Vectra victory

The new Vectra will be a giant leap forward in engineering and design when it arrives this year. ALASTAIR SLOANE reports.

German carmaker Opel used mid-range models from rivals Volkswagen and Ford as a benchmark for the new Vectra, which will arrive in New Zealand later this year, wearing its usual Holden badge.

Chassis engineers wanted the Vectra to ride and handle as well as the Ford Mondeo. Designers wanted its fit and finish inside and out to be as good as the VW Passat.

Motoring sources from Europe are saying that the third-generation Vectra, a €800 million ($1.6 billion) investment for Opel, succeeds on both counts, even though the company has yet to complete some finishing touches before the car is unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March.

The first model to appear will be the sedan. Opel will boost the range over the next two years, adding the liftback and station wagon and new engines and gearboxes, including a five-speed active select automatic with manual shift function.

The Vectra is bigger all round than the outgoing model and is built on what Opel parent General Motors calls the Epsilon platform. The new Saab 9-3, to be launched in July, uses the same base.

Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet and the platform is expected to be used by five GM cars.

The Vectra's 2700mm wheelbase is up 60mm on its predecessor. The car has a wider footprint - 52mm in front and 45mm at the rear - and is 52mm higher.

The new dimensions boost interior space, says Opel, and the drag coefficient of 0.28 and new sound-deadening insulation provide a quieter ride. The C-Class Mercedes-Benz is the sedan market's drag coeffient leader with 0.26. It sits on a 2715mm wheelbase.

One report from Europe said the new Vectra is a quantum leap over the present model. The cabin has a quality the present one lacks and the ride is firm but well damped. Body control is also said to be much improved, thanks in part to a new multi-link rear suspension.

The changes extend to the use of a new electronic stability control system, a gizmo in widespread use which works by a car's brakes and helps to keep the careless driver on the straight and narrow.

The new system is called ESP Plus and makes its debut in the Vectra. It brakes up to three wheels at once, instead of the usual one wheel, to control understeer or oversteer.

Opel says the stabilising effect of ESP Plus is more progressive and effective. Understeer is when the car runs wide through a corner; oversteer is when the tail breaks away. Excessive speed is mostly to blame.

The new car is much stronger, thanks to the use of lightweight aluminium and magnesium along with high-strength steel. Torsional rigidity is up 74 per cent, a contributing factor in the vehicle's improved handling and ride.

Holden New Zealand has confirmed the new Vectra will appear here later this year but won't discuss the models it plans to land.

The mainstream engines in Europe will be 1.8- and 2.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol units producing between 90 and 108kW and mated to five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearboxes.

A 3.2-litre 155kW V6 with 300Nm of torque will power the coupe-like Vectra GTS. Diesel engines will also be available in Europe, one producing 74kW, the other 92kW.

Take it as read that Holden will stay with the 2.2-litre petrol unit, its mainstream four-cylinder model in New Zealand.

The 2.2-litre Vectra finished in eighth place on the top 10 sales chart last year with 1587 sales, behind stablemate leader Commodore (6284), Ford Falcon (4288), Toyota Corolla (3496), Ford Mondeo (2594), Toyota Camry (2415), Nissan Maxima (1891), Honda Civic (1641), and in front of Nissan Pulsar (1333) and Mazda 626 (1314).