2003 Vauxhall Vectra Elegance review from UK and Ireland

Since I acquired it the car has had a slight creaking/knocking noise coming from the suspension (a not uncommon fault apparently), and this is due to be rectified by the dealer shortly. Other than that (and excluding the radio not working when I collected the car because the wrong code had been input too many times), nothing has gone wrong so far. That said, I've only had the car six weeks!

I'd been keen on buying a Vectra since around January 2004 when I discovered that a 1 year old example would be within my means (thanks to very heavy early depreciation suffered by the first owner!).

Only partly put off my somewhat variable reviews, I took the plunge in July and have definitely not been disappointed.

The most striking thing about the Vectra is the refinement. The ride is superb, noise is well suppressed and - in the case of my automatic version - it is extremely smooth to drive, with light steering, powerful brakes and a near-seamless gear change.

My car has the beige interior (that only comes with the Saturn Blue paint finish), which I think makes it look really classy. It's well equipped and everything seems to work well. Except, that is, for the rain sensing windscreen wipers, which can be a bit hit & miss and sometimes leave you wishing it just had standard intermittent.

The downside of this car is it's fuel economy, but then a car of this size (and weight!) with a 2.2 petrol engine and an auto 'box is never going to be a recipe for saving on fuel. I've averaged around 32 so far (driving very steadily I might add!) which I suppose isn't too bad, but it's nowhere near the 45 I used to see from the Megane. Only to be expected though, so no criticism.

In terms of performance, it's actually slightly more sprightly than I'd anticipated. The stated 0-60 time is the same as my old car, but it's pull in 2nd and 3rd gear feels much stronger and it's probably only the lag of the auto gearbox that makes it appear slower than it really is.

That said, I don't drive it like a hot hatch so sheet outright speed doesn't bother me too much. I'm more interested in its cruising ability, and it is here that the Vectra really excels. At 60 MPH the rev counter shows 2000 RPM (on the flat), meaning you're well above the UK speed limit (70 for those who don't know!) before you're even spinning at a modest 3000 RPM. This makes the car super refined and, actually, quite economical - at least relative to its town performance - on motorway trips.

I was pleasantly surprised that the first service cost under £130 and this also means I qualify for the Vauxhall warranty for years 2 & 3. I may have got the car second-hand, but at least I have retained one of the key benefits - perhaps THE key benefit - of buying brand new.

When I opted to buy a Vectra I had also considered a Mondeo, but decided that I preferred the Vectra's slightly more individual styling. I have no doubt that the Mondeo is a very good car but I certainly don't regret my choice.