First drive: Vectra goes 21st century

YOU may not recognise it, but this is the third generation Vectra, which is being launched right now in Europe by General Motors' European subsidiary, Opel, and will be sold here from the last quarter of 2002 by Holden.

Gone are the conservative lines of its predecessor, a styling effort that dates back to the late 1980s. Instead there is a challenging angular shape which is at its most controversial in the vertical headlights that wrap back over the front fender.

Inside, the change has been just as dramatic, although nowhere near as controversial, with a boost in quality, materials, modernity and useable space.

Love it or hate it, the new Vectra will do something its predecessor could not - stand out in crowd.

And that's important because Vectra is to GM in Europe what Commodore is to Holden - its income mainstay. Mid-size cars like the Vectra - and its Euro rivals like the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Renault Laguna - sell in their hundreds of thousands every year, predominantly to fleets.

But the Vectra's numbers have been dropping as it has aged and at the same time Opel has recorded massive financial losses, although not all the blame can be laid at Vectra's wheels.

Vectra's sales slump has not been helped by its European perception as being as dull as dishwater, a view not supported in Australia where some excellent suspension work and other fine-tuning has earned the car a consistent audience in a declining sales segment.

So enter the new generation Vectra with a big task on its shoulders and a hefty investment to pay back - Euro 1 billion on the product itself and just over another Euro 1 billion on refurbishments at the Russelsheim (Germany) and Ellesmere Port (UK) plants where the car will be built.

Initially, two body styles will be available - sedan and hatchback. The former comes with the choice of 90kW/167Nm 1.8 and 108kW/203Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder engines of which we will only get the latter. The hatch will come with the choice of the 2.2 and a new 155kW/300Nm 3.2-litre V6 The V6 is labelled GTS thanks to its promise of outstanding performance - top speed of 248km/h and a 0-100km/h dash time of just 7.5 seconds. That's complemented by lowered suspension, bigger alloy wheels, revised interior including sports seats and more aggressive gear and steering ratios.

Transmission choice is currently limited to a five-speed manual and a new five-speed automatic with semi-manual operation. However, a six-speed manual and CVT auto will be rolled out soon, being fitted initially to the V6 and 1.8 respectively.

Also coming in 2003 is a wagon - which we are unlikely to see - and the Signum, a luxury long wheelbase version that has a tall and flexible cabin. We could get it in Australia.

Underpinning the whole exercise is GM's new Epsilon platform that will soon be used by other GM products, including the new Saab 9-3 launched later this year.

The new Vectra sits on a 63mm longer wheelbase, has a wider tread and higher roof, a vastly stiffer body and a much more aerodynamic shape (0.28 Cd). It has been able to achieve this without adding much weight thanks to the extensive use of aluminium and other lightweight metals.

Then there's the MacPherson strut front suspension, new design multi-link independent rear suspension and four-wheel discs. Thoroughly conventional stuff.

Where it gets more interesting is the extensive use of electronics made possible by the now accepted CANBUS integrated electronics system which zaps messages and responses around the car, feeding off the data gained by more than 40 sensors.

There's four channel ABS, Cornering Brake Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, electro-hydraulic power steering and ESP-plus, which in contrast to conventional electronic stability programs that brake the inside rear wheel to prevent understeer, acts on as many as three wheels for more stable performance. Opel calls all these handling aids its Interactive Driving System (or IDS).

More electronics means more cabin features too - like six airbags, anti-whiplash head restraints, climate control air-conditioning, eight-way adjustable front seats, tyre pressure monitoring, rain sensing window wipers and park distance control.

What do we get? Holden is not saying yet. But we can expect the 2.2 and V6, sedan and hatch, manual and auto transmissions, more than one specification level with pricing spread over quite a wide area, probably starting just under $30,000 with the GTS finishing in the $40,000-plus range, and a minimum of dual frontal airbags and ABS standard across the range.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

IT is always dangerous to make a concrete assumption based on a short drive of a new car on foreign soil, particularly when that car will have revisions made before it goes on sale in Australia. The outgoing Vectra is a perfect example - what the Europeans deride, Holden engineers transformed into an enjoyable car to drive.

So the new version has quite a high bar to meet and beat, and first impressions of the 2.2-litre sedan - which is all that was available to drive - suggest it has yet to clear the hurdle in some respects.

First the positives. The styling job is undoubtedly a step into the 21st century, completely eclipsing the current car. Sure the headlights are a bit weird but there are equally strong elements like the rising window line, strong C-pillar and bold wheel arches which carry a suggestion of Audi's classic A4.

Inside it is cool, clean and modern with a choice of fake wood and fake metal veneers, a bespoke set of controls including an initially intimidating centre console that includes a concave sat-nav adjustment array.

Materials quality and feel is first rate and it is a comfortable and more spacious environment in the front and rear. On a practical level, the boot is enormous, although the opening is quite small thanks to the dramatic rake of the C-pillar that gives the car a hatch-like look from the rear.

The driving experience is an equally cool, calm and measured experience. Out on the freeways - where thousands of Vectras will soon be plying their trade - it is quiet, polite and quite luxurious. In town, the light steering and smooth automatic transmission make progress in traffic an easy proposition.

But this ability to cocoon and isloate seems to have been gained at the expense of driving enjoyment. The steering is lifeless, the chassis a determined understeerer - until the non-switchable ESP-plus jumps in - the ride lacking the compliance over large holes and bumps we would have expected, and the manual gearbox a disappointingly notchy, lifeless and two-stage device.

Of course, the smooth mountain roads snaking around the outskirts of Barcelona are hardly a mirror-image of Australia's broken tarmac, so a solid verdict will have to wait until we drive an Australian-spec car on home turf.

The key will be the work done before it goes on sale here.

If the dynamics come up to scratch in our environment then Holden has a real chance to continue its Vectra success story with a car that is already a significant step forward from its predecessor in terms of style and quality.