Opel Vectra for the upper segment

AFTER THE successful launch of the A, B and C segments of four wheelers the foreign car makers are now gearing up to introduce their D segment cars one after another. Earlier, we talked about the Sonata from the Hyundai stable. This week we will look at the Opel Vectra of General Motors. The Vectra is Opel's top-of-line, 'D' segment car for India, which has also received wide acclaim in Europe. The Vectra will come in both petrol and diesel versions, with 16 valve engines standard on both. The diesel is a turbo-charged inter-cooled unit putting out 100 horses while the petrol model manages 136. The turbo-diesel is what I managed to get my hands on for a recent drive to Jaipur and the 2.0 DTI as it is officially christened, turned out to be a fine piece of German engineering. This is evident from the time you sit inside and turn the key till you drive.

The exterior of the Vectra closely resembles its smaller sister, the Astra. This could be a problem in the corporate car park where a car owner may find it difficult to make out the difference and only those with a discerning eye can tell. The version I had with me had all the bells and whistles and was fully loaded including leather seats, wood trims and xenon headlamps, the interior is plush with no signs of any knobs or levers to twist for those humanly comforts. All controls are electronic and some are within finger's reach. All the audio controls are on the steering wheel and this also had the option of connecting your cell phone along with the audio system surely a very unique and convenient feature. Though the version for India might not include all these goodies as standard equipment. To continue on the exterior trims, the car features 5-spoke alloys as standard riding on low profile tyres. It is not clear as to whether ABS and air-bags will be standard at this stage but General Motors certainly has the flexibility to offer them should other competitors follow suit. The exteriors also feature outside rear view mirrors, which blend into the overall bodyline, to give a smooth and supple body look. The rear is quite plain to look at, though the rear glass contains a defogger and a radio antenna embedded onto it.

The interiors of the car spell quality. From the smooth leather upholstery in our test car to the in-dash 4-CD changer, the Opel certainly looks the part of a big executive car. Also standard is a trip-computer, which provides all sorts of information ranging from total distance covered to instant fuel consumption and outside temperature. It also provides total information on the range that can be covered on the existing amount of fuel in the car to average speeds. A stopwatch is also part of this trip computer, which also doubles up as an information center for the audio system. The instrument cluster consists of a speedometer and a tachometer along with the standard fuel and temperature gauges. The odometer is electronic digital, and hence tamper- proof. Air-conditioning in the Vectra is through an electronic climate control system, which is the norm in this segment. The Vectra has a good air-conditioner for our tropical climes, a pleasant surprise from other GM products. There are also two spring-loaded cup holders, which are utterly useless as they come out at an odd angle. The illuminated cigar lighter and the ashtray of course are standard equipment.

To take care of your beauty, an immobilser is standard along with a radio deadlock remote control. In our test car, cruise control was standard though this item might be deleted for India. Many of you by now would be wondering as to how it is to drive this car. I have mixed feelings on this - while at one end, the torque is really great - it catapults the car from 0-100 in less than 14 seconds, onto a top speed of around 195 km/hour, on the other hand the torque band is really high up in the rev range and one has to floor the throttle to get any performance out of the car. People with a heavy right foot will be particularly happy with the DTI though others might not be too happy with the sluggish response at a low RPM. However, give the Vectra any half decent stretch of road and it never fails to excite your senses.

Finally the question is, what is the price? Well, GM plans to price the car around Rs. 16 lakhs, though nothing is final yet at this stage. It is true that German engineering is worth a premium but whether the Vectra is worth its price in rupee notes, only time will tell.

Tutu Dhawan

(The author can be contacted at: anything@tutudhawan.com)

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