Test Drive Opel Vectra Sedan 2002 - 2005 Sedan

Far and relatives

Created at different ends of the planet with people with completely different national customs and religion, cars Opel and Mazda according to technical parameters, equipment and destination are very close. But the appearance and habits of cars speak about different mentality of their creators. Mazda sees me a predator from the Feline family, and Opel respectable business burgher.
Opel 1.8 16V, Opel 2.2 16V
The brightness and sharpening of forms under high speeds become the visiting card of the appearance of the Opel cars of the new millennium. In strict, stress lines of the faceted body, a hidden energy is reflected, which seems to be ready to break out the first desire of the driver. I sit in the salon and plunge into the thoughtful and functional world of the interior. Spartansky hard seats are nevertheless incredibly convenient thanks to a well-selected form configuration. On version 1.8, tissue upholstery, 2.2 more expensive leather. The front seats are equipped with adjustments, allowing you to fit the profile of the pillow and the back to the specific ride. The back of the right seat by pressing a special handle overturns forward, which transforms the car's interior into the rest room. You can ventitively fall apart in the rear sofa and carelessly throw your legs on the folded back of the front seat. The right and left backrests of the rear can also be folded forward, in turn, transforming the interior, only no longer in the rest room, but to a spacious luggage compartment. As for the curtain of the focus of Pope Carlo, behind the backstage central rear seat armrest there is a small door from the salon to the trunk. Opel car for people with an active life position, and transport the skis or Snow-Bord to the mountain slope does not represent any problems. Enjoy the rest in the fresh air!
Active and passive security systems on Vectra paid a lot of attention. Only one small, but bright touch. With the rear impact, the protective active head restraints of the front seats automatically fall a little forward. Due to this, the head of the head on the head restraint is improved and the danger of stretching in the cervical spine is reduced. I transplant forward, trying the steering wheel, the look is so beautiful and stylish, but to the touch for me personally is not very comfortable. Although it is adjustable in height and length, but when driving, eight fingers rest over the opposite side into a wide horizontal needle. For them, however, a deepening is done, but still the feeling that you do not have a ram, but a round pita. On version 2.2, the steering wheel will trim the skin, but still fingers have nowhere to do. But the turn switches were pleased: when the car is rebuilding, they relate to them slightly in the right direction and after a few seconds they will turn off themselves. And when turning or turning, they work like all cars. The instrument panel is originality and extravagant. Everything is simple and ergonomically. It was unobtrusive, strictly, it felt that they worked a lot over it, so using the handles of the climate control and the audio system very conveniently. By the way, the audio system has a good juicy sound.
Both versions are equipped with air conditioning. To ensure a permanent and cozy climate, an automatic adjustment of the incoming air temperature is made, as well as the consumption and distribution of air, depending on the outer atmospheric conditions. It is possible to install the mode manually, and separately for the left and right sides of the cabin. Thanks to the use of various systems, such as all of the well-known ABS or ESPPLUS, the controllability and stability of the car remain at the highest level. Electronics Zorko ensures that the car does not come out from under control regardless of the state of the road, and provides a reliable clutch of tires with a roadbed. Espplus includes another one. Traction CONTROL PLUS The control system that prevents the wheel slip. At the very first signs of slipping, the number of engine speed drops, and the axle wheel is slowed down.
Good handling is ensured by using an electro-hydraulic amplifier. It is designed in such a way that when parking the car manipulate the steering wheel is very easy, but the higher the speed of the car, the higher the effort that has to be applied to change the direction of movement. Managers contributes and successfully designed, adapted to the operation of a car in bad roads an independent suspension. Front McPherson, with levers, fixed on the subframe, with a transverse stability stabilizer, a four-dimensional, also equipped with a stabilizer. Thanks to such a pendant, the bumps and codobins on the road seem to be leveled, disappear. The brake system is very intelligible and efficient.
All of those listed above refers to both modifications 1.8 and 2.2. The main difference in engines and gearboxes. On the model 1.8, the mechanical 5-speed KP, and on the model 2.2 automatic 5-speed, the so-called Active Select with the possibility of manual gear selection. Despite the fact that in version 2.2 Motor by 25 hp It is more powerful and torque is much more, on the go, it almost does not feel the lion's share of the advantages in the dynamics and with low starts eats automatic. Transfering the KP lever into a special recess at the bottom of the left, you can activate the manual switching mode. When moving the lever forward, a higher transmission turns on when moving back lower.
The automatic transmission will be appreciated by people who are loving comfortable, powerful ride, or beginners. Found that the CP is designed in such a way that with too low revolutions, automatic switching to a lower transmission occurs, and when it is too high, switching to a higher transmission is not performed, thereby protected from excessive wear of the nodes and parts of the car, the driver errors are corrected and ensured B ' Higher traffic safety. Therefore, with a sharp press on the gas pedal, although the engine and adequately reacts to such a rough kick and turns sharply increase, the automation immediately lowers to the value most optimal for the first transmission. Only after this car shoots like a plug of champagne bottle.
Mazda6.
I transplant in the Japanese, and maybe in Japanese. Immediately remembered Rotary-piston Mazda Cosmo Sports (1967), which brought the companies deserved glory. Mazda6 The latest firm development. The figure 6 must be tightly applied to the last letter of the name. Patented! Due to the long low nose and the short high stern Mazda6 has a dynamic and even aggressive silhouette. But this aggressiveness is not caught in the eye, since it is curbed with elegant and elegant body lines. A special description deserves the front of the car. Made as if one stroke of the pen, or even a sharp knife, on a papers stretched to the tablet, the front gives the car an extraordinary swiftness. Very to the place here and xenon optics. It is knocked out of the general ensemble only emblem. With such a stylistic solution of the radiator cladding, it looks quite amorphous. The rear of the car is generally faceless, but it helps the elegant optics in the form of Japanese eyes.
Well revive the perception of the car 5-spoke wheelbases in combination with low-profile BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE050 215/45 R 17 tires, especially when Mazda starts motion or stops. Car doors are wide, especially the front. On them, in addition, there is still backlight. Enter and go comfortable. In the cabin, beautiful leather seats that are made as if for me personally. Indpochiv, and only! The front seats have good side support both on the pillow and back. Even the third person sitting in the rear seat in the center will feel pretty comfortable, since there is enough space in the cabin enough for all five passengers. In the back of the rear seat there is an armrest. The trunk is volumetric, but its space can be increased over two times. To do this, click on the handles located on the side walls of the luggage compartment. So what? Ask you, the car will not get two times wider. Right! At the same time, of course, not the side walls are spreaded by stitching, and overturn forward the back of the rear seats, and the car turns almost into the universal! Naturally, with such a body transformation, you can only go together, but it is easily possible to afford to transport long loads.
Comfortable and pleasant to the touch three-spoke steering wheel with leather upholstery, which is adjustable both in height and in length. The instrument panel is catchy, spectacular. Style solution in the form of a combination of circles of different diameters, up to air duct deflectors. All this sparkles and pisters in front of the eyes in favor of fashion bright and shiny, even rims of tachometer and speedometer are made, although personally it prevented me to read the readings of the instruments and recognize the characters on the buttons and handles. Of course, if you do not ride a car or two, but constantly, it will not be so necessary to get into the eyes ... Ride the car is nice. The steering wheel is light and informative thanks to the electro-hydroceneur.
The acceleration of the car is very fast and smooth (0-100 km for 9 s), shifting the gear is clear. The suspension is somewhat harsh, but soften soft seats. The stroke of the multi-stage rear suspension is short. The same applies to the front suspension of the McPherson system. At high speeds, the car keeps the road well, and in turns as if cling to claws for asphalt, struggling with centrifugal force. True, a little alarming her a little excessive desire to fall into turn. The behavior of the car is very similar to the habits of the Feline family: everything is soft, quickly, chain, easily and gracefully. Having traveled to Mazda6, I come to the conclusion that she is still a businesswoman, active, energetic and moderately coquetty, and Opel respectable, held with the dignity of a man, and also business, active and energetic. Only not flirty. One other is standing.
 
 
Text Sergey Rochlin
Photo by Alexander Nozdrin
How do they look:
Nikita Rozanov
 
 
OUTSIDE:
Both vehicles are absolute innovations, developing their own style and clearly demonstrate the ideas of designers of two very well-known firms on the massive car design of the start of the new century. Let's start with the characterity. She and the German, and the Japanese car at the proper level, and if there were no small popularity of Mazda in our market, the palm of the championship in this category could be given to the Japanese. From the face of Mazda, the Opel is sharply accurate thanks to the heading of the radiator with a wide chrome-plated overlay, which is east of its chrome-plated lining, protruding the relief hood, and, of course, the eastern cut of the headlight eye. But the Opel emblem is more familiar to us, and the face is no less characteristic thanks to the style of a developed upward light engineering. This is a fashion, as well as confirmation of kinship with GMC, where, from now on, from the last models of the flagship of the entire concern of the Cadillac compartment, such as CTS sedan. From the point of view of the automotive fashion, Vectra is formally leading, whose design shows the addiction to the true best-selling style techno. True, because of this, the architecture of the main body volume, and its plastic loses in the dynamics, but the car looks very whole. In addition, Opel demonstrates in German verified and geometrically clear lines: absolutely circular arches of the wheels and direct lines with which the window sill wedge is drawn. Mazda on a part of the dependence on fashion is more free and builds its architecture to more lively plastic and complex curves. Behind each car has its own hint to awareness: Opel combines a wide chrome-plated molding that connects the rear lights, and Mazda6 is flat on the design of the rear lights with the design of the rear lights, under the uncompressed covered glass of which two red rounds of stop signals and overall lights are unusual and so far .
RESULTS
Mazda6 dynamic and plastic style, not devoid of features characteristic exclusively for modern Japanese automotive design. But such non-adaptation to the tastes of Europe may limit demand.
Opel Vectra Qualitative and very solid design, which is distinguished by the German school of recent years. Techno style while in fashion.
INSIDE:
By the nature of plastics and style interiors of both cars demonstrate quite close relationship with outdoor design. Plastic panel of instruments and upholstery Mazda6 doors is smooth and plastic, even sometimes it seems that the surface looks overly inflated. So, for example, the front panel of the central console is too annoying terrain. The style of the Opel interior is quite far from techno, however, strict and straight and largely reminds a little conservative, but very well-known style, in which until recently the GruDig TVs are trimmed under the tree. The composition of the instrument panel is classically T-variable, which is emphasized by a sliding salon with a lining for aluminum or wood and the use of finishing materials according to the light bottom / dark-top scheme. Mazda car from Japan, where for a long time without a navigation system no one rides even the native city. In this regard, a multifunction screen, which is not working covered with a lid, is given an important composite place at the top of the panel. As a result, the screen rises even over a combination of instruments and the organization of the entire central console is tightened to it. The steering wheel are also made in accordance with the temperament declared outside the dynamic Mazda6, it is a three-friendly sporty, and a more calm Opel style is based on a solid four-spoke scheme. Door panels repeat such an approach: Mazda has a dynamic blending line of the armrest can remind the lines of the hot sports compartment, and the prudence of the functional construction of the door Opel is more expensive models representing the classics of the German automotive design.
RESULTS
Mazda6 A very plastic and characteristic solution for which it is quite possible to determine the nationality of the car, and the manufacturer. Probably from here and some overload parts, and loss of integrity. Although, perhaps, it seems only to the European eye.
Opel Vectra is an exceptionally solid solution, the style of which may seem unnecessarily linear, plane and, in this regard, outdated. Saves position laconicism, cleanliness and quality of execution.

A source: Cars