For all the practical attraction of its cavernous cabin space and budget nearly-new price tag, that old fleet favourite felt as unwieldy on the road as a canal barge. Hard a'starboard, cap'n, roundabout ahoy!
In comparison, the 2006 version, particularly this 1.9 CDTi SRi Nav, is more like an oceangoing cruiser. There is little drama about changing direction, a pleasant voyage guaranteed, and the "Nav" designation tells you that this is a car which will find its way there by the stars... well, by global positioning satellite.
Yes, it is a huge car, but it wears its size with grace. You won't want to slam into a tight parking space without being fully aware just how far distant that rear bumper is but, once on the move, it does not feel like a car whose load bay would convert into the Jolly Green Giant's bed.
In the cousin-kissing incestuousness of the international automotive industry, there are more than a few Saab genes in the new Vectra. Not only does the Vectra share the same Epsilon platform as the Saab 9-3, the estate version has a Saab-ish look about its rear quarters.
Elegant
And it is quite a shapely rear, the Vectra estate providing an elegant solution to that age-old poser of how to design a half-decent car when practicality says it must resemble a shoebox on wheels. The front end is less pretty, but the shiny 17-inch alloys deflect your attention from the Vectra's rather sorrowful visage
The exterior is likely to be of less concern to the user than the interior. This is, after all, a place which will be second home to the rep who cannot travel light. Its destiny is to plough up and down the motorways, mile-munching and load-lugging with equal aplomb.
That interior, in the super-rep SRi incarnation, is a pleasant place to be. Ultra-supportive seats hug the thighs and cosset the lower back. The dials are fuss-free and the central console a little too knob- and button-happy but reasonably intuitive. There are nice touches like the louvred air vents which fold flat when not in use. Very classy.
Also classy is the central colour screen, displaying information on the sound system, on-board computer and Europe-wide sat nav. Adjustable steering wheel rake and height, plus the usual seat adjustments mean that, small or tall, you will find your comfort zone.
There are just a couple of ergonomic niggles. The central armrest and cubby is so large that hitching the driver's seatbelt is a bit of a struggle. And, since only a few inches of the handbrake protrude from this housing, applying it demands a rather unnatural arm action. Likewise, the driver's door, electric window and mirror adjustment buttons are not as easily prodded as you might hope because the door pull gets in the way.
Turbo
We have left the best until last. The CDTi SRi comes equipped with a 150bhp turbo diesel which has a serious bit of urge lurking beyond 2,000rpm, as the 0-60mph figure of 9.5secs attests.
OK, it's no hot hatch, but then you won't get a chest of drawers in the back of your GTi. The clutch is light for a big car, and the gearbox positive enough, though with a big throw from second to third.
Vauxhall now boast that the Vectra is "entirely in tune" with UK roads, after revised spring and damper settings, and I'm not arguing with that. If not chuckable, this big-boned gal certainly can hitch up her skirts and give you a twirl.
Cornering is almost fun. I did say "almost". But that isn't the Vectra's point, anyway. She will spend most of her life going in a straight line, that powerful diesel just purring along in sixth gear at wallet-pleasing revs at the motorway maximum, the cruise control engaged.
