Opel Vectra

Replacement for Opel Ascona, with a new name—Vectra—meant to be more adaptable across multiple markets. The Vectra began as a bread-and-butter mid-sized car with the in-vogue rounded shape, forming the basis for the very sexy Calibra sports car. Vectra B was much maligned, especially in the British press (Top Gear was a regular critic) and the car wound up doing poorly in customer satisfaction surveys there, though in 2·2-litre form, it found modest success Down Under. The final Vectra, the C, adopted a new design direction that was more geometric, while the hatchback was renamed the Vectra GTS in Europe, but like its predecessors, it never managed to seize class-leader status. Sold under various names: Vauxhall Cavalier, Vauxhall Vectra, Chevrolet Vectra and Holden Vectra. Related models included the Opel Calibra and Saturn L-series.

• Opel Vectra A
• Opel Vectra B
• Opel Vectra C

Marque: Opel | Predecessors: Opel Ascona, Holden Camira, Holden Apollo | Successors: Chevrolet Vectra (2005–11), Daewoo Tosca, Opel Insignia