Vauxhall Signum 3.0 V6 CDTI
It's no secret that the family car class - once the biggest and most competitive in the UK - has been struggling to attract buyers. But that doesn't mean manufacturers are ready to give up on it.
While it lacks a premium badge and as such will sell in small numbers, this range-topping Signum is no white elephant. A comfortable cruiser with a superb engine, it offers limousine-like space in the rear and a dynamic drive. Priced at £24,245, it costs around the same as a BMW 320d - but a retained value of 30 per cent means that it will work out more expensive in the long run.
It's no secret that the family car class - once the biggest and most competitive in the UK - has been struggling to attract buyers. But that doesn't mean manufacturers are ready to give up on it.
Take Vauxhall, for example, one of the stalwarts of the sector with its popular Vectra. The firm was one of the first to explore the potential for niche markets by building the Signum.
Development work has been tough, and sales of the newcomer slow, but the company is continuing to lavish attention on it, as this facelifted edition proves. We got behind the wheel to see if it has improved the formula.
Featuring the same rounded lights as the recently revised Vectra, thehatchback Signum is more distinctive. First impressions are also helped by the addition of a unique grille and chrome bumper inserts. The rear of our 3.0-litre V6 CDTI Design test model was enhanced with darkened glass.
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Cash £23,970Inside, there are new fabrics and a better quality dashboard, sourced from the updated Vectra. The centre console remains a little plain, but overall the cabin is well equipped, with superb part-leather sports seats and a DAB radio. However, you'll have to pay extra for climate control and sat-nav, as they are both on the options list.
The car is at its best in the rear.Two sumptuous individual chairs provide a limousine feel with exceptionallegroom, and are easily folded to create a huge load area. Here the logic behind the Signum, and how Vauxhall justifies its extra cost over the Vectra, becomes clear. But how many drivers, the majority of whom will be using company cash to fund their new vehicle, will appreciate this when offereda BMW-badged alternative?
Probably not very many, and that's a pity as the Signum has lots going for it. First, there's the power the £24,245 asking price buys. From 1,400rpm, the V6 CDTI Signum charges forward, gathering momentum at 2,000rpm and sustaining this to the red line. With its sportily-calibrated throttle, it responds immediately to a touch of the pedal.
And don't think that because it's a diesel the car's engine lacks refinement. At idle, it sounds like an unleaded V6 unit and, while some well oiled clatter is evident at low revs, this soon disappears, leaving a classy growl that's indistinguishable from a petrol.
It's a superb powerplant, while the six-speed gearbox shifts more cleanly than previously. The ride is still smooth and the cruising manners relaxed, but extensive chassis testing in the UK has produced more finesse over twisty roads, too. The body floats less and feels better connected to the road - pitch it into a corner and the accu-rate steering seems far less sloppy than on older models.
Handling-wise, the newcomer still isn't up to the standards set by BMW or the Ford Mondeo, as the steering lacks feel and can writhe under power in low gears. The ultimate emphasis remains on comfort, but by sharpen-ing the driving experience, Vauxhall has managed to simultaneously make the car more relaxing.
There's no doubt the Signum has lots of appeal, but with only 40 of the facelifted 3.0-litre V6 diesels likely tobe sold in the UK this year, it's a pity so few people will get to experience it.
