearboxes, and a familie friend needed a automatic.
now in a 2013 Astra 1.7 diesel for 4 years, really great car, but i still miss both Vectra's, such great driver cars for long journeys, kinda boring looking, but also interesting, i always love the front of the Vectra B with the mirrora integrated in the hood flow, and the roof line of the Vectra C, especially with the hatchback version, making it a long and pretty sleek sedan
About 2 years ago, i accidently did run into my old B at a dealer, sadly enough the guy already sold it, otherwise i would have bought it back
The Omega was my favourite Vauxhall of the period. The original Vectra was the Skoda Felicia of it's sector. Did the job but it was utterly soulless and outclassed buy everything else not only the Mondeo and Passat but Accord, Primera, Laguna and even Citroen Xantia and Rover 600 were dynamically superior. The Insignia was the same and also felt like a very heavy car. Same thing with a Fiesta Vs Corsa and Astra Vs Focus. Kind of like having a microwave meal Vs one that's been home cooked.
Great review!!! These Vectras and Omega V6s were predominantly used by Thames Valley Police in Road Wars (early seasons!). Jay, do an Omega V6 next please!
TVP in Reading still have a V6 Turbo Vectra in service. Unmarked in Silver.
I worked for a company part-owned by GM so our company cars were Vauxhalls. Mostly Cavaliers but the last few were V6 Omegas (they were changed for new cars every 6 months - something to do with keeping Vauxhall's sales figures high). Changing tax law made company cars pretty much unviable so we went over to a car purchase and company mileage scheme. I bought my last company car (a V6 Omega estate) from the leasing company for a very good price and ran it for a a few years but as it got older stuff started to go wrong.
I don't know if the V6 in my car was the same (but un-blown) as the one in this review car but its big problem was it had plastic cam covers which got brittle with age and started to leak oil. The oil collected in the 'V' of the engine and shorted the HT leads, leading to coil pack failure. The Omega was rear wheel drive so the engine was mounted fore and aft with the coil packs on the back of the block - very difficult to get at to change so an expensive garage job. When it also started to blow the soundproofing wire wool from the silencers out of the exhaust tail pipe it was time to get rid.
So I view Vauxhalls as 'OK' but not really built for high mileage.
No, the engine in your Omega was Vauxhall's own Ellesmere Port built unit, with a 54-degree angle between the banks. The 60-degree engine in this is one of a global GM family used in everything from this to Saabs to Alfa Romeo 159s and Breras to base model Holden Commodores and Chevrolet Camaros (the Camaro being built on the Holden platform) plus a multiplicity of bland GM US market saloons and crossovers.
@@richardharrold9736 Thanks for that.
I had the 3.0 V6 diesel auto estate SRi it wasn’t fast but a great motorway cruiser and the load area with the rear seats folded was class leading the love affair ended when after 3 yrs of ownership it decided it wouldn’t go faster than 70mph 🤫 and costs were mounting up to fix it so it went to the auction’s, as it turned out this was a common issue with Isuzu engine.
230 is the one to get with its lower tax.
Stage 1 usually bumps the torque up to near 400lb. CID favourite these 👍
Never knew that, the 230 falls below 225gpk then?
Maybe it’s the year too but I’ve deffo seen 06 ones on £350 odd quid tax band
@@exgtt2061 yeah it is indeed the tax band👍
Always been a big fan of the Vauxhall vectors. Great video as always