Vauxhall says that the average Vectra driver covers 27,000 miles a year, which means that they're spending around 14 working weeks a year behind the wheel.
That's time enough for any flaws to irritate like sand beneath the skin, and in fact the old Vectra had two terrible failings - namely an uncomfortable driving position and soggy, uninvolving handling.
The new Vectra goes on sale on March 18, with prices broadly as before, and it actually looks very much like the old model. Only the clinically car-fixated will notice any changes beyond the Astra-style 'jewel-effect' headlamps, but Vauxhall says that it has actually made over 2,500 improvements, and that this Vectra is in effect a brand new car.
So is it? Let's take the all-important driving position first. I drove a Vectra for several months when it first came out, and in no time the car's bad seats and fixed steering-wheel combined to induce chronic neck and back pain. But the new seats are fine, although the height-adjustable steering wheel is still set too far away for me, and I suspect for many other tall or long-legged drivers.
When it comes to the new Vectra's ride and handling, there's also been a big improvement. A combination of re-worked suspension and steering, combined with bigger wheels and brakes, has sharpened things up no-end, and even if it still doesn't handle or ride quite as well as the best cars in its class, the Vectra is now far from being disgraced in either department. And safety features are good, with standard ABS and twin air-bags across the range.
The new Vectra's cabin is classier too, while 12 per cent more glass in the overtaking mirrors has made pulling out a safer business. And although Vauxhall is keen to emphasise that the Vectra will be driven by successful business types who could be summed-up as 'the opposite of rep', it's clear that the Vectra is designed very much as an office on wheels. So the Trafficmaster congestion-warning system is still standard, while another £1,250 buys you the excellent Carin navigation system.
If that's too much money, Vauxhall has a new alternative called OnStar. By using a specially adapted mobile phone, new Vectra drivers can access a special call-centre for route planning help, and advice about almost anything else, too.
The OnStar package includes a GPS positioning system - so that the call-centre knows where you are when you phone - and in future they'll be able to 'talk' to your car's electronics, too. So if you crash, OnStar will receive a signal and quickly call for help, and if your car is stolen they'll even be able to lock or immobilise it for you.
Vauxhall promises that it will answer 100 per cent of calls within 15 seconds, which will take some doing if the system does take off, and I have my doubts. The special phone and GPS gubbins costs around £700, and then you'll have to pay another £10 a month plus 55p a minute for using the service. Vauxhall is saying it's a 'peace of mind benefit', but the costs would have to fall sharply before I'd be remotely tempted by OnStar.
That's not to say that the new Vectra isn't good value, however. The private motorist should look first at the £14,800, 1.8-litre Club model, because the car's well specified and competitively priced. And if you want a quick Q-car, an extra £1,000 will buy you the smooth and powerful V6 Vectra, which is the one I'd want in my garage.
Having said that, Vauxhall's diesel engines are also excellent; combining good refinement with excellent economy.
However, you must give the base-model 75bhp, 1.6-litre Vectra a miss, because I'm convinced it's only on the price list as a horrible warning to the reps who miss their sales targets for three years in a row. But the rest of the new Vectra range is miles better than the original, and if you're an opposite of rep with a new-car decision to make, then don't write the Vectra off without giving it a test-drive first. I was pleasantly surprised, and you might be, too.
