Vauxhall’s PR did its best to try and fight back, but for so many the Vectra was forever labeled as dreary and forgettable (distinctive door mirrors aside). And yet as ever with the curly-haired pub landlord, the reality was slightly different. Yes, the Vectra wasn’t the most dynamic choice, but it was spacious, comfortable and packed a range of punchy engines, including some sweet-sounding V6s. There were also saloon, hatch and estate bodystyles, plus enough trim levels to keep the hierarchy-obsessed happy.
Then there was the interior, which delivered close to premium levels of fit and finish – a Mondeo felt decidedly low rent by comparison. It featured some of the best seats in repdom too, which combined with strong refinement and those willing motors made the Vectra a natural in the high velocity game of outside lane one-upmanship. It was also fairly reliable and efficient, which meant fleet managers were happy to hand them out as company perks.
A facelift in 1999 sharpened the chassis, while there was even BTCC-inspired 200bhp SRi model developed by Motorsport Developments. Yet despite this, the Vectra will always be remembered by its Clarkson epithet: ‘The dullest car I ever reviewed’.
Toyota Carina E
Six years after Nissan opened the doors to its Sunderland factory, Toyota started production at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. As with its Japanese rival, the first cars to roll out of the gates were Tokyo designed and developed, but it wasn’t long before a machine better-suited the local markets emerged.
As the E in its name suggests, the Carina E has been created with Europe, and its lucrative fleet sector, in mind. The first of the brand’s models to be marketed under the tagline ‘The car in front is a Toyota’, the British built machine followed the established formula for company car success when it arrived in 1992.
There was choice of three bodystyles (saloon, hatchback and estate), range of four-pot motors (1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litres) and enough trim levels for the aspirational types (Xi, XLi, SLi, GLi and, just in case onlookers were in any doubt about your status, an Executive). Factor in typical-for-the-time Toyota reliability, and the Carina E was a staple of many user chooser lists.