Test drive Opel Vectra sedan 2002 - 2005 sedan
Universal of pure blood
Opel Vectra Caravan can become the most popular car in the company
You can say about this car with certainty: it costs his money. Multifunctional Opel is equally suitable for transporting people and for transporting goods. Huge, for nothing that relates to the family class, the station wagon is truly convenient, and looks very representative. And from a financial point of view, the car will not be too burdensome. Why Opel decided to make the station wagon so large, because in size it even surpasses Omega removed from the production? The fact is that he shared the platform with the current flagship of the company - the Signum model. This means an enlarged wheelbase (up to 2.83 m), a harsh suspension and the same line of engines and gearboxes, with the exception of V6. Only Vectra Caravan did not get the rear passengers, as in Signum, but the trunk, which is why it is worth opening the back door, at first glance resembles a large cave. Moreover, not limited from the sides of the wheel arches, which are simply not in this machine: the rear multi -link suspension is so compact that it fits completely under the bottom of the car.
Vectra Caravan, if we consider the machine as a corporate vehicle, in my opinion, should be equipped with a 2.2-liter 155-horsepower engine with direct fuel injection and an automatic transmission. Such equipment seems to be the most beneficial in terms of both economy and dynamics. The engine design uses an intake manifold with variable geometry. Depending on the load, the air enters the tract through pipelines of larger or lower length. This causes intensive swirls in the combustion chamber, as a result of which the fuel is used as efficiently as possible. So in theory. In practice, the dynamics of the car improves - acceleration to 100 km/h at the modification with automata takes 11.0 seconds, and efficient characteristics are increasing. Vectra wagon requires an average of 8.8 liters of fuel per 100 km of run. A less powerful 1.8-liter motor, oddly enough, is very voracious due to the older design. In addition, he will pull a completely loaded car with a strangle, which clearly does not prolong the life of the power plant and clutch. Finally, the machine has all modern lotions - an adaptive character, the function of manual switching of the Active Select ranges (works in moderation quickly) and the winter mode. Agree, this is also a certain coin in the piggy bank of the safety of the car and people sitting inside.
But what if you try to keep up with Vectra Caravan for time, late, for example, to an important meeting? No problem! The car tenaches tenaciously on the road on straight lines and easily dives into turns. Maybe a little more than the sedan is rolled, but this is almost imperceptibly. From the point of view of controllability, there can be no complaints, everything is in order with the hardness of the body. Stability guarantees the design of the chassis with a front suspension of the Mcpherson type mounted on the subframe and the rear multi -link circuit.
It’s not scary if you overdo it at a turn at a speed. All last generation Vectra is regularly equipped with an interactive driving system (IDS). It combines ABS, CBC systems (the distribution of brake forces when passing the rotation), help with emergency braking, braking adjustment and TCPLUS anti -wings. Smart electronics quickly recognizes the start of sliding and instantly brakes the necessary wheels so that the car reliably follows a given rate. Now directly about which area such a car may be needed. Firstly, a service car for the head of the middle level. Secondly, a good replacement for a passenger van: it contains no less cargo, but at the same time retains a representative appearance, comfort and reliable running characteristics. Thirdly, Vectra Caravan will have to go sales managers who have to carry products, or advertising agencies organizing events using video and audio equipment. Fourth, owners of retail outlets - retail and small optical. In general, the possibilities of application for a modern station wagon cannot be counted.
Finally, the topic is the most relevant - the cost of operation. The machine that we recommend (I remind you, the 2.2-liter engine plus the machine) will cost at least $ 29,320. Now about the nearest competitors. The Ford Mondeo station wagon in a similar configuration with automatic transmission and a 145 -horsepower 2.0 -liter engine will cost $ 34,000 - 37,000 depending on the list of options, many of which are initially in Opel. VW Passat Variant with a 1.8-liter turbo engine (150 hp) and a 5-speed automatic box costs from $ 28,866, but taking into account additional equipment, its price reaches $ 32,000-33,000. As for service costs, then They are as follows: Opel is $ 30-35, VW - $ 35-50, Ford has hard prices for specific work. The total expenses for the first year of operation (at the rate of 50,000 km for 12 months) will amount to about $ 700 for Vectra with an interservice mileage of 15,000 km (the same amount of Volkswagen), Mondeo - about $ 200 at 20,000 km between a hundred visits, And Passat is about $ 550.
However, Opel customers are offered very interesting and profitable corporate programs. As the Corporate Sales Manager of the National Trade House General Motors CIS Mikhail Rosenoer told us, discounts on new cars can be from 5 to 14%. Moreover, they depend not only on the number of machines purchased, but the size of the client. For example, a company with a large park, even when buying a single model, can count on the maximum discount. The meaning in this case lies in a kind of advertising - the desire to show the client all the advantages of working with the brand. Naturally, the service is cheaper: discounts on work reach 15%, and for spare parts - 20%. Plus, a complete set of additional services in the form of a personal manager, round -the -clock acceptance on the service, an undercut car for the duration of repair, storage of an unsupping set of rubber, help on roads, and so on. All these advantages have long been at a long time from many large companies. For example, the Parks of the Tobacco Giant Reemtsma, the Gillette cosmetic concern, the novartis pharmaceutical corporation, and the Europecar rental office are based on Opel models. In general, today, GM in Russia has about 400 corporate customers. Sergey Ilyinsky
A source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 8 (54), 2004]
