“Specially tuned for
  Britain’s mixed roads,
  Vauxhall’s restyled
  new Vectra hatchback
  is a strong, willing
  performer. And it can
  ‘see’ round corners!”

SUCH IS THE COMPETITION for sales as registrations tumble that throughout 2005 — and now in 2006 — manufacturers have been forced to add more value to their products, refreshing their looks and even finding more interior space to give them added appeal in today's price sensitive retail market.

These changes in refinement go hand-in-glove with unbeatable finance offers, better trade-in values, lower servicing costs and cheaper insurance offers. It is a tough world for car manufacturers and dealers alike but it's definitely good news for the customer, who is currently king. Or queen.

In 2005, the new Vauxhall Vectra — I say new, but to be honest re-styled is more accurate — failed to finish in the UK's Top Ten sales chart because of the time gap between the run-out of old models and the introduction of the new range of hatchbacks, saloons and estates. Its arch rival, the Ford Mondeo, ended up eighth in the UK's Top Ten as the best-selling car of that size.

However, in January this year the Vectra clawed its way back to tenth position and the Mondeo slipped to ninth. Both are now being chased hard by the all-new VW Passat — a force to be seriously reckoned with this year.

All three cars — Vectra, Mondeo and Passat — have edged up in size to appeal to a wider audience: collecting 'down-sizers' moving down the ladder and 'up-sizers' needing more space in the business-come-family car. These cars are not really aimed at the retail market when new, although once they are available second-hand they do appeal to private family buyers. They are aimed principally at company car man or woman; hence the huge array of body styles, engine and trans-mission options and the very long lists of optional equipment.

The Vauxhall Vectra hatchback, the best-selling model in the range, has really benefited from its mid-life revamp. The most noticeable improvement is the increased interior space which makes it a full five-seater with a load area to match. This has been done by stretching the floor-pan and 'sculpting' the seats and door panels to gain valuable extra inches. Refinement and product quality is also significantly improved, as are the higher levels of equipment and specification included at no significant extra cost.

The Vectra feels solid, the doors close with an expensive 'clunk', the electric windows operate quietly and engine, wind and road noise intrusion is much lower than before. The steering is now more responsive and offers better feedback, and suspension and steering changes allow the car to provide a more level and less fidgety ride. Vauxhall's suspension engineers actually tuned the New Vectra's chassis specifically for UK roads. Every Vectra ordered for the home market is fitted with special suspension and steering parts to make sure it's not only fun to drive on a bumpy B-road but is a refined cruiser on the motorway.

Safety and security features are also improved, with front and side airbags fitted on all models as standard. The Vectra now has a control pedal release mechanism so there is less likelihood of damage to
the driver's feet in the event of a front-end collision and the head restraints are of the anti-whiplash kind.

So, as you can gather from this brief overview of the changes, the Vectra is today a much improved car overall.

It is probably not as sharp to drive as the Mondeo or the Passat —
it can be a bit of a tank, especially the huge estate version — but it does allow the company reps who live in their cars plenty of space
and refinement to minimize their daily grind up and down our motor-ways. At the weekends or on holiday, it also serves as a very good family car.

Both Ford and Vauxhall push loads of these cars into the huge company car and fleet sectors so although better than the previous Vectra, the residual values will not be as strong as those of the Passat: more likely on a par with the Mondeo. Buying one second-hand, however, should prove likely to net you a bit of a bargain.

My test model was the Vectra 5-door hatchback 1.9 CDTi Exclusiv (for some reason Vauxhall chooses to spell this without the 'e'). Priced at £15,750 as standard, the car was also equipped with Vauxhall's excellent adaptive forward lighting that 'sees' around corners and which employs additional lights that come on when turning into a side road. The lights cost £850. Also fitted was a DAB digital radio at £450, making the value of my test car £17,050. I'd go for the lighting, but the radio will earn no more on trade-in values so it's not worth it.

Vectra prices begin at £14,750 and there are six specification options: Exclusiv is about mid-range, and there are also Plus Packs and Towing Packs to cater for every need. Exclusiv specification is pretty good with some nice touches such as 16-inch wheels, air-conditioning, electrically-operated and heated door mirrors, electric front windows and a remote control alarm system.

There is a whole host of petrol and diesel engine options. The 1.9-litre common-rail turbodiesel unit tested produced 118bhp and 206lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm — more than adequate for most people's daily use. For go-faster customers, the Vectra can be had in VXR spec with a turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 petrol engine that endows the Vectra with a top speed of 155mph. Additionally, if you like big capacity engines, there's a highly-rated 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel version whose 295lb ft of torque makes it an ideal choice for caravan and boat towing owners.

However, the 118bhp diesel unit in my test car proved to be more than adequate for my daily motoring. The maximum amount of torque available from a relatively low engine speed made it very flexible to drive, and with the fuel economy lingering consistently around the 45mpg mark it did the job without any fuss or bother and in some style. Only at start up was it too noisy, with a rather unpleasant vibration transmitted through the car. Once warm and underway, it quickly proved itself to be a strong and willing performer.

Company car drivers will like the low 154g/km emission rating which means the vehicle excise duty is a reasonable £135 a year. Take account of its 10E insurance group rating and its 38.2mpg urban and 60.1mpg touring fuel consumption figures and the Vectra looks to be economical to both buy and run.

If you're prepared to accept that its residual value may not be as good as that of some of its competitors, then there's much to recommend the new Vectra — including big improvements over the previous model, competitive value for money and good refinement and interior space. And while it may not be as sharp handling as some, it is undeniably attractive thanks to the new Vauxhall 'family face'.

With the distinctive 'V' grille and crisper styling lines, the revamped Vectra is undoubtedly more eye-catching. The kind of car that would look pretty good parked on your driveway. And better in this respect,
I think, than a Mondeo. But not quite as exclusive as the new Passat. You pay your money and you take your choice. — David Miles

Vauxhall Vectra hatchback 1.9 CDTi | £15,750 Maximum speed: 124mph | 0-60mph: 10.5 seconds Test MPG: 49.6mpg | Power: 118bhp | Torque: 206lb ft Visit Vauxhall's website