VVT. This three letter acronym may not mean much to many, but it's enough to transform Vauxhall's 1.8-Litre Vectra from one of a bunch to something that's well worth a second look. Without getting too technical, it stands for variable valve timing and this trick piece of engineering turns a 122bhp powerplant into one with significantly more about it when you press the throttle pedal. 140bhp worth of attitude to be precise.

Vauxhall face a genuinely tough time with the Vectra and needed to give it every competitive advantage they could muster. Not only was the template for the generic business user who used to make up much of the Vectra's clientele rapidly changing, but the significant proportion of private buyers who wanted something affordable, refined and sensible had also virtually evaporated overnight. Marques such as BMW and Audi realised that buyers were prepared to swap size for badge equity. To add to this market situation, Peugeot had weighed in with the excellent 407, Volkswagen had transformed the Passat and Honda's Accord was also suddenly loaded with so much technology it looked as if it had ram raided a local ranch of Comet. There's an old poker player's saying that 'if you look round the table and can't work out who the sucker is, chances are it's you.' Vauxhall weren't keen to find themselves in that position.

"Vauxhall's fleet favourite is now the car it should always have been"

So it is that they've given this entry level Vectra a real shot in the arm. Previously it would have been trampled underfoot by the likes of the 407 but with the addition of VVT, it has found a public phone box, done a quick change and come out if not rippling with muscle then a good deal more buff than before. Power is boosted from 122bhp to 140bhp, slashing more than half a second off the sprint to 60mph - the VVT-equipped car managing it in 9.9 seconds - and at the same time, raising the top speed by 5mph to 131mph for the Vectra hatch. Despite these improvements, fuel consumption is actually reduced by an average of 3 per cent, with the new engine achieving 39.2mpg on the combined cycle.

More importantly from a company driver's perspective, the more efficient engine results in significant benefit-in-kind tax band reductions. The SRi hatchback's emissions drop from 182g/km to 173g/km, while non-SRi models drop from 175 to 173g/km. This is enough to drop the SRi by two percentage bands to 21 percent. This has been made possible by using advanced valve and cam phasing technology, which makes sure the engine is operating at its most efficient. With 90 percent of the 175Nm maximum torque available between 2,200 and 6,200rpm the car feels lively and responsive even at lower speeds, making everyday driving more relaxed with less need to change gear and work the engine. Despite additional features such as VVT, engineers succeeded in making the new engine three percent lighter than the previous version, while achieving increased stiffness and structural strength. This all brings improvements in refinement and efficiency with no compromises to the driving dynamics. Everyone's happy.

This ECOTEC unit also uses high-tech drive-by-wire technology. Depressing the throttle pedal sends a command to the ECM (Electronic Control Module) which then controls the engine. Throttle cables? Who needs them? Drive-by-wire is supposed to improve 'driveability', require a lower pedal pressure and improve emissions.

Though the old Vectra sold well, it would have sold a lot better had it not had car park-cred akin to a Eurovision Song Contest winner. Ex-Audi stylist Martin Smith was tasked with creating a very different, more characterful shape and with the more recent inclusion of headlamps and grille borrowed from the Astra, the Vectra now has genuine on-road presence.

Take a seat behind the wheel and the Vectra is a pleasant place to be with the controls sensibly located and easy to fathom without recourse to the manual. Talking of switchgear, you'll either love or hate the one-touch indicator stalk which automatically returns to the 'neutral' position and gives three flashes if you push it to the first click. Otherwise, it's all good news. The steering wheel can be adjusted for reach as well as rake, the seats are comfortable and supportive and there are twin cupholders both front and back.

It's a fairly well-established fact that the Vectra can match any car in the medium range sector on grounds of refinement and comfort. The trick for engineers working on the current facelifted car was to retain those respected qualities while injecting more by way of driver involvement and improving the car's dynamic abilities. It sounds a fine balancing act but they may have pulled it off. There's more steering feel and better chassis control in today's Vectra but the crown jewels of that silky ride and the whisper-quiet cabin remain intact. In fact, Vauxhall claim that refinement is actually improved as well.

It's easy to take the Vectra for granted. By giving the entry-level model this power boost, Vauxhall hope they can get prospective customers behind the wheel for test drives. It's then, and only then, that the utterly unexpected depth of quality and engineering shines through. It'll never be the most charismatic car in its class but what it lacks in personality, it more than makes up for in other areas. This 1.8-litre ECOTEC Vectra is now a very good car. Whether that's enough remains to be seen.