VAUXHALL OMEGA
Produced from 1994 - 2003, the Vauxhall Omega was an executive car available as a saloon or an estate; its design was intended to rival other conventional prestige cars including the Ford Granada/Scorpio & the Rover 800.
The Omega had a good reputation; spacious, comfortable, well-equipped & built for strong performance. Unfortunately, this & other similar models were discontinued due to potential buyers being lured away by the 'better' reputation of rival brands like the Audi A6 or the BMW 5-Series.
HISTORY
Vauxhall have been offering large saloons since the 1950's, with the aim of rivalling those made by more prestigious brands (at the time) such as Ford. The best known Vauxhall saloon was the Cresta, (also offered as the Velox which was less highly specified).
These cars were brought out in 1957, with the PB model being released in 1962. This was succeeded in 1965 by the PC model. These were discontinued in 1972, when the Ventora and Victor FE were brought out. These cars were produced until 1978, after which they were replaced by the Royale and the 1st generation Carlton. This version of the Carlton was made until 1986, at which point, the 2nd edition Carlton went on sale. This was then replaced by the Omega in 1993.
VAUXHALL OMEGA TYPES
April 1994: Estate & Saloon versions of the Vauxhall Omega were launched with a choice of either a 2.0 or 2.5-litre V6 petrol powerplants or a 2.5-litre turbodiesel unit
June 1994: The 3.0 V6 petrol engine became available. September 1997: A fresh design saw a new nose and tail design & more standard equipment became available.
May 1998: An LPG option for 2.0-litre petrol-engine cars became available
October 1999: A re-styled, 2.2-litre petrol engine joined a new range.
November 2000: The original 2.5TD engine was replaced by a 2.2 DTI turbo diesel engine.
January 2001: The 2.5-litre engine was replaced by a 2.6-litre V6 petrol engine, while the 3.0 engine was replaced by a 3.2-litre V6.
DID YOU KNOW?
Only one generation of Omega was available in the UK. However, there was an earlier edition available in Europe - sold in the UK as the Carlton.
The 1st generation Opel Omega - known as the Carlton in the UK - was available in Lotus form. At the time of launch, it was the fastest ever family saloon with the capability of speeds up to 177mph due to its 377bhp engine.
The 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine which was available until 2000, was supplied by BMW. It was the exact same engine as that which was fitted to the company's 3 & 5 Series.
In the USA, the Omega was known as the Cadillac Catera
The plug was pulled on a new version of the Omega (the V8) which was due to go on sale in 2001, because there were concerns regarding the potential unreliability of the car.
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Auto Trader World of Cars
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