| So the car has good spec on paper and a good warranty.
Time to see and drive the car. On first sight, the car is attractively
designed, looking lithe and compact from the front three-quarters.
The rear end looks neat, too, with black strips below the taillights breaking
up the monotony. Color choices are more varied than the default Japanese
silver, dark green, dark blue and maroon. They have a bright green,
a light blue, and a funky-looking purple.
How about the interior, then? If the car looks compact on the outside, then it's because it really is compact, and this apparent in the interior. The Vectra is sized more like a Corolla or Lancer inside. It's capable of seating only four adults in comfort (even Philippine-sized adults), and five only if you're really good friends. The driver space is tight but comfortable. Controls are complete if not up to the ergonomic perfection of the Japanese. The front console is rather cluttered, with similar-sized and -shaped buttons thrown in together. You might be upset when you find out that there's no glovebox, as all the space has been taken by the CD changer. Park and headlights are the usual German rotating knob on your left, with the lamp-aim adjuster below that. Stalks on the steering column control the turn signals and the multi-info display. Need to know the fuel consumption or kilometers left before you run out of gas, or your latest lap time? Just click the right-hand stalk to find out. Not that you'd want to do too many circuit laps in the Vectra. The engine is smooth but noisy, emitting a pleasingly raspy sound. The 2.0 inline-4 is one of GM's workhorses, powering everything from Astras to Omegas. It develops a modest 136 bhp, but torque is robust at 192 Nm (about equal to the Cefiro's 2.0 V6, and the Accord's 2.0 inline-4), available at a low 3200 rpm. (Part of the credit is due to a variable-length intake manifold. It includes a catalytic converter, so unleaded is the required diet.)
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