Vauxhall Omega
Opel Omega Mk I
The Opel Omega was launched in late 1986 as replacement for the Opel Rekord, which had been in production since 1978 and sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton. It was available in saloon and estate ('Caravan' in Germany) bodystyles as a competitor for the likes of the Ford Scorpio and Rover 800.
The new Omega, which was also sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton, was rear-wheel drive and transmission was either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Engines ranged from 1.8 and 2.0 L four-cylinder units (2.0 and 2.3 L diesel, 2.3 L turbodiesel) to a 3.0 L V6. But in 1989 a high performance Opel Lotus Omega/Vauxhall Lotus Carlton was introduced with a 3.6 six-cylinder unit and a top speed of 175 mph (282 km/h) —making it the fastest four-door car ever produced (note: without any hardware tricks some geeks gained 312 km/h on Lotus Omega).
Meanwhile, the standard Omega proved itself popular with buyers all over Europe thanks to its comfort, space and big boot (trunk), and extensive stowage space on the estate car (station wagon).
Equipment levels were good, with almost all of the range getting power steering and electric windows as standard from day one. More luxurious versions had air conditioning and leather upholstery on the equipment list. Antilock brakes were also standard on most models.
Not so impressive were bodywork and mechanical problems which meant that the Carlton could not stand up to the BMW 5-Series in terms of quality. Nor was the Carlton the most practical car in its class, the Ford Scorpio had the advantage of a hatchback version which the Carlton did not have.
Based around the Omega running gear was the Opel Senator, which was more luxurious but also used a drastically different body. This model was aimed at the BMW 5-Series rather than the Ford Scorpio. The Senator formed the basis of the 1989 Holden Commodore.
The Opel Omega was shelved in 1994 and replaced by an all-new model of the same name—the Omega nameplate was used across the board in Britain on Vauxhall-badged cars.
Opel Omega Mk II
The 1994 Vauxhall/Opel Omega was an all-new car with a modern exterior design but a traditional rear-wheel drive chassis. The engine range was all-new. Four cylinder engines were a 2.0 L petrol and a 2.5 L turbo-diesel which were reasonably refined and gave acceptable performance. But the V6 engines (2.5 and 3.0 litres) were a far better bet. The top of the range Omega, with the 3.0 L V6, was the most expensive Vauxhall/Opel on the market at £30,000. The Omega saloon was extremely spacious and comfortable, but the estate was capable of holding seven occupants. From 1997 to 2001, the top three-litre saloon was sold in the US as a captive import badged as the Cadillac Catera.
Late in 1999 the Omega received a facelift and a 2.2 L 16-valve engine was added to the range as an eventual replacement for the 2.0 L. The following year a 3.2 L 'MV6' engine replaced the 3.0 L V6 unit.
Ten years after its launch, the Omega is now looking very dated and its replacement is likely to arrive in the near future.
