Vauxhall Leave Ford out of Focus! (Vauxhall Vectra Club 1.8i 16v 4-door Saloon)

Member Name: emmahumphries

Product:	Vauxhall Vectra Club 1.8i 16v 4-door Saloon
Date:	23/10/00 (255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: To many to list

Disadvantages: None

A few months ago I was lucky enough to have a 24 hour testdrive on an R registered Vauxhall Vectra Artic. About 2 weeks previous to this, a friend of mine hired a Ford Focus.

I drive a 1990 Vauxhall Cavalier, which is a nice car, but the Focus made it seem awful, it could take corners about 20 miles an hour faster than my Cavalier with hardly any sway. The 0-60 times were about 9 seconds, which is a good 2 or 3 seconds faster than my car and it was a very smooth ride, I wanted one straight away.

I should point out that my car is a 1.6 and the Focus and Vectra I refer to were both 1.8i engines.

On getting into the Vectra I was amazed at the comfort, and I hadn't even turned the engine on! The Vectra Artic looks amazing, this one was in silver and came with rear spoiler, LED brake light and alloy wheels as standard. On theinside you are greeted with SRi interior seats and arm rests, and everything from electric windows and mirrors to driver seat height adjustment, steering column adjustment and flip out cup holders all at your fingertips. Every detail is perfect, even the ashtray has an interior light that gets brighter as the tray slides smoothly out of the dash.

On setting off I found it took me a few minutes to get used to as the Vectra clutch and gearbox is the opposite of the Cavalier (the Vectra is amazingly smooth, but the Cavalier is quite clumsy). Once I had got used to the car, the way it drove was second to none! The car responds to everything you ask it to do, instantly. 0-60 is about 7 seconds, needing only one gear change! and the car seems to be stuck to the road, whatever speed you try and take a corner it seems to not even flinch, and the odd time it does the built in traction control system is there to pull you round a corner.

The acceleration is also a fantastic aspect of this car, some people say that acceleration is dangerous, but with a traction control system to stop you going ov
er the top I think it is safer to have quick acceleration. If I was following another car doing 45mph in a 60 limit I could knock it ito 3rd, or even 2nd, gear and be past in a second therefore reducing the time I was on the wrong side of the road. The 1.8i Vectra is very capable of doing over 70mph in 2nd gear!

I can honestly say I feel sorry for all those people who own a Ford Focus now, espescially as the Focus and the Vectra cost about the same. With superior handling, cornering, saftey systems, security, leg room, head room, in car entertainment (stereo), and acceleration, I give the Vectra an 11/10.

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