Are Vauxhall/Opel making a comeback?

[white_goodman]

I have no particular affinity with the brand but growing up in the 90s they were very popular in the UK at least and decent, as good as their main competition from Ford and Austin/Rover anyway. I'm sure that many PHers may have had a Nova/Corsa/Astra as their first car or possibly their first "quick/sporty" car. I learnt to drive in a Corsa B in the late 90s and my first car was a mk3 Astra. Not an especially great car but it was a car and I do have some happy memories of it (although mostly not driving-related)!

Since that first car though, I haven't really given Vauxhalls much thought and they haven't really featured on my radar. Everyone knows that Fords are good now and drive better, German brands offer more cachet and Skoda, Hyundai and Kia better value.

That being said, I was a little sad when GM bailed out of Vauxhall/Opel a few years ago. GM have not proved themselves to be a great parent company (Saab, Lotus etc) and having spent some time in the US, Chevrolet cars are just as bland and uninspiring as most recent Vauxhalls/Opels in my experience but the GM/Vauxhall/Opel relationship was a long one. I wasn't that hopeful for the long-term future of the brand under PSA and could have seen it going the same way as Saab/Rover in a few years. However, perhaps I was wrong?

I've been helping my parents shop for a new car in recent weeks. They've owned Citroen for a number of years and the experience has mostly been a positive one but the styling is getting a bit too "out there" for even them now.

I couldn't stand the old Corsa but the new one is quite a handsome little car and basically a C3/208 underneath right? They seem pretty decent value and well equipped for the money and if you want an EV, the price premium over a petrol automatic is not as great as some.

Also, I had a Mokka as a rental a few years ago and it was ok but instantly forgettable but have you seen the new one? I would say it looks (dare I say it) cool?

And then this week I saw a YT video on the new Astra. I'm not sure why you would have entertained the old one over a Focus/Golf (I'm guessing the fleet/car hire market has been propping Vauxhall up for a number of years?) but the new one looks great. The Astra has always sold fairly well and with VW having messed up the mk8 Golf a bit and the Focus looking a little ungainly and perhaps not as class-leading to drive as it could be, perhaps Vauxhall/Opel could have a sales hit on their hands?

Also and I know this one's still a GM hangover but the (possibly outgoing?) Insignia Sport Tourer, what a great looking car! It's a lot of car for the money too if you're not a brand snob.

The disclaimer is that I have not driven any recent Vauxhalls, so perhaps they don't drive quite as well as a Ford/VW but it's probably the first time in about 20 years that I have suggested a friend/family member takes a look at a Vauxhall!

So, from a respectable brand in the 90s to possibly the most hated brand on PH in the 2000s and beyond, am I alone in thinking that Vauxhall/Opel may be due a comeback in 2022?

Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 15th January 18:42

Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 15th January 18:43

Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 15th January 19:42

[white_goodman]

Sheepshanks said:

L99JKB said:

They do.

Forgot to ad I had a new Corsa for a day when my Astra went in for Service. Didn't drive it much as it was only a day but it was quite good. I had no complaints. As far as I know that's basically a Peugeot 208 with a PSA engine.

I really don't understand the hate for Vauxhall though I haven't driven anything from before 2016 so maybe everything from the 90s to then was awful.

Had a brand new Corsa a few months ago when took daughter's Honda to an indie for service - I don't mind small cars but I was honestly surprised how horrible it was. I wouldn't mind, but it's not even small!

Out of interest, in what way was it horrible? Not small is not necessarily a bad thing. The Fiesta is still quite a small car but my parents are replacing a fairly roomy C3 Picasso, so perhaps want something a little bigger.

[white_goodman]

littlebasher said:

I thought they now use the PSA platform of the parent company

Not necessarily a bad thing though!

Absolutely and that was the point that I was trying to make with my parents, as they've always been a bit "sniffy" about Vauxhalls. The last GM derived Vauxhalls/Opels were the Insignia and the outgoing Astra as far as I am aware? The latest Corsa has the same 1.2 Puretech engine as their current C3 Picasso, which they have been happy with, so why would you not try the Vauxhall. It's just a badge and a different set of clothes at this point. Their Citroen dealership even sells Vauxhall and Peugeot too, so the service experience should be the same.

[white_goodman]

L99JKB said:

They seem to have gotten a bad name for various forgettable and uninspiring cars since the days of things like the Astra GTE etc however I had an Astra K courtesy car back in 2016 when someone hit my car and I liked it so much I bought one. I've had my 2017 1.6 CDTI SRi for 2 and a half years now, put 20k on it and it hasn't missed a beat. Has plenty of bells & whistles, shifts fairly well and I really like it.

A couple of my friends have driven it and always comment that its a good car "for a Vauxhall".

I too had a Mokka on holiday as a rental which was fine. Same with the Crossland X I had last year on holiday. Fine for the people who buy them as a family shopping trolley.

Sorry, didn't mean to diss your Astra, it could very well be a good car. The mk4 Astra was certainly a big step forward over my mk3 as a driving experience. It's just that the Focus (rightly or wrongly) has forged a reputation for being the better car to drive and the Golf for being of better quality/holding its value better. So for many, all it might have going for it is its looks and I wouldn't say that they were particularly exciting either.

[white_goodman]

Davie said:

Silverbullet767 said:

Vauxhall's to me are the automotive equivalent of a beige sofa, comfy, bland and boring. I really think anyone who has a Vauxhall Corsa just asked for a car at a dealership and didn't bother driving anything else. This'll do. This is a car.

Which actually represents the thought process of a rather large chunk of buyers out there... yes, it's a car, it'll save me getting the bus.. fine. Not everybody needs or wants more and given Vauxhall had a huge network, garage in every town sort of thing then these type of buyers would probably rather pop in to their local garage and by white good then bother going off to the big city to look at something more dynamic and stylish. Granted this is probably more reflective of say 10 to 20 years ago but old habits die hard if you're not a car person and can't be arsed car shopping.

Is that fair? Is a Vauxhall buyer really any less discerning than a Nissan or a VW buyer or a buyer of some of the overpriced tat that BMW is churning out these days? At least they paid less for the privilege of ownership possibly. Most modern cars are quite boring. Very competent yes but there aren't the huge gulfs in quality/the driving experience that there used to be. That being said, I find it difficult to see how anyone had done their research and tried out a few cars and come to the conclusion that an old Vauxhall Mokka was the car for them. Not a bad car per se but pretty unremarkable. If they like the look of it, it has the right features, it's the right price, is easy to drive and there is a conveniently located dealer then that's enough for many people though and does the driving experience really matter on a car like that?

As for the clutch comment, I tend to agree. There are many modern cars that I have driven where the clutch and gearshift feel very disconnected. Most modern cars are optimised for automatic transmissions, so to be honest on most non driver-oriented cars, automatic would probably be my choice these days.