Vauxhall Signum Review
Published: 14th February 2005
Vauxhall Signum
Ease of Use
The Vauxhall Signum is very easy to drive and visibility is excellent all round.
With clever allocation of space Vauxhall engineers have designed a vehicle with the busy professional in mind and the Signum bridges the gap between business and family life perfectly. The Signum's cabin is ergonomically laid out, simple and uncluttered. All the controls are tactile and easy to use.
The innovative FlexSpace concept is standard throughout the Signum range and enables passengers to choose between maximum leg room or more load space. You can slide the two outer rear seats lengthwise by 5.1 inches and recline the rear seat backs up to a 30 degree angle. The rear centre seat can be turned to reveal storage space and all three rear seats fold flat (40:20:40 split) revealing a maximum load area of 1410 litres. For extra flexibility the front passenger seat can be specified with an optional fold-flat facility which enables you to carry a longer items such as a ladder.
Cruise control (which was very easy to use) and rain sensitive windscreen wipers which automatically activate the wipers and adjust the wiper timing are standard throughout the range as is an electro-chromatic anti-dazzle rear view mirror. Our test car featured optional electrically folding door mirrors and electro-chromatic driver's door mirror which was particularly useful for nighttime motorway driving.
Another useful feature is door to door lighting which illuminates the front and rear of the vehicle for 30 seconds enabling you to return to the car safely or enter your home with reassurance.
Our test car was fitted with optional Xenon headlights with dynamic beam levelling and heated high-pressure headlight washers. In poor weather conditions the Xenon headlights were particularly helpful as they cut through the rain at night significantly improving visibility.
CD-ROM based Satellite Navigation is standard throughout the range and is an excellent feature as it does away with map reading, wrong turns and arguments. Simply type in the address of your destination and select your preferred route - it's as simple as that. The Vauxhall system was one of the easiest and quickest we have used. The steering wheel incorporates the audio and navigation controls keeping your hands where they belong safely on the wheel.
Safety and Security
The following safety & security equipment is standard on the Vauxhall Signum 2.2 Design:
Driver's airbag, front passenger's airbag, front seat side-impact airbags, full-size curtain airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system), TC-plus (traction control), EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), CBC (cornering brake control), EBA (emergency brake assist), active front head restraints, three height-adjustable inertia-reel front and outer rear seatbelts, driver's seatbelt unfastened warning, centre lap and diagonal inertia-reel rear seatbelt, ISOFIX child seat restraint system for outer rear seats (does not include child seat), isolation facility for electrically operated rear windows, electronic park/brake pedal safety interlock on brake pad wear warning, laminated windscreen, side-impact protection beams, integral protective side door padding, reinforced passenger safety cell, deformation zones front and rear, burst-proof door locks and anti-jam door design, child-proof locks on rear doors, remote control ultrasonic security alarm system, remote control two-stage central deadlocking (doors, tailgate, fuel filler flap), VIN plate (visible vehicle identification number), 'key left in ignition' audible warning, freewheeling door lock, electronic engine deadlock immobiliser, security code and remote display protection for audio equipment, locking wheel bolts for alloy wheels, driver's and front passenger's internal central locking switch, driver's and front passenger's remote tailgate release switch and retractable luggage compartment cover.
/ 