The Vauxhall Omega was the British name for the Opel Omega B, the large rear-wheel-drive executive car sold from 1994 to 2003. It succeeded the Carlton, which had been the British version of the first Omega, and it was Vauxhall’s last big saloon of the traditional kind.
Vauxhall Omega at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall (Opel Omega on the continent) |
|---|---|
| Omega A | 1986–1994, sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton |
| Omega B | 1994–2003, sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Omega |
| Bodies | four-door saloon and five-door estate |
| Layout | front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Omega A drag coefficient | 0.28 saloon, 0.32 estate |
| Omega A engines | 1.8 to 3.0 petrol, 2.3 diesel and turbodiesel |
| Award | European Car of the Year 1987 for the Omega A |
| American version | Cadillac Catera |
| Replaced by | Opel Signum, 2003 |
Written from the English and German Wikipedia articles on the Opel Omega. In Britain the Omega A was sold as the Carlton; the Vauxhall Omega name belongs to the Omega B.
History of the Vauxhall Omega
The original Omega went into production in September 1986 as a replacement for the last Opel Rekord, with sales starting in November. Its body was an aerodynamic evolution of the previous Opel theme, giving a drag coefficient of 0.28 for the saloon and 0.32 for the Caravan estate, and the whole development programme cost 2.5 billion Deutschmarks. Late in 1986 it was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, ahead of the new Audi 80 and BMW 7 Series. In Britain this car was not an Omega at all: the Rekord’s British name had been Carlton and the name was kept for the new model.
The Omega A brought equipment that was new to Opel and often new to the volume segment: electronic engine management, ABS, an on-board computer showing fuel consumption and average speed, an air-conditioned glovebox, a fashionable LCD instrument cluster in CD versions from 1987 until 1991, and a self-diagnosis system readable by authorised service stations. It was also one of the first cars to offer heated rear seats. All Omegas used a longitudinally mounted engine and rear-wheel drive with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic; the range ran from 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4-litre fours, plus 2.0, 2.3 diesel and 2.3 turbodiesel units, up to 2.6 and 3.0-litre sixes. The four basic trim levels were LS, GL, GLS and CD, and the sports version was the Omega 3000 with a 3.0-litre straight six of 177 PS, lowered suspension and a limited-slip differential; in Britain that car was the Carlton GSi 3000.
The second generation, the Omega B, arrived in 1994 and was the car sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Omega. It was larger and more rounded than the A, and it remained a rear-wheel-drive saloon and estate when most rivals had switched to front-wheel drive — which made it popular with police forces and taxi drivers. The same platform was exported around the world: in North America it was the Cadillac Catera, in South America the Chevrolet Omega, and in Australia the Omega’s engineering lived on in the Holden Commodore.
Production ended in 2003. The Omega had no direct replacement, and Opel and Vauxhall moved the upper end of their range to the Signum and later to the Insignia.
Design and features
- Rear-wheel drive: kept when most rivals had gone front-wheel drive.
- European Car of the Year: the Omega A won the 1987 award.
- Technology: ABS, self-diagnosis and even an LCD dashboard on early cars.
- Worldwide badges: Cadillac Catera, Chevrolet Omega and Holden Commodore relatives.
- Police favourite: the Omega estate was a common British police car.
Vauxhall Omega versions
- Omega A (1986–1994): the Carlton in Britain, saloon and Caravan estate.
- Omega 3000: the 3.0-litre sports model, Carlton GSi 3000 in Britain.
- Omega Diamant: an options package with alloys, leather and metallic paint.
- Omega B (1994–2003): the Vauxhall Omega in Britain, saloon and estate.
- Cadillac Catera: the American version of the Omega B.
The Omega replaced the Carlton and shared its rear-wheel-drive layout with the Senator; its engine range fed the Calibra Turbo. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Opel Omega, English Wikipedia: Omega A development, engines, trims, Omega B dates, end
- Opel Omega, German Wikipedia: model history
