Vauxhall Vectra 2.2i Hatchback

...One in particular, the older Vauxhall Carlton, which had a similar, square shaped, spacious front cabin area. Ready to explore the new rules, a new experience awaited my unsuspecting consciousness. I hadn't realized the extent I would be surprised. In fact, this is more akin to the Vauxhall Omega, which replaced the discontinued Carlton name.

Have You Tried These Positions Before? The Car May Suit Ya!
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...the plain coloured fascia. Recognizable Vauxhall icons, visually displaying their functions, mark each one. Not as clearly defined as they were on the previous model, but I was confident that I would learn to find each one by feel eventually, rather than take my eyes off the road to look for them anyway.

From the left hand side of the fascia: A large button for the hazard warning lights is recognizable with its big red warning triangle ... more

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To read solely about the driving experience, please scroll down until you see:

"Theory Test Over, Time For The Road Test, The Real Test!"
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Text before that refers to my thoughts on the specifications / finer details of the New Vectra.

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The New Vectra 2.2i 16v SXi 5 Door Hatchback 2002 - 2003 Model.
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Available here in August 2002, the design concept was first introduced to Europe by Opel, Germany, earlier in the year. Sifting through reviews, I found their road tests were encouragingly positive. Despite the TV advertisements showing only slight glimpses of the car, snippets of information shown, teased me into searching the internet for more on these new innovations / technologies. Although slightly sceptical on some claims, I was influenced it was the choice for replacing our Vectra Club 1.8i. (See my opinion on CiAO). Would it be as reliable? Better? After driving over 2000 miles in it so far, it has exceeded all my expectations. My affection for it has grown considerably.

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Lucky Me! Why I Chose Our SeXi Vauxhall.
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Remembering my review readings, choosing another 1.8i engine wouldn’t be suitable. The all-new chassis / wheelbase / body dimensions, are greatly increased. Therefore, it is heavier, so I believe the 1.8i would be underpowered, especially if the car is fully laden. The 2.2i 16v ECOTEC-4 aluminium Petrol engine, on paper, not much different to it's equal in the old marque. With a top speed of 134 mph, 0-60 in approximately nine seconds. With pulling power a plenty for towing or heavy loads, around 203Nm (150lb.ft.) @ 4000rpm torque, maximum power of 147PS (108kW) @ 5600rpm. (Quoted figures from Vauxhall’s website). I decided the new model had to have this engine in it.

When I first clapped eyes on the new shape (5 door hatchback / 4 door saloon), both looked strange, to say the least. I was used to the older sleeker lined Vectra. The hatchback being more practical in all respects, easy access for passengers or handling awkward loads, it had to be the hatchback. Anyway, the saloon looks very plain from the side view to me.

Of the three cheaper hatchback models, LS, Club or SXi. Only the LS or SXi had the option for a 2.2i engine. The cost of these two with a manual gearbox (preferred), was about the same. The SXi has better specification in appearance as well as features, such as: 9 spoke 6½J x 16" alloy wheels with 215/55 R 16 ultra low profile tyres, ellipsoid halogen front fog lights, three spoke sports leather covered steering wheel, sports style front seats, chromed / leathered sports gear lever, two tone horn, a classier cloth trim upholstery, locking wheel bolts or centre caps.

The colours available aren't all suited to the cars shape. The choice of colours isn't the same for each model, another factor that I needed to consider. I found star silver very good to enhance the body style. Many other colours appeared to make the shape less defined, less interesting, some completely lose the individuality, defeating the object in presenting a new style or shape. This was more noticeable on the saloon rather than the hatchback.

As it is a fleet car for us, with the budget stretched to suit the bodystyle, model, engine size, practicability, everything fits the bill. The bonus of some extras, as well as looking better in some colours makes this THE choice!

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First Impressions, In Possession.
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Unlike my experience changing from the Astra to the previous Vectra. Immediate feelings this isn't a Vectra become apparent as soon as you sit in the driver's seat. This felt alien to me until my thoughts drifted back to other cars I've driven. One in particular, the older Vauxhall Carlton, which had a similar, square shaped, spacious front cabin area. Ready to explore the new rules, a new experience awaited my unsuspecting consciousness. I hadn't realized the extent I would be surprised. In fact, this is more akin to the Vauxhall Omega, which replaced the discontinued Carlton name.

Have You Tried These Positions Before? The Car May Suit Ya!
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I'm very careful when I prepare for my first driving experience in a different car. It is very important for me to feel comfortable about my driving position. No problems here, the driver's front seat is adjustable for height, tilt (rake), reach, lumbar support, seat extension for the longer legged.

The lumber support adjusts by a small lever situated in a recess about half way up the right side edge of the seat's backrest. It's simple to move, effective in its use. A side lever to the left side edge of the seat adjusts the height. This is also simple to use, pumping the lever, the ratchet lifts or lowers the seat very quickly, with plenty of scope for necessary height adjustments. The tilt lever is next to the height lever, this changes the whole seat’s horizontal movement. The backrest part of the seat is adjustable, you could move it from \_ too /_ or even lay the whole seat backwards _.

On the front part of the seat, where your knees pivot, your legs dangle or not, is another adjustment. The seat can be extended to accommodate longer legged people, or retracted to suit the shorter legged. The whole seat slides forward or backward using a front lever.

I'm sure most of us would find an exact adjustment mix to keep us happy. That is until someone else annoyingly moves everything to suit their preferences.

NOTE: Only the driver's seat has ALL those adjustments. The passenger front seat has the lumbar; tilting (lay back) backrest, slide back or forth movements.

If those adjustments aren't enough, try moving the steering wheel to your suited position. It adjusts for reach / rake (in, out / tilt). This adds greatly to your preferred driving position. You might have to resort to the SeXi manual to master all of these positions.

To make your head or neck comfortable, each headrest moves up, down, back, forward. It doesn't quite rest against my head or neck; maybe I need to try some other positions.

Looking Into Space, Loads Of It!
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The rear seats have a seatbelt for each of the three seats. These are inertia reel, NOT the less safe lap belt usually for the middle seat. Each seat has a headrest too.

The rear seats are 60/40 split folding, you don't have to fold down the whole seat for awkward loads you can fold the two seat, one seat or the whole length of three seats, depending on your load requirements.

Armrests are provided with some storage space built-in. The front armrest lifts to access a tray space, underneath that, there is deeper storage space. The armrest slides backward or forward to suit. I found it gets in the way slightly if its forward whilst I'm driving.

The rear armrest drops down to reveal another drop down panel, allowing you to load through from the boot, the width of the armrest. Handy for that long piece of wood you just bought but didn't realize wouldn't fit, the one that would otherwise protrude from one of the windows maybe.

Which leads me onto the windows. They have less vision than the previous Vectra, The body style dictates where the windowsills begin. The roof of the car arches nicely from front to back, this narrowing the shape of the windows. Sleeker yes, but slightly awkward if you are new to this style. The front pillars are wider than before, noticeable to me right away. The dashboard top is very deep towards the front of the car, due to that roof shape also. Creating a long sloping windscreen above it, excellent forward vision. The dashboard top could be useful for placing a large map, newspaper or similar. It makes a handy tabletop!

Have A Feel Around, Press The Right Buttons; It's A Turn On.
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With everything adjusted, comfortably supported by the very plush sports seat, it was time to investigate these switches, control panels, slots, lights, buttons, which looked camouflaged on the plain coloured fascia. Recognizable Vauxhall icons, visually displaying their functions, mark each one. Not as clearly defined as they were on the previous model, but I was confident that I would learn to find each one by feel eventually, rather than take my eyes off the road to look for them anyway.

From the left hand side of the fascia: A large button for the hazard warning lights is recognizable with its big red warning triangle icon on it.

A round control knob, quite large with five visible settings for variable airflow distribution is next. Between each visible setting, as you turn the knob either way, you can feel little "clicks" where you could choose intermediate settings.

Next to this are two small push buttons. The top one is for air conditioning, which comes as standard across all models. Below that is the cabin filter / pollen filter button. Each has a small light on it, just to let you know if it's on or not. Those are very visible for such small light bulbs.

The middle round control knob is for the heating control. Variable settings that you can feel "click" again on turning the knob either way. Just two colours surrounding this. Red = hot, blue = cold. The more you turn it one way, the more extreme the temperature, etc., etc.

To the right of that, the next two small buttons are situated. Each with it's bright on / off bulb in the centre again. The top button turns on the super blower, which blasts a lot of air from the fan up onto the windscreen. Very clever, more powerful than the highest fan speed. Below that is the rear screen, front door mirror, heater. The door mirror heater is timed to turn itself off after it's performed its job.

The next round control knob is for each fan speed. There are four speeds to choose from (five if you count the super blower button which is separate from this control.). Again there are the five icons, plus the "click" feels for each speed.

A Good Time To Mention Blowers.
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There are about eleven well-positioned air vents. Fixed side vents directed at each side window perform well. Below them are adjustable for direction, up/down, left/right vents. Two nearer the centre of the dashboard, adjustable as the other two, are separated by the multi display/LCD. There is a wide air vent, set forward on the top of the dash, for demisting or defrosting the front windscreen.

Another two are placed under the dash, for effective foot warming/cooling! The lucky passengers in the back are treated to two vents, again adjustable. Only two, but better than none as the older Vectra passengers had to suffer.

Fascia The Music.
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Above these heater, fan, direction-setting controls, is another fascia. This has all the radio/CD player buttons on it. They are quite easy to understand once you've studied them for about half an hour, maybe played with them a bit as well.

Above the controls there is a slot for placing the CD disc. The radio/CD player comes as standard across the range. It's a very good quality addition, with RDS (Radio Data System), which allows news bulletins, or traffic news to automatically interrupt anything you are listening to. This can be turned on or off as required. There is also a station search facility, to tune into whichever the local radio stations are, wherever you are in the country.

Other features are on here, balance from the front to rear speakers, right to left stereo, treble, bass controls, pre set buttons for your chosen "fixed" stations. A very worthy sound through the six nicely placed speakers.

Overall, the controls for the radio/CD player, on the dash, are very easy to use, if a little "plastic". They are all neat, tidy, modern looking controls though. The multi functional, large dial in the centre, the pre set buttons of which there are six, again are easy to use.

A Good Time To Mention More Buttons!
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Some of the radio/CD player functions can be operated from the buttons neatly seated on the leathered steering wheel. On the "T" shaped part of the three-spoke wheel, there are silver panels, three buttons on each. Enabling basic features to work: Volume up, volume down, change radio station, change CD track, change from CD to radio, radio to CD.

Two buttons are placed underneath the multi function display/LCD. These are for adjusting the date. The time is automatically set once the RDS radio has been switched on though.

I didn't mention that the display shows either: date, time, track, radio station, outside temperature (always on when display is on), plus other audio features. This is a very clearly defined panel, easily read whilst driving, without having to do more than glance at it.

The Fine All (Who Enter) Button.
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For turning off the alarm sensor that senses movement inside the car. If you have children, passengers or maybe some other animal left in the car, you can set the alarm from outside, it then doesn't sense inside motion.

Dash Over The Rest Of The Dash (Bored?).
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On the passenger side, there is a drop down glovebox lid, lockable with ample storage space for a street atlas or two. The passenger airbag is housed above the glove box.

On the driver's side, just behind the steering column, are the entire headlight, sidelight, beam leveller, foglight front/foglight rear, instrument panel dimmer switches.

Just below those is the bonnet catch/lever, further underneath.

Behind the steering wheel, on the steering column, the indicator, dipped headlight, flasher, beam (left side of wheel), windscreen wiper/washer, speed of wipe, rear washer (right side of wheel) levers are situated.

On the tip of the left hand lever, is a switch for turning on/off the cruise control. On the right hand lever, is a wheel that determines sensitivity of the rain activated wiper control.

Under the steering wheel housing are the steering wheel reach/rake locking levers. The ignition controls are on the column also.

The instrument panel contains the rev counter, speedometer, warning lights (there are many). Each door has a light with audible warning if not closed properly, as does the seatbelt catch for both front seats, boot/tailgate, brake pad low, odometer, trip odometer amongst other common warning lights, temp. gauge (coolant / water), fuel gauge etc.

Over My Head.
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Above my head there are two controls for the interior courtesy lights, plus a safe holder for sunglasses or spectacles.

Even More Buttons To Remember!
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On each door, you are able to work the electrically operated front windows, unlock the boot/tailgate. On the drivers side, you are able to control the door locking system (one door or all doors, lock/unlock), all directions of both heated front door mirrors, unlock/lock the boot, open/close the front windows.

What Else Is There?
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An ashtray I use as a coin or loose change holder (gave up smoking a while ago, has to be used for something!). Next to that, a cigarette lighter/power point for accessories, e.g.: car vacuum cleaner, or similar gadgets made to run from the 12-volt socket.

A small tray next to the handbrake. The handbrake is directly next to the driver's seat; the tray is to the left of that. Big enough to hold my mobile phone, that's it's use for me.

There is a recess/pocket forward of the gear lever, beneath the heater/radio fascia. Handy for holding someone else’s mobile!

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New Vectra, New Rules, New Safety, New Security.
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There is definitely an increase in driver/passenger safety added to this marque. Across the whole range, airbags are present. The SXi has a standard airbag housed above the glovebox, for the front passenger. The driver’s is housed in the centre of the steering wheel. Within the rising pillars, interior roof linings on either side, back too front are full size curtain, side impact airbags. In the event that they should be required, they would certainly absorb passengers from all sides. In conjunction with the inertia reel seat belts all round, the collision or impact release of door locks, I feel they make this one of the safest cars to travel in.

Because of the extended length of the chassis, there is more space separating the engine from the front bumper, shock absorbent front, radiator grille, radiator. If there were to be an impact pushing the bodywork back ten/twelve inches, the chances of the engine being pushed back into the passenger/driver area, has been given that increased safety cushion. This is visible as soon as you lift the bonnet.

Arming The Alarming, Lighting For The Alighting.
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Central deadlocking, includes the boot/tailgate, fuel filler flap, operable from the ignition key remote. One press of a button locks all, one click of a second button unlocks/locks the boot/tailgate. One click of a third button opens just the driver's door, two clicks of that button opens all doors, but not the boot/tailgate. Effective, quick to implement, it also enables/disables the ultrasonic alarm system.

The alarm system is something you have to learn for its sensitivity. It's not an ear piercing sound, but it is enough to notice, with all indicator lights flashing when it's shocked into doing its job.

The ignition key also enables/disables the engine deadlock immobiliser whenever it's inserted or taken out of the ignition switch.

If you get out of the car with your ignition key still in the ignition but with the engine off, there is an audible warning. This is also the case should you not have a front seat belt slotted in, a door ajar, boot/tailgate not closed properly, lights left on,

If you unlock the car, but don't get in it within about ten seconds, the doors automatically lock themselves again. Simple but could be effective if someone does get in, they would be locked in until you let them out, unless they have the ignition key. Also the alarm would go off because of the interior sensors.
I reckon that's a great improvement in security, for which Vauxhall take very seriously these days.

Whenever one of the doors are opened, there is a courtesy light which comes on slowly, fading in gradually to bright, then slowly dims to give everyone time to see where they are. The instrument panel, the door buttons, the dashboard lighting all come on as well. With the red lights set in the rear edges of all doors, it makes "easy vision" for night time "getting in or out". This is also another good safety feature, I feel.

One more light, a "down lighter", shines onto the chrome topped, leather bound gear lever. It's not a very bright light, as it's on all the time you are driving in the dark with your headlights on. It creates just enough "glow" to help see the entire instrument, radio, dashboard controls around the central part of the dash. Another simple but effective little treat.

The door pockets are awkward to use whilst driving. On this model they are only in the front. Vauxhall website states they are fitted on both sets of doors now.

There are two sunvisors in the front of the car. Both have vanity mirrors with covers. Note! Don't put make up on whilst driving, but by all means use the mirror to peek at the kids in the rear seats, just a quick glance to make sure they aren't up to mischief.

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Theory Test Over, Time For The Road Test, The Real Test!
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When the engine is first started, it's quite difficult to hear it running. The level of soundproofing has been increased to the extent that I have to keep the radio / CD player switched off until I can get accustomed to the level of noise or noticeable recognition of it running. Giving the accelerator quick flicks, the power of the 2.2 litre engine can be heard. Sounding meaty, maybe frightening for anyone not used to having that power under the bonnet. Personally, I love it!

Big Cars.
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Talking of big cars, going from the last model of the Vectra to this one, the size of the car cannot be ignored. I felt uneasy at first, because of its size more than it's power. All dimensions, including the newly designed chassis with the longer wheelbase, make this about the same size as an Omega. The space inside is greatly increased, it looks, feels like a totally different car, which it is! This car sets new standards for the Vectra. It is full of surprises, most of which I've detailed above. They made it feel like I was opening an advent calendar, little goodies hidden away that I'd slowly find each time I have driven it. I think I've just about found them all now, plus a few little niggles as well. So let's get back to the driving.

Mind The Paintwork.
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Gingerly, I started to pull out of the parking space, taking great care to watch the width of the car, as that seemed the most awkward of the size increases. Looking over the shorter bonnet (shorter because of the further forward reaching windscreen) made moving forwards much easier. You are able to judge to a greater degree how close the front of the car is to anything, plus I find if I stop to look outside, there is a little room for slight error. The reversing is similar, although you don't have such good visibility because of the very high boot line; the tendency is to "think" you are closer to any obstacle behind you than you actually are. Good uses of the front electrically adjustable door mirrors are pretty much a necessity to me, making manoeuvring in small areas so much easier. The reversing lights are extremely helpful at night too. Not any little wimpish glowing, but there are two very bright lights, to see where you are reversing safely.

Looking Over My Shoulder.
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Some might find that high back window unnerving at first, but you get used to it. The rear-view mirror displays the whole rear window. That’s very helpful during all driving conditions. Another important feature is it’s anti-dazzle, electro-chromatic effect that really works well. Any blazing headlights, don’t suddenly blind you at night. Amazingly you can still see everything clearly, no having to tilt the mirror.

The Right Gear Too Where?
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The 2.2i engine is extremely responsive. The gearbox combined with this, provides plenty of scope to use the gears in different ways, depending on the situation you need to cope with. It’s possible to pull away in second gear without using too much revving. However, on a steep incline you would use first gear as normal. The five-speed gearbox, with its reverse gear being in the complete opposite corner than the previous Vectra’s, is precise in its use. The only time I've found it needing a little more push is when the car hasn't been used overnight, because it has cold lubrication fluid. Once warmed up, it changes smoothly, drives beautifully!

A Thrill A Minute.
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This car can move, 0-60 in around nine seconds. It hugs the road moreso than the older model. It feels different, accelerating into a corner impresses me. No bumps, rattles, no swaying body. The sports seats hold you comfortably but firmly. It's a secure/safe, luxuriously smooth drive. Before you know it, you are doing 70 mph, you don't realize it's that fast, it cruises beautifully at that speed. This is where the cruise control comes in. Press the little switch on the end of the indicator lever, enabling you to take your foot off the accelerator, the car automatically keeps at that speed. All slight inclines, whether up or down, are dealt with. You can take your foot away from the clutch pedal, rest it on a purposely-placed footrest to the left of the clutch. Having never experienced this before, it gave me butterflies in my stomach. It felt so very strange. All you do is keep you hands on the steering wheel. Not only is this ideal for motorway driving, it can be used on any road. It's NOT a speed limiter; it’s a speed control only. It saves you money using less fuel for roads where you can keep a constant speed. If you rev up whilst it's on, the car will go faster. If you take your foot off the pedal, it gradually slows to the set speed. Making it useful for minor roads where there are speed restrictions, e.g.: You have a speed limit on a clear road, say, 30 mph. When you reach 30 mph click the cruise control, let your foot off. The car will keep at that speed until you, brake or change gear. For 30 mph driving with this engine, it’s possible to use fourth gear or even fifth, without causing the engine to strain. This control could save you accidentally going over speed limits as long as the roads are clear, as long as you remember you still have to use your feet at some point! Saving money in that way too.

I Can Keep Up With You Safely.
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It would be very easy to make it reach its top speed of 134 mph. It's just wants to eat up the road, holding the road like it's on those proverbial rails. This is a luxury car to me, coming close to equal, or maybe even better most of it's nearest rivals, such as: Audi, Volkswagon, BMW to name but a few. For a fleet car, it exceeds all expectations, for a family car, it moves you up into the next class of comforts, as well as safety/security.

With a car that performs like this, standard features are precious. Anti-locking brakes (ABS), cornering brake control (CBC), emergency brake assist (EBA), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBS), electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS). Systems that can all be appreciated in their use. Resulting in a more safe/secure driving experience. Reason enough to make this a very dissimilar Vectra.

Gas pressured dampers, combined with the new suspension/chassis system also add to the cars classier ride. Taking bumps in the road in its stride. The ride is softer, without the "bounce" you come to expect from softer suspension units. Comfortable, luxurious driving helped by these new rules.

I've had to drive through all weather conditions, using features listed in the first part of this opinion. Some of them I explained how they work, some I didn't. I have to tell you about them, as some can be difficult to get used to.

Look At My Flashers.
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The indicator lever has two options for its use. One is a light "flick" in whichever direction you want to turn. This gives a three flash sequence, handy for changing lanes on a motorway or exiting a roundabout. The second option is for where you need to keep the flasher sequence on. It's a bit difficult to learn the sensitivity needed for indicating. If you think like I did, that you flick on the indicator just as the common ones are, then you only get those three flashes. That's quite dangerous, so you need to hold the indicator lever in position for a moment, just a fraction of a second more. A positive hold gives you the full sequence you require, unless you encounter a road with very slight bends just before your turning. If there is a need to straighten up the steering wheel, it clicks the indicator off. (Complete opposite of the problem on the previous marque). I have to remember to hold it down for that moment again if it clicks off. Not really something you should need to concentrate on, although everyone should be aware of signals of course. It’s a bit silly that Vauxhall have included the audible warning for leaving the indicator on, it getting louder the longer they’re left on, but not resolved the problem above, which I'm sure I can't be the only one to experience. I did master it after about a month.

Keeping Cool Or Getting Hot.
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During the end of the summer, driving in the heat, the air conditioning was on for most of the time. Causing the engine to rev slightly faster, meaning more power used whilst running it, meant slightly more fuel consumption. There are no problems cooling down or directing the air wherever it is needed, even to the rear passenger compartment. Top marks for that, as the passengers in the rear usually have to suffer.

In contrast, during the wet, windy, snowy weather, I've had to get used to the windscreen wipers/washers. The washers are easy to use, but the rain sensitive setting can be another difficult thing to get right until you've had to use it for a while. The lever has to be flicked quickly, positively held for a moment or used in the normal manner. You can set the sensitivity by using a small wheel atop of the lever. The controls are very touchy; the wipers themselves give a positive sweep over both windows. Once you’ve mastered that setting, rain or snow on the window trips the wiper action, keeping your hands firmly on the steering wheel.

Heating in colder weather is fast, efficient, easier than past experiences. The screen clears in a few minutes, due to the super fast blower aimed directly at the windscreen. The rear window clears fast too, with it's own timer integrated to cut-off after a certain amount of time. These features also worked very well in the recent snowy conditions, with all the environment features.

You Light Up My Life.
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Driving at night, headlights beam on, along our dark country lanes, vision is vastly improved. Maybe about 25%, due to the ellipsoid headlights, big in appearance, big in use. Dipped headlights are also improved.

Front foglights help to see the edge of the road directly in front of the car. The rear foglights are very bright, I'm pleased that most cars produced these days have at least rear foglights. They even help with reversing in bad weather.

Tyred Of This Snow.
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Wider, low profile tyres make for more grip during all weather conditions. In their normal use, they are road hugging. Driving in the snowy, icy weather, the weight of the car, with proper use of the gears, made driving more relaxed than it might otherwise have been.

The load area has masses of space to fill. Seatbacks (rear), parcel-shelf, (fully carpeted preventing scratching of load). With the combinations of seats up or down, load through etc. I'm sure this would suit all holiday luggages, along with five people. I reckon it would cope well.

Check Or Cheques!
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For under bonnet perusal, you need to lift the heavy bonnet. It isn't as hard as you might think, because this has been fitted with hydraulic lifting arms. No bonnet catches to wrestle with, the arms keep the bonnet up. The hatchback tailgate has the same hydraulic lifting arms also, easy!

Fuel consumption works out to an average 35mpg approximately. Although it’s a 2.2i litre engine, it’s economical if you don't keep putting your foot down. Thinking of the petrol costs, it sobers you into easing off the pedal. Short journeys aren't fuel saving, but cruise control on longer journeys helps greatly.

Exhausted No Smelly Cat.
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Exhaust emissions are made more tolerable, as with all Vauxhalls, a catalytic convertor is standard across the range. Earlier cat's used to smell, but there doesn't seem to be any nasty odours from the cat anymore.

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The price online: £14,905.00p. Out of my price range, but you get more than you pay for!

Insurance should be cheaper because of the safety/security additions.

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I haven't found any major problems driving this car. No reason to suspect it's not going to continue to be reliable, rattle free etc. With its yearly or first service not due for about another six months, I probably still have a lot to learn from driving it. All I can say is that after driving it for the first month, I was very used to all the controls etc. After driving it for nearly six months, I'm enjoying it more each time I go out in it. It's such a pleasurable experience. Vauxhall have excelled here, I look forward to experiencing more from them. I'm in love with this car.

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More information:

http://www.vauxhall.co.uk

http://www.whatcar.com/

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

I hope you have found this helpful. I'm sorry if it's rather monolithic. All comments are welcome :-) 

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