The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3
August 18, 2012
· 
Mike Humble · 
43 Comments
The Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 (or Opel Vectra A for our European readers) was a completely different animal to the popular car that it replaced… well, it was to look at.
Mike Humble tells the story of GM’s streamlined Ford Sierra fighter.
The streamliner that everybody loved
Towards the latter part of the 1980s, the Ford Sierra had become a socially acceptable shape of car to own. Though it had taken time to build momentum, the Sierra was now a runaway success in the sales chart. The Cavalier in Mk2 guise had its best years in 1985-’86 where it sat secondin the top 10 behind the all-conquering Escort. As the ’80s progressed, the Cavalier slowly started losing ground to its rival makers.
For instance, sales of the Cavalier estate were nothing short of disappointing, where it was expected to score well – and it was here that the stylish Montego estate pretty much had the market to itself.
The Cavalier had a minor makeover in 1985, which comprised of a skilfully applied boot-width reflector panel between the rear lights, new wheel and seat trims, and some special editions such as the Commander, Antibes and Club models. What was obvious though, was its angular boxy styling was dating quickly in the wake of Ford’s aerodynamic Sierra. It was still a good driver’s car with perky engines and keen handling, but the Cavalier lacked real build quality and style. It remained a firm fleet favourite, but retail customers were wandering elsewhere.
In its last full year of production (1987) the Sierra outsold the Cavalier on a ratio of 2:1.
The new for 1989 (but launched in October ’88 at the Birmingham Motorshow) Cavalier Mk3 was designed to be the best of both worlds – aerodynamic like a Sierra, but bristling with Mk2 front-wheel drive appeal. Slightly larger than its predecessor and much curvier looking, the new Cavalier could now go head-to-head not only with cars such as the Sierra, but also the sleek new Ryton-built Peugeot 405 and the Washington-made Nissan Bluebird, which was racking up some impressive sales figures.
Vauxhall also took the opportunity to revamp its corporate look and distance itself from the existing staid Vauxhall–Opel–GM brand image. Now was the time to stamp Vauxhall as strong a standalone marque within the General Motors stable. Advertising for the new Cavalier (and its stronger marque image) was everywhere from magazines to television. The latter used a cover version of Derek & The Dominos’ track Layla, with the tagline ‘Once Driven Forever Smitten’. In short, simple but effective media usage.
Sleepy family retail Vauxhall dealers that once survived happily taking in your Chevette in part exchange for a base Nova were asked to shape up or ship out – Vauxhall was coming back, and back with a bang.
The new Cavalier, though, was underpinned by engineering lifted from its predecessor. But it proved to be a much more finely-honed product. There was evidence of real engineering prowess and impressive safety features right across the range. Where the Mk2 always had a feeling of lightness and cost cutting in its build, the Mk3 was a solid machine made with high quality materials. It sported a good-looking functional padded dashboard, and you instantly knew this car was screwed together well.
Put the Montego 1.6 head-to-head with the Mk3 Cavalier 1600, and you knew the difference before you had settled down in the driver’s seat. It was with the launch of this new Vauxhall that time quickly ran out for the rapidly ageing, but still incredibly capable, old Austin. You only had to look at both maker’s entry models to see the difference. The Montego had a 69bhp pushrod 1.3-litre A+ engine mated to a four-speed gearbox, which was about as pleasant as placing your hand into a food mixer. The Vauxhall, on the other hand, had an overhead cam 1.4-litre with 75 bhp and a standard five-speed transmission.
Powertrains were updated versions of previous engines. Petrol units at launch comprised of 1400, 1600, 1800, and 2000 in 8v or 16-valve form. The latter two had the all-important option of Bosch fuel injection – and a little ‘i’ badge on the boot lid. GM engineers were careful to ensure the previous cars reputation for ease of servicing and you could still replace a clutch on the Cavalier in well under an hour, without the need of its gearbox to be removed. Diesel drivers were offered a 60bhp GM 1.7-litre, but a similarly-sized Isuzu TD followed on three years later.
Parts were plentiful and cheap, and there was a dealer in every major town and city too, this car was making an awful lot of common sense.
Careful attention to panel fit, finish and paint was evident, the outgoing car was known in the trade for indifferent paint and rust problems, things were much improved in this area. The Cavalier was offered in two body styles, a four-door saloon and a five-door hatchback – gone was the two-door saloon and estates of old. The lack of an estates option was taken because Vauxhall still had a popular hold-all in its range – in the shape of the Carlton.
The 1992 facelift kept the Cavalier nice and fresh
For the 1992 model year, there was raft of improvements and updates for the Cavalier including a turbocharged four wheel drive version (the underwhelming GSI 2000 4×4). A new state of the art 16-valve engine known as EcoTec joined the fray, as well as a new 2.5-litre V6. The addition of anti lock brakes, airbags and subtle front and rear styling updates also helped keep the car fresh looking.
The range topping leather clad Diplomat was a surprisingly popular car, as the sales family saloon cars tend to peak in the mid spec versions. Also for the sporty owner, came the Calibra – a latter day Manta that was touted as the most aerodynamic production car you could buy, boasting a drag co-efficient of 0.26. It would be fair to say that the early to mid 1990s was Vauxhall’s honeymoon period in the UK, and this really was mainly down to the popularity of the Cavalier Mk3, a real people’s champion.
The final Cavalier was a well regarded car – it drove and looked well, performed brilliantly on the motorway and gave its tired dealer network a well needed shot in the arm. One interesting fact is that not once at Luton during production of the Mk3 Cavalier did the workforce go out on strike – and this car kept a lot of people happy. The Vauxhall Cavalier continued to be a steady seller right to the end of its production in 1995 and was subsequently replaced with the Vectra…
And that’s where things started to go wrong.
In 1993-’95, the Cavalier performed brilliantly in BTCC, bolstering the car’s already excellent image.
Related posts:
- Advert of the week : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2
- Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 : Videos
- The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1
- The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2
- Why we love the… Vauxhall Cavalier SRi
43 Responses
I remember the ‘Once Driven Forever Smitten’ seemed to cover the whole range – mk2 Astras and all!
I recall the ‘Sledgehammer’ advertising campaign with the Peter Gabriel song of the same name, almost Volvo-esque as it showed the mk3 Cav surviving many crash tests.
Later adverts had Nigel Hawthorne, especially after the mk3 Astra was released. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZsCl9lzv8s
Was around this time that Vauxhall dealers stopped selling Opels, their logos changing from | Vauxhall | GM | Opel | to pure Vauxhall.
Quite a few examples seem to have survived compared to the Sierra/mk1 Mondeo, possibly the diesels?
The MK3 Cavalier was the same model that Opel marketed as the first “Vectra”, whereas Vauxhall didnt use the Vectra name in the UK till 1995. Good article which confirms what I know about the car
The Cav Mk3 had a better reputation than the ‘samey’ (and already dated) Vectra that followed it- however, I didn’t think the Vectra was as bad as was often made out. Sure, it wasn’t stellar, but it was a decent enough steer, if rather bland in true Vauxhall fashion.
A good car but……
http://www.flickr.com/photos/triggerscarstuff/3402504690/in/set-72157616182498562
drove a couple of ok 2.0SRIs and 1.8Li, but experienced mainly the ghastly 1.6Ls, with the wheezy family one engine, grindingly slow unassisted steering, joint-jangling ride and recalcitrant gearbox. Still: what choice was there? The 405 was great but flaky, the fleet manager steered clear of the Montego, and the Passat (in those lovely over-engineered days) was too pricy. We didn’t want a Sierra either….
The Vectra replaced it with a far better ride and more rear room. Sadly everything else went t*ts up….
If only the Montego got the rebody it so richly deserved!
and another quality the Montego et al had over the Cavalier was legroom. Sitting in the back of Cav used to be torture….
Still a good looking car though, the Mk3 Cav – I think it’s fair to say that with this, the Mk 3 Astra, Calibra and the Mk 3 Carlton, Vauxhall/Opel’s design department was at it’s zenith. I always thought the Mk3 was a much more resolved and better surfaced Sierra…..
Yeah great design period. Wayne Cherry is the design boss to thank for that. Did the droop snoot Firenza to boot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Cherry
“It would be fair to say that the early to mid 1990s was Vauxhall’s honeymoon period in the UK”
Interesting how this could also be said about Rover.
Wayne Cherry was a great designer and despite the generally poor standards of GM vehicles at the time when he was design director (the fault primarily of Ron Zarella and other inept managers), GM vehicles designed under his guidance at least looked distinct.
Under Ed Welburn, GM designs have become more mature, desirable and indeed successful, but with the exception of the new Impala and the current Cadillac CTS, all GM saloons look like variations on the same basic design. The Insignia looks like the Cruze which looks like the ATS, etc. This seems to be changing, but I’ve always seen a lot of potential in the designs produced by Cherry’s team in GM’s dark days.
Unfortunatly the clutch arrangement failed to survive to the end of production..
However you have missed the ultimate Mk3 cavalier.. the SAAB 900
A great article as usual, Mike. One thing I never understood though was how the 1995 Vectra was such a letdown over the Cavalier/Vectra A. Was it build quality/handling/reliability?
The 1600 version was slow, even the 1800 would struggle to keep up with a 214. The 2 litre Cavalier was a real tool however, the extra 200cc transformed it into a sleeper which could surprise many a modern. The chassis was nice, but it lacked the taught set up on the R8, but was nicer than the Sierra in many respects which could feel it’s elderly underpinnings when pushed.
I like the Cavalier Mk3, the Vectra somehow lost something that the Cavalier had and even felt like it had gone backwards in a few areas.
A good car these,i had a GSi 2000 and a turbo-which destroyed many a performance car,the Vectra B was the biggest profit earner for its segment of all european car makers.
A mate had an G-reg one as his first car in about 2003- it seemed commendably solid even then. Cruised along no problem, everything electric worked. Heck of a lot more comfortable than my poverty-spec new Ford Ka!
Vauxhall were on a roll in the late eighties, their cars were always better looking, more reliable and more economical than the stale, aged looking Ford range which seemed to be going through a British Leyland phase of producing bad cars. ( I had the loan of a 1988 Sierra and it seemed as bad to drive as a Morris Marina and the build quality was awful). The Mark 3 Senator, Carlton and Cavalier were fine cars that were light years ahead of Ford’s duds at the time, although the Rover revival in the early nineties saw Ford under attack from both sides.
However, then Vauxhall blew it with the Vectra and the Corsa and went backwards as Ford fought back with the Mark Four Fiesta and the Mondeo.
I’ve always had a soft spot for MK3 Cavaliers – especially the pre-facelift 16V GSi 4x4s. Definitely Vauxhall at its peak from the mid 80s to the early 90s. With slick designs from Wayne Cherry and well engineered cars that were tough, hardy and simple.
MK3 Cavs were a step up from other Vauxhalls of that era, as bodywork protection was much better as they didn’t rust like the Astra and Nova of that age.
When they replaced the Cavalier with the Vectra, it seemed that Vauxhall rested on their laurels and played it safe. I think the Insignia (that replaced the Vectra) is very much the true successor to the Cavalier.
I had a number of these through work… brilliant, brilliant cars. Rock solid reliability, ease of servicing, great performance…. can someone please explain in what way Vauxhalls current range is better than the Cavalier MK3?
I agree with Chris Baglin re: the Vectra B (mk1 Vauxhall Vectra), it appeared to be little more than a facelifted Vectra A / Cavalier mk3, but it wasn’t horrendous by any means. I borrowed one that had 180k on the clock and it drove like it had a fraction of that.
I think I read somewhere that Vauxhall didn’t use the Vectra name because it sounded too close to Vauxhall Victor, and also they wanted to associate the new car with the Cavalier lineage.
By the mid 90s, they reckoned that the new car buying generation had forgotten about Victors, and it probably looked close enough to the mk3 Cavalier to demonstrate lineage.
The Calibra was a good looking coupe based on the Cavalier.
Ahaaaa the 2.0L, preferably without wheelcovers, defined the Q-Car catagory. Them and the Astramax, of course. Seem to remember the Cesaro being a cut-price 2.5V6 entry model at one point. Great go…..not so hot around the corners though ;o) Sorry I will become positive about Vauxhalls at some point….
Always thought they looked a little bland compared to the opposition, a simple copy Ford job with the exterior. I remember they had an issue with a part in the engine, can’t remember what it was over than it was plastic and Watchdog had a huge campaign about it. The Vectra released later was an evolution and slightly more distintic design, and that should probably have been what the Cav should have looked like, a bit like the Mondeo and its re-design, make it look distintictive and not bland and anonymous. GM unfortunatley have always been conservative in their designs since the debacle that was the the Corvair.
The Cav was not a bad handling motor but had to compete against some quality opposition in the Pug and the Mondeo, which unfortunatley put it in the shadows, as had the Primera. I think the problem with the Cav’s image was that there were so many base models about as company cars they looked boring compared to the top end models.
The Mk3 Cavalier was a great car but I may be in the minority here but I much prefered the Vectra B – a car which I have a large soft spot for and only second most popular car for me after the Mk2 Astra…
Touring Cars
http://cavalierandchevetteclub.co.uk/super_touring.htm
I think I recall seeing the Cavalier racing in Australian Touring Cars at some point?
@ Will M No I think your right with Charlie Cox behind the wheel, before he came over here and raced in the BTCC.
@ Jeff M (10)
Half the problem was that they marketed the Vectra almost as the second coming of Christ.
The Vectra was not as modern looking as it needed to be to pass 100% as an all new car. There was of course the “Clarkson Effect”* that reached fever pitch at the same time. The Vectra B was by no means a bad car… it was just `another` car.
*= I personally thought the valve cap tool inside the filler flap was quite a neat idea!
After the Omega I expected the Vectra to be a Mondeo slayer. Went well though (notwithstanding early ecotec problems), unlike the Zingy-Zetec Mondeo…
Brilliant article.. Been waiting for this. Dad had one while I gre up, which Mum then took on for years and years.. It’s STILL her bar when it comes to finding a new car.. Whatever she’s driving is either “Like the Cavalier” or “Not as nice as the cavalier”.. It was a 2.0i GL 5 door..
That car though, lol.. It got stolen 3 times and always got recovered. My Dad took the nose off on the ring road when an Orion pulled clean out infront of him. Mum took out both passenger side door when she turned infront of a coach…
Kept on going though.. Well, apart from the time when Mum was backing on to the drive and the auto box selector packed up… it was stuck in the middle of the road.. lol.. if you tried to move it you’d just get a growl from it.. Ended up with a s small pin that had sheared or something or other… Not the “new gear box love” we had feared.
Yeah, I love mk3 Cavaliers.. one of the most dearest cars to my heart.
Ha.. Just thought I’d Ad.. There’s only one other car Mum’s ever been attached to, and it’s so obvious why when you think about it…. Mk2 Saab 9000.
As I recall, Clarkson slated the Vectra on Top Gear when it was first launched, which ruffled a few feathers.
I have always regarded the 1995 Vectra as Vauxhall’s equivalent of Ford’s 1990 Escort..
I remember in 92′ with a virgin liscence my neighbour taking me out on the snow in his 2.0 saloon, by the time it had melted I could very effectively steer a car on the handbrake, and he had to tell the fleet manage about the two buckled rims…
@27, lets be honest,clarkson is an entertainer although he can massively impress when he can be bothered,the vectra B made more profit per car than BMW or anyone else in its series production,although not the best steer,it was popular and sold well,even some interesting models like the GSi estate.Maybe opel should have benchmarked it against the primera like ford did,the nissan was a properly sorted car in terms of steeering,suspension and NVH.
Primera is hardly a benchmark… merely another oh so dull saloon – albeit a cracking drivers car.
Vectra B was aimed by Vauxhall to punch into 3 series buyers, not corner shop owners.
Having driven Vectra B’s on numerous occassions, I have to say the only redeming features were the look and the engines. The 2.2 was a hoot, in a straight line but round the bends it just rolled like a cucumber. It was not exactly a comfortable car to drive, infact I found it difficult to get the right driving position. As I was driving Astra’s as well at the same time, the Astra was a far superior car. Though the Vectra was not the worse in its class, I think that has to go to the Toyota Avensis, suspension like a blomange, awful seats (motorway miles felt awful afterwards) and lack of power. The 1.8 was so slow I was left by a A series engined Metro!I think we need to remember that Clarkson had the 406, Mondeo and Accord to benchmark the Vectra against, and to be honest they win hands down as driver’s cars.
@30 The CDW27 mondeo was at first benchmarked against the Honda Accord and subsequently the nissan Primera,althogh no great looker its dynamic abilities were second to none,and the Mondeo although a cab-forward design never looked brilliant,but drove brilliant.The Vectra had nice styling cue’s in particular the door mirror bonnet relationship,wheel arch details and nicely proportioned haunches while looking like a MK4 cavalier!Vauxhalls have always been a favourite car for me and im pondering a vectra V6 turbo or insignia next.
I have only driven a Vectra B once, and although it was quick on the straights it was the usual old GM story – rubbery, imprecise gearshift and roly poly handling. Steering felt it was connected to the wheels via a system of rubber bands. Mondeo was much, much better!
I remember going to the ’88 Birmingham motor show with my Dad as an enthusiastic 9 year old boy.
He had a 1986 C-Reg Montego 1.6 HL saloon in silver at the time which was, sadly, not one of the better built examples and was blown away by the quality of the Mk3 Cavalier. Seem to recall they had a 1950s GM “Car of the future” and were showing how many of its innovations (e.g. ‘self tuning engine’) were included in the new Cavalier. To me, along with the R8, it’s one of the best cars of the late 80s – a good example still looks more than acceptable on the road today.
Remember ’88 being a pretty huge show – the XJ220 was there in V12 concept form, and Proton were throwing everything behind their UK launch with Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe look-a-likes and handing out free digital watches. Those were the days
I remember those “Car of the future” ads.
My Dad was upgrading to a Carlton so the Vauxhall catalogue with the Mk3 Cavalier launch was around the house for a while.
The Mk3 Cavalier felt solid and well made in a way few, if any mainstream cars felt in the late 80s/early 90s. The Vectra was a massive step backwards. I had an early one as a company car and it was absolutely dreadful, not helped by the most hopeless dealer network imaginable.
we had a facelift GLS for years, it was everything the sierra wasn’t and replaced it with a vectra which was way behind the Mondeo in every way. The wife loved it though, no accounting for taste is there?
Really, genuinely good cars. The 2.0i models went like stink, and as a humble GL, looked very little different from a base spec 1.4. They were also incredibly long lived. A friend’s dad got an H plate 1.6GL as a company car. Put 150k on it in 3 yrs and bought it off the lease company at a very good price. Put another 100k on it over the the next 10 years, including teaching both sons to drive, and letting them both smoke it around at 17. The abuse it took was incredible, and yet it still ran beautifully. Original engine and gearbox right through to the end, and still reliable enough to use for 500 mile trips and cruise quietly and smoothly at 100 mph at a quarter of a million miles. Ten times the car the Montego ever was. Clumped by a myopic artic driver at a set of lights and written off.
Just saw a 1994 M reg Cavalier LS today. It looked okay considering its age, although not mint condition. It’s easy to forget how good these cars were…
I ran a 2.0 GLSimk3 back in the day…. Possibly one of the finest cars I ever drove.
Power economy and good on the pop…. Cracking tool
West Yorkshire Police standardised on Cav Mk3 SRi’s as pursuit cars to replace Sierras, and were well liked, and they seemed to stock pile em, as they had new ones long after the Vectra was launched…
I had a basic Cav 1.7 non-turbo diesel for a few years. At the time I was commuting 80 miles a day (mostly motorway) plus weekend trips to my parents (another 90 miles). I got the Cav at 2 years old with low mileage and stuck over another 65,000 miles on it in 2.5 years with no problems whatsoever.
It was comfy,reliable and stunningly economical – I regularly clocked between 55-60mpg fill to fill with a best of 63 mpg on more than one occasion. I had a light foot even in those days! The down side was the slow acceleration, 0-60 in about 20 seconds IIRC. Eventually I wanted something faster and traded it in for a Gold Mk2 GTD.
My brother had a 1.8i that was also superb – until he rear ended another car and the insurance declared it an economic write-off because it had over 80,000 miles on the clock.
The Mk1 Vectra in comparison was a complete heap of rubbish and didn’t handle or go as well as the Cav. Never mind the Vectra’s dull interior and the 8 hours garage time needed to change the clutch. I used to get Vectras on hire and totally dreaded getting the gutless 1.6 which did not go unless thrashed within an inch of it’s life and then had a marked reluctance to go round corners.
Vauxhall have never regained the plot, the latest Insignia should have been called the Insipid. Even though it looks ok on the outside the miserable lack of interior space and style makes it an also-ran.
Not been on this site for ages, loads of stuff to be reading but I had to comment when I saw there was an article on the mighty Mk3 Cav.
I have one – it’s my daily driver
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