Conference terri::cars_uk

    So far 39 Calibras have been built on the pilot production line.
    Some of these cars are out on long term test, so if any of you drive
    around the Frankfurt area you might well see them. Problems to date
    centre around the doors that leak and the sun roof that won't open
    or close above 150 kph. These cars will only be built for one year
    (approx) at the Opel works before production is transferred to SAAB.
     
    Jan

   Does anyone know when the Calibra will be available?

   Ta.R.

    
    Last I heard was a June UK release.
    
    Mark

    
    	I heard that Opel were doing the dealer launch in Frankfurt (Mainz)
    this week or next ? Not sure how reliable this is, but perhaps someone
    knows Opel more closely than I...
    
    	Rat

    
    I read (in A&M) that the Calibra will be built in Finland!
    
    Apparently SAABs are all to be built in Sweden (now that GM have
    bought a large slice of the company) and the Finnish SAAB factory
    will be turned over to producing Calibras (which bodes well for
    build quality, doesn't it?).
    
    The SAAB factory in Finland currently build 900 and 9000 convertibles
    amongst other models and therefore have the expertise in building
    soft top cars which GM lack (so who builds the Astra convertibles
    and the old style Cavaliers?). This is reckoned to be one of the
    points in favour of building Calibras in Finland.

    Mark
    

Ok, so now it's out - how good is it. I went to have a look at one last week
and it certainly looks the part.

There have been several reviews in the motor press recently, which seem to
indicate that it has some problems going round bends, and suggesting that the
4x4 version may be better (Motor Magazine, What Car).

Has anyone driven one yet? Has anyone asked for a quote on the car scheme ? 

My local dealer said that they would be in short supply and that the leasing
companies wouldn't get much discount - so maybe the Celica will be a better bet!
( It's just ghone down to 2300 from 2990 on the scheme)

Dave

    Also see note 1120 for more details...
    
    Price:	2.0i 8valve with Cat.	14750
    		2.0i 16V with Cat.	17250 (including alloy wheels)
    
    4x4 out in October... price a bit more...
    
    ANyone got a quote for one yet??

    
    I actually got to drive one of these creatures at last on Saturday.
    
    I wandered into my local GM dealer, really just to look, and was
    show around a 16 valve model in Red which was the company car of one
    of the dealer's salesmen. I'd seen the car before of course and so
    asked if I could arrange to have a test drive sometime, he replied
    that if I came back in 30 minutes I could drive that one that day,
    so don't be told that you have to buy one without test driving first.
    
    The test couldn't be described as exhaustive as it lasted about 15-
    20 minutes and a fair bit of it was around town, but here are the
    impressions I got of the car.
    
    The first thing I noticed was how well built these cars are compared
    with most of their competition, ok they're not cheap, but with all
    the extras they have and the very good quality of construction and
    materials they don't really look bad value when examined carefully.
    
    On the move the 16 valve engine seemed lively enough on acceleration,
    picking up strongly from pretty low revs, although I felt the engine
    was a little harsh when accelerating (but then again against the
    Renault's turbo engine many cars sound harsh) and although the
    engine note on acceleration was encouraging, I did wonder if it would
    become wearing on a long journey, maybe if you cruise motorways a 
    lot the 8 valve model would be a better investment.
    
    The handling and steering of the Calibra has had a lot of panning in 
    some of the press (although they seem undecided as a whole), but I
    couldn't really fault it. The Calibra is a big car and so isn't as 
    nimble as the Renault 5, but it handled a series of tight left-right-
    left-right bends at 60 mph without any qualms, and those bends really
    shouldn't be taken any faster than that (indeed it's rare to find
    the road quiet enough to do so). The steering is well weighted at 
    speed and felt marginally heavier than my father's Cavalier CD at 
    low speed (a plus in my books).
    
    The gearchange is what I'd call typical Vauxhall, notchy but precise.
    All Vauxhall Cavaliers seem to have this gearchange from the RWD 
    coupe I owned through both the FWD style CDs which my father has had,
    but I like it as opposed to the super smooth, but vague changes to
    be found on some cars.
    
    Overall the Calibra seemed impressive and good value for money and
    certainly a lot more practical than the Japanese competition if you
    want to carry more than two people and two cases. The hatchback
    area being large, if not perfectly shaped due to the external
    styling of the car.
    
    Standard features on the Calibra include 6 speaker stereo, alarm
    system, ABS, electric windows and sunroof, central locking and 3
    way catalytic convertor (Funnily enough though you can't buy a 
    green COLOURED one!).
    
    Mark

    Hi there,
    
    I know that this notes been dead for a while but I thought I'd stick
    a note here anyway. 
    
    I haven't had the chance to see one at a dealers yet but exactly how
    much space does it have in the boot ? This is my main concern because I
    have to cart some quite large pieces of junk around [a drum kit!]. 
    I've been told that the rear seats fold down [and also that they don't] 
    so I'm a bit confused. Also how much height is there to the boot ?
    
    Ta,
    	Alan.
    
    p.s. how's married life Mark ;') ?

    
    Hello Alan,
    
    Married, me? Oh yeah! I'd forgotten (She's been away for 3 weeks, but 
    I get her back tomorrow! :^)).
    
    Anyway, the boot on a Calibra is pretty big, the rear seats do indeed
    fold down, but the bit that looks like a boot out the back is fairly
    low, although with inside the car there is plenty of room. I'd guess
    you could get the smaller parts of a drum kit in the 'behind-the-seats'
    bit and the big parts in the 'rear seat' bit, but you might even get it
    all in the 'behind-the-seats' bit.
    
    You do realise that, despite it's shape, it is a hatchback, allowing
    you good access to the back, although the rear sill is very high (which
    does allow you to pack things in right up to the corners.).
    
    Get down to your local dealer and have a look. I reckon you should find
    it's big enough if your Datsun was.
    
    Mark

    
    Well, after just over a month and 1000 miles I thought it was about
    time I put in some comments on the Calibra.
    
    Firstly I still don't much like the PAS (but I've never found a car
    which I could say I LIKED PAS on), but I'm getting more used to it
    and you can feel what the car is up to when it starts to loose grip,
    even if it doesn't have the excellent feedback that the Renault had.
    
    Straight line performance is not up to the Renault, but it isn't so
    much that I feel that the car is slow, more that the delivery of 
    the acceleration is not so brutal (ie fun!). The car does understeer
    a bit when pushed and won't go around tight bends like the Renault did
    , but it's a big car and it is a LOT more stable on long sweeping bends
    than any of the hot-hatches I've been in/driven. You can just keep
    pressing the pedal and it just keeps going without loosing grip or 
    ploughing off the road.
    
    On the motorway or dual carriageways the car is fantastic, quiet,
    effortless and it overtakes with almost disdain from anything like
    legal speeds. The biggest problem is keeping the car near to the speed
    limit. I have no doubt at all that, given the right circumstances, this
    car will easily exceed 140 mph shown on the speedo once you allow for a
    bit of inaccuracy on the speedo.
    
    Fuel consumption seems pretty good although I haven't tried measuring
    it yet. I balk a bit at filling the tank in one go! :^) 
    
    Outside, I think the car is beautiful for a modern car with an overall
    shape not a million miles away from Group C sportscars (especially
    around the glass and the lower body). If Audis were once the epitomy of 
    aerodynamics on road cars then the Calibra has to be the current champion.
    
    Inside, fit and finish is excellent. The comments I've read here about
    poor quality in Vauxhall Cavaliers suprises me as the Calibra is a 
    'teuton-mobile' through and through and hasn't got any of the silly
    little detail failures which so disappointed me when I looked at BMW 
    5 series. The 6 speaker stereo sounds great (nearly as good as the 6
    speaker system my Cavalier Coupe had! :^)) and is easy to set up to get
    a high quality stereo effect from the driver's seat. It has been
    suggested in a lot of the press that the Calibra would be a better car
    with a purpose built dash. That might be true, but it would also have
    been more expensive and unlike the press who get free cars on loan I
    wouldn't have found an even dearer Calibra an affordable choice.
    
    Although not as practical as a Cavalier, the car is very comfortable
    for 4 people with plenty of saloon style legroom in the back, unlike
    the 200SX and Celica with which it competes.
    
    Did I make the right decision? Well, I still have the occasional pang
    of nostalgia for the Renault's rocket like acceleration, but overall
    I am very happy with the car and after finally getting to drive it
    somewhere other than in the rush hour I like the way it drives.
    
    Also, I can't wait for the summer, when I can drive around with that
    silly sunroof and the frameless windows open! :^)
    
    Mark

    
    Re:  the teuton-style fit....
    
    Aren't all the Calibras built in GY?
    

    
    Re .28
    
    Yes. My father's Cavalier CD was also built in Germany and is of a 
    similar quality. Hopefully British built Cavaliers are built with the
    same care, but maybe the suggestion is that they are not?
    
    Mark

    
    I've now had the car nearly 6 months and I like it more than ever.
    
    I've grown accustomed to the engines characteristics and agree with the
    comments I've read here and in the press that it really is a lovely
    engine (I bet the Caterham with this engine is a gem!) with plenty of 
    power and a lovely, free revving feel. Economy is good, too. I got 
    over 38 mpg on our trip to Le Mans which I feel is impressive for a 
    big 2 litre car, certainly better than my Renault 5 GTT used to return.
    
    I've also got used to the PAS and don't agree that it gives no feel.
    The car returns enough feel through the steering to let you know when
    the front is starting to loose grip (my wife commented on this once
    while throwing it through a 90� bend).
    
    There are no rattles (Although like the VW ad, I thought it had
    developed one, only to find it was the cassette in the R/C!) and
    although the window winder in the passenger door packed up (replaced
    under warranty) it has generally been reliable. It starts first time
    EVERY time.
    
    The handling is good. It's not brilliant in tight bends, but just that on
    long sweeping bends which you can take at speeds which leave passengers
    stamping on the imaginary brake pedal (I know from personal
    experience!). Acceleration is also good (especially mid-high range when
    the 16 valves start to work properly) and motorway/A-road cruising is 
    very relaxing. The car isn't the pig on the road that some early tests
    implied and I enjoy throwing it around, although there is no getting
    away from it's bulk in the end.
    
    Autocar and Motor have an article on their long-term test cars today
    and they speak enthusiatically of the Calibra's reliability and
    describe it as a popular member of the fleet which has shown a good
    ability to hold its value (A nice thing to know if you are paying for 
    the car.) They ask if it could be better and say it would be 'asking a
    lot of a Cavalier with frilly knickers'! Basically the gist is it is
    about as good as it could be given its Cavalier basis, which is about
    right and not, IMO, a criticsm, rather praise for the high quality of
    the GM car in both design and build.
    
    The practicality of the car is also impressive, although it really
    could do with some grab handles in the back. The huge hatchback area 
    (for this style of car) swallowed all our Le Mans visit requirements 
    without encroaching on the back seat and we both slept very comfortably
    each night, which must say something for the seats (maybe that they're
    most comfortable when horizontal! :^)).
    
    The car will be due for a service in the not too distant future, so if
    anyone's interested I'll put in the costs for comparison with other
    cars.
    
    Mark

    
    re: (only to find it was the cassette in the R/C)
    
    Did you oil your partners ear then..???
    
    :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

    
          I had the job of taking a hired Calibra 2.0i 16v to a customer
          2 months ago. All i can say about it is that the inside of the
          car is very basic,the seats are poor quality for a performance
          car like this & the dash is just like a cavalier.
          But when you put your foot down you can kiss your licence
          cheerio. All thats missing from the inside is an air hostess
         selling duty free.
          Needless to say the customer got his car in plenty of time &
          i got 3 more points on my licence.
          The traffic cop asked me what was it like to travel at the speed
          of sound.
                                Great car {if you ve got your own runway}