OPEL VECTRATiming chain or Belt?

The Opel Vectra is a D-segment passenger car produced by the American manufacturer General Motors under the Opel brand in Europe and Vauxhall in the United Kingdom. It replaced the Opel Ascona in 1988. It had a total of 3 generations and was finally replaced by the Opel Insignia in 2008. In Chile, a fourth generation of the Vectra can be counted, since the Insignia A was marketed in that country as the Opel Vectra D for a few years. In other South American countries, this model has also been marketed as the Chevrolet Vectra. In New Zealand and Australia, it was sold as the Holden Vectra.

The Opel Vectra A, or 1st generation Vectra, was sold with 4-door sedan, 5-door liftback, and coupé body styles, the latter named the Opel Calibra. In the United Kingdom, the model was handled by Vauxhall Motors, a GM subsidiary, which did not use the "Vectra" name until the second generation. This model was sold as the Vauxhall Cavalier.

The engine range of the Vectra A was very wide. There were 4-wheel drive versions and GT / GSI versions. The turbo 4×4 version was chosen as the Safety Car in the 1994 Formula 1 World Championship, taking on special prominence at the San Marino Grand Prix, where it had a certain indirect involvement in the accident that would end the life of the Brazilian driver and legend, Ayrton Senna.

The second generation, or Opel Vectra B, arrived in 1995. It had sedan, liftback, and station wagon body styles. It was produced maintaining the platform of the original model, that is, the GM2900 Platform. Many of its engines were kept, although the 8-valve variants were gradually replaced by 16-valve versions. The diesel engines were supplied by Isuzu.

Presented at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the third-generation Opel Vectra C arrived with a new platform, GM's Epsilon, shared with the Opel Signum and the Saab 9-3. The diesel versions were a sales success. The engines came from both Isuzu and Fiat (Ecotec CDTI). Among its improvements, handling stands out. This generation had sedan, liftback, and station wagon (Vectra C Caravan) body styles. Alongside this model came the Opel Signum, a longer variant (long wheelbase) of the Opel Vectra C Caravan.

Among the alternatives to the Opel Vectra are the Ford Mondeo, the Peugeot 406, 407, and 508, the Citroen C5, the Volkswagen Passat, the Toyota Avensis / Camry, and the Nissan Primera, among others.