VAUXHALL is pinning a great deal of faith in its new Vectra.

It is viewed as the start of a whole new chapter for the company, absolutely necessary bearing in mind that the home of the original Vectra at Luton is poised to close, and with the new model's production to be split between Ellesmere Port in Cheshire and a new plant in Germany.

The UK's contribution will be the five-door hatchback, with saloons and, later, estates being imported.

Despite the old Vectra being rubbished by some when it was launched, it went on to become the best seller in the upper medium sector in 1999 and 2000, with more than half-a-million sold since 1995. That is around 83,000 sold annually - not bad for a loser.

The new Vectra goes on sale in June, first in hatchback and saloon form, followed a year later by the Signum luxury executive, replacing the Omega, and later by an estate. Prices of the hatchback and saloon will be announced next month, but have to be competitive so expect them to be from around £17,000.

Vauxhall is initially providing three petrol and two diesel engines with power outputs from 122 to 211PS. Topping the range is a new 3.2-litre V6 which is being built at Ellesmere Port.

Both diesel and petrol engined versions were available when Vauxhall unveiled the cars to the British motoring press, with the 2.0-litre petrol sadly underpowered for the twisting and mountainous route chosen by Vauxhall, while the 2.2-litre diesel was far superior, if just that little bit slower off the mark, especially on the open road.

Which is no bad thing in the scheme of things, because the Vectra has always been a popular choice for the fleet market. Last year, for example, around 85 per cent of all sales were to fleets, to business drivers who could choose the car they wanted to drive.

Although Vauxhall may not to too happy with the label, there is no doubt the Vectra is a reps car, built for the motorways (other users permitting) and will no doubt continue to be as popular.

Compared with some of these competitors, particularly the Primera, Laguna and C5, the new Vectra could be considered plain in its design both inside and out, but it has moved on a great deal since 1995.

For a start there is more room inside, front and back, making the new car one of the most spacious in the class, it carries a whole range of standard safety equipment and also features lots of standard equipment that before was a feature of its flagship models.

Special attention has also been paid to the quality of materials inside the cabin, nice soft-touch surfaces for the door pockets, glove box and dashboard, while door handles and handbrake lever and gear knob are in a high-gloss chrome.

The seats could do with a bit more body support, but are nonetheless very comfortable.

Equipment levels are important in the user-chooser fleet market and standard features include radio-controlled central locking for both doors and tailgate, electric front windows, reach and rake adjustment for the steering wheel and heated door mirrors.

To give the car a further leg-up, there is also a comprehensive range of extras including front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, tyre pressure monitor, rain sensors and a wide range of audio and information systems, as well as climate control and powered seats with memory function.

Safety measures are not to be sniffed at: active head restraints, full size front and side airbags, full-size curtain airbags front and back, three-point seats belts for all, Vauxhall's own foot pedal release system, and ABS anti-lock braking with brake assist and cornering brake control.

The three petrol and two diesel engines are combined with three different gearbox arrangements. In addition to a standard five-speed manual transmission, there is a new five speed automatic and a continuously variable transmission. Two more engines will join the range next year, a petrol and a diesel.

All the petrol engines comply with the latest emissions legislation, feature four-valve technology and an advanced engine management system, which linked to a special service indicator, lets the driver know when servicing is required, a necessary feature when considering the time gap: petrol engines will need an oil change at 20,000 miles (or up to two years) and diesels up to 30,000 miles, or two years.

Surprisingly, the two turbo diesel engines - 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre DTi units - feature direct injection and not common rail technology which is generally accepted as more economical and clean.

Ride comfort is excellent, all down to the improved suspension matched to a complex electronic management system which links both control and safety functions, and in particular the latest in electronic stability programmes, which will be standard on certain models and available as an option on others.

All the cars on test were fitted with the programme and by controlling front or rear wheels from drifting on a slippery bend, contributed enormously to the driving pleasure. At low speeds the responsive steering needs little effort, while as speed increases so the steer feel improves.

One of the hallmarks of the new Vectra is its electronic innovations which includes 30 sensors collecting and processing huge amounts of information from tyre pressures to monitoring the atmosphere for the climate control.

Another feature, at first quite frustrating, is the introduction of an indicator stalk (similar to that in the latest BMW 7 Series) which just needs a tap up or down to its first setting to provide three quick flashes, viewed as ideal when overtaking or returning back to lane, or push it further and the flashing stays on for longer. It is something that needs getting used to.

Unlike the new Vectra which should once again rise above any criticism and prove a money-spinner.

Model: Vauxhall Vectra

Price: Not available yet. On sale in June.

Dimensions: Length 4596mm, width 1798mm, height 1460mm, wheelbase 2700mm.

Engines: 1796cc, four cylinder petrol, belt driven, 120bhp at 6,000rpm and 125lb.ft torque at 3800rpm; 2198cc, four cylinder petrol chain-driven, 145bhp at 5600rpm ad 150lb.ft torque at 4000rpm; 1994cc turbodiesel, chain-driven, 99bhp at 4000rpm, 150lb.ft torque at 1500rpm; 2171cc turbodiesel chain-driven, 123bhp at 4000rpm, 207lb.ft torque at 1500rpm.

Performance: 1.8-litre petrol: top speed 129mph, 0-60mph in 10-seconds; economy 26.2mpg at urban rate, carbon emission (g/km) 184; 2.2-litre petrol: 134mph, 0-60mph in nine secs, 23.7mpg urban, emission 206 g/km; 2.0-litre turbo diesel: 120mph, 0-60 12.5secs, 36.7mpg urban, emission 159 g/km; 2.2-litre diesel: 128mph, 0-60mph 10.5-secs, 32.5mpg urban, emission 176 g/km.

Updated: 10:07 Friday, March 01, 2002