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"To understand just how dull this car was, you need to visualise a chartered accountant in a tweed jacket with elbow patches, playing cricket, in a period drama by Jane Austen, in Belgium, while reading out details of the Enron scandal in a Birmingham accent."
- Jeremy Clarkson on the Vectra in 2002

The Vauxhall Vectra is a mid-size saloon and a rebadged version of the second-generation Opel Vectra built under General Motors, first made as a replacement for the Vauxhall Cavalier in 1995.

Available body styles are a fixed 4-door saloon or a liftback version with an additional pillar besides the rear door, including a 5-door estate. Engine versions are mostly inline-4 cylinders from 1.4 to 2.2-litres and fewer V6 options with 2.5 to 3.3-litres sourced from General Motors, with Isuzu (and later Fiat) for diesels. The first-generation Vectra also saw the competition to touring car racing, mainly in saloon models.

The second-generation Vectra's engine availability was reduced, but it also added an Easytronic AMT-type gearbox. This generation also introduced the high performance Vectra VXR, but sales dropped in Britain when compared to the first generation. The facelift wasn't sold in the UK market by 2008 (though in Ireland, it soldiered on until 2010), which led Vauxhall to replace it with the Insignia.

The Vectra was heavily criticised by Jeremy Clarkson in his initial review of the car in 1995, leading to the biggest controversy in the original format, which started a lifelong hate relationship between Clarkson and the car.

Appearances[]

  • In Series 34, Episode 2 (Old Top Gear), Jeremy Clarkson gives a scathing review of the first-gen Vectra, including some disrespectful remarks against GM.
  • In Series 37, Episode 9 (Old Top Gear), updating...
  • In 1998 Old Top Gear episode, Quentin Willson rated the JD survey as being least satisfying car with many faults.
  • In Series 41, Episode 2 (Old Top Gear), Tiff Needell reviews the updated 1999 Vectra with many differences like its styling. The seating position was slightly better, but it was too low for steering wheel comfort. It also suffered from inefficient steering when the traction control is switched off.
  • In Series 1, Episode 2, the Vectra has briefly appeared as a cameo (referred by Clarkson as the "Double V-word"), and is briefly used to compare the turning circle between it and the Noble M12 GTO.
  • In Series 2, Episode 1, the Vectra was ranked as Richard Hammond's 3rd worst car.
  • In Series 8, Episode 6, Jeremy reviews the second-gen high-performance VXR, where he praises for price and speed compared to the Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6 MPS. Again, he criticises the Vectra VXR for understeer. When the Stig takes the car across the track, it resulted in an abysmal time of 1:35.3.
  • Series 10, Episode 5, updating....
  • Series 13, Episode 2, updating,.,,
  • In Series 18, Episode 5, a Vectra belonging to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre is briefly shown whilst discussing the extensive changes SAAB made to it for their 9-3.
  • In Series 19, Episode 4, Jeremy Clarkson talks briefly about his history with the car, before blowing up an X-reg example.
  • In The Grand Tour episode "It's a gas, gas, gas", Richard drives a silver Vectra Estate in his and James' second attempt at a motorised fuel station. A team of Chinese acrobats attempt to refuel Richard's Vectra while he's driving, but when James sends the second acrobat, the first acrobat falls off the Vectra and gets killed in an explosion.

Gallery[]

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