THERE was a time when the Vectra was built in Australia, presented a cut-price medium car alternative and sold in the thousands. Oh, how times change. The local build plan proved an aberration with the car reverting to import from Europe, the exchange rate has gone to hell and the sales rate is forecast to slow almost to a trickle. Cut through all the issues and actually examine the new generation Vectra and you find a car of exceptional quality, excellent on-road behaviour and with a substantial equipment list. Here we're testing the top-spec CDXi V6 auto hatchback, which at $49,990 is in the heart of prestige territory pitched against the entry level BMW 3 Series and a host of lesser Europeans.