Used Vauxhall Vectra Estate 2002 - 2009 review

What's the used Vauxhall Vectra like?

The previous Vectra estate was poorly thought out and not that roomy, but this one couldn't be more different: its cabin and loadbay are huge, and there's plenty of room for a family of five and their luggage. The rear seats drop down to free up 1850-litres of space.

For the driver, comfort and visibility could scarcely be better, but a few controls are awkward and some owners find the one-touch indicators annoying.

Overview

Practical, cheap and tough. Makes more sense than many MPVs

Pros

• Huge loadbay, cheap enough to buy and run

Cons

• Smaller engines struggle
• Ford Mondeo's a better drive

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The Vectra is also a fine car to drive, as long as you avoid the sporty models that ride too stiffly. Mainstream versions are more comfortable, but still steer and grip well, while the car's real strength is its refinement: there's no wind noise in the cabin, even at motorway speeds, and the engines remain quiet unless they're worked hard.

Euro NCAP awarded the Vectra four stars out of five for occupant safety (good but not class-leading), but it's let down by a one-star rating for pedestrian protection.

Our recommendations

Which used Vauxhall Vectra should I buy?

Four petrol engines, three diesels and no fewer than six trim levels bring almost too much choice. We'd make it simpler by ignoring the smallest petrol motor, the 1.8 (too weak) and the biggest, the 3.2 (too costly to run).

As for the other petrols, the 2.2 gets our vote because it suits the car, giving the best trade-off between power and economy. But, the 2.0 turbo is quicker and still a good choice.

Overall, though, a diesel engine is a far more sensible choice. They're available as a 1.9 (with 8v or 16v), a 2.0, a 2.2 and a 3.0, but the pick of the bunch is the least powerful 1.9 because it promises an easy 40mpg but still pulls well. We'd forget the 3.0 because its economy is no better than a 2.2 petrol's.

Even base models get a full set of airbags, anti-lock brakes, electric windows and air-con. The Exclusiv ('05 onwards) is a safe bet, but you could dig out a car with Club trim (two steps up from the most basic), because it adds alloy wheels, an excellent stereo and other luxuries.