The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was available as a saloon or estate. The second generation, the Omega B, was manufactured from 1994 to 2003.
Rebadged variants of the Omega were marketed worldwide, including in North America as the Cadillac Catera, in Great Britain as the Vauxhall Omega, and South America as the Chevrolet Omega. As with the Rekord which preceded it, re-engineered versions of the Omega were manufactured in Australia from 1988 as the Holden Commodore (and its derivatives) since 1999. Commodore-based cars were in turn exported to South America as the Chevrolet Omega and to the Middle East as the Chevrolet Lumina.
Production of the Omega was discontinued in 2003. It was succeeded by the Opel Signum.
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Omega A (1986–1994)
Development The original Omega went into production in September 1986, as a replacement for the final version of the Opel Rekord, which had been in production since 1978. Sales began in November. The body was designed as an evolution of the previous Opel design theme engineered more towards aerodynamics in view of higher fuel prices and the general drive towards more fuel efficiency. The result was a remarkable drag coefficient of 0.28 (0.32 for the Caravan). The whole development program cost 2.5 billion Deutschmarks or £1.5 billion. The UK market version of the final generation of Rekord had been marketed as the Vauxhall Carlton, and this nameplate was retained for the new car.
Late in 1986, it was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, ahead of the highly acclaimed new versions of the Audi 80 and BMW 7 Series. Compared to the Rekord, the Omega featured many modern technological advances, which were new to Opel in general, if not to the volume segment European automotive market. These included electronic engine management, ABS, on-board computer (which displayed parameters such as momentary fuel consumption or average speed), air-conditioned glove compartment, and even the then fashionable LCD instrument cluster (available in CD version from 1987, but dropped in 1991). More importantly, the Omega came with a self-diagnosis system (which is now a standard feature in present-day cars), whose output could be read by appropriately equipped, authorised service stations. The Omega was one of the first cars to offer (individual) heated seats in the rear.
Markets The Omega was sold in most European countries, albeit with "Vauxhall Carlton" badging in the United Kingdom. In Japan, the Omega A (and Vectra) were the first Opels to be distributed by Isuzu Motors Ltd. rather than by long-standing importer Toho Motors (東邦モーターズ), beginning in July 1989. In the Isuzu lineup, it was slotted above the Isuzu Aska.
Engines All the Omega models used a longitudinally mounted engine with a rear-wheel drive setup, with a five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic transmission. The engine range consisted of 1.8 L, 2.0 L, and 2.4 L four-cylinder units (as well as 2.0 L, 2.3 L diesel, and 2.3 L turbodiesel) to 2.6 L, 3.0 L, and 3.0 L-24v six-cylinder units. The 1.8 L and 2.0 L four-cylinder petrol engines were all based on the Family II design, whilst the six-cylinder units and the 2.4 L four-cylinder were based on the older Opel cam-in-head engine family.
In Brazil, the car was sold as the Chevrolet Omega and powered by 2.0 L I4 (C20NE and C20YE) or 3.0 L I6 (C30NE) Opel engines until 1994. Since the discontinuation of the Omega A in Germany, General Motors do Brasil needed new engines to continue production and the 2.0 L I4 was replaced by 2.2 L I4 engine (C22NE) with and . The 3.0 L I6 was replaced by the locally produced 4.1 L (250ci) Chevrolet Straight-6 engine (C41GE) with and . As fitted to the Omega, this engine was tuned by Lotus and equipped with multi port fuel injection. The Chevrolet Omega was produced until 1998.
Petrol Engine Cyl. Power Torque Notes 18NV 1.8i 8V I4 MY 1986–1987 18SV 1.8 I4 MY 1986–1987 E18NVR 1.8S I4 MY 1987–1990 18SEH 1.8i I4 MY 1986–1992 C20NEJ 2.0i I4 MY 1990–1993 C20NEF 2.0i I4 C20NE 2.0i I4 MY 1986–1993 20SE 2.0i I4 MY 1986–1987 C24NE 2.4i I4 MY 1988–1993 C26NE 2.6i 12V I6 MY 1990–1993 C30LE 3.0i 12V I6 MY 1986–1988 (Omega 3000) 30NE 3.0i 12V I6 MY 1986–1987 (Omega 3000) C30NE 3.0i 12V I6 MY 1987–1993 (Omega 3000) C30SEJ 3.0i 24V I6 MY 1990–1993 C30SE 3.0i 24V I6 MY 1989–1993 (Omega 3000) C30XEI 3.0i 24V I6 MY 1991–1993 (Irmscher for Omega Evo 500) 36NE 3.6i 12V I6 (Irmscher) C36NE 3.6i 12V I6 (Irmscher) C36NEI 3.6i 12V I6 (Irmscher) C40SE 4.0i 24V I6 MY 1991–1992 (Irmscher) C36GET 3.6i 24V I6 MY 1991–1992 (Omega Lotus)Diesel Engine Cyl. Power Torque Notes 23YD 2.3 D I4 MY 1986–1993 23YDT 2.3 TD I4 MY 1986–1988 23DTR 2.3 TD I4 MY 1988–1993
Notable trim levels and special variants The four basic trim levels were LS, GL, GLS, and CD (from least to most expensive). The base LS was clearly intended for the fleet market, with the sedan unavailable to individual customers in some markets. The LS Caravan was also available as a panel van with rear side windows covered, with body-coloured foil rather than replaced by solid panels.
For the 1991 model year, the Omega A was afforded a facelift, which encompassed slight alterations to front and rear fascias, as well as interior materials and additional sound dampening. The until then base 1.8 L engine was dropped. The LS and GLS trim levels were also dropped, while the CD was joined by Club and CD Diamant.
Omega Diamant This options package was introduced in 1988, and could be added onto the GLS, LS, and CD trim versions. It included alloy wheels, metallic paint, tinted windows, stereo with cassette player, various leather trim in the interior, and a painted grille and door mirrors. It sold well and the package was kept after the facelift and a similar system with the same name was used for the Omega B.
Omega 3000
The Omega 3000 was the sports version of the Omega A model range. It featured a straight-six, 3.0 litre, 12-valve engine, which produced . Other modifications from the base model included a lowered suspension and limited-slip differential, as well as different fascias and a rear spoiler. The car had a top speed of , and accelerated from 0–100 km/h in 8.8 seconds. The catalyzed version of the engine originally only had . The uncatalyzed model was discontinued in August 1988. In countries where the Omega 3000 was sold as a Vauxhall, it was called the Carlton GSi 3000.
In October 1989, the Omega 3000 received an optional new engine with 24 valves, two overhead camshafts, and a variable intake manifold (Opel Dual Ram system). It also used a more advanced engine control unit. Power increased to , which increased top speed to , and 0–100 km/h time dropped to 7.6 seconds. At the same time, output of the catalyzed two-valve version increased to , the same as the uncatalyzed original.
Omega Evolution 500
This was a limited series model produced together with Irmscher. 500 examples were built so that Opel could compete in the DTM. The car had a three-litre straight-six engine producing . The car accelerated from 0–100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and had a top speed of . The racing version used on the track had , accelerated to in about 5 seconds, and could reach nearly . It did not, however, achieve great success.
Lotus Omega
In 1989, Opel sanctioned a high-performance version of the Omega built in cooperation with Lotus. This version was named the Lotus Omega or Lotus Carlton depending on whether the base car was sold as an Opel Omega or Vauxhall Carlton in their respective European markets. The car was built using a variety of parts from other GM suppliers and manufacturers. The engine was based on Opel's standard 3.0-litre, 24-valve, which was handed to Lotus to modify.
As a result, engine capacity rose to 3.6 litres; in addition, two Garrett T25 turbochargers were installed along with a water-cooled intercooler. The engine management was also modified, and the ignition changed to an AC Delco type (same system as the Lotus Esprit uses). The result was a high-performance engine.
This Omega also inherited a larger differential from Holden's Commodore with a 45% LSD, whereas the gearbox was a six-speed manual ZF gearbox fitted to the Corvette ZR1. The tyres were custom made by Goodyear, and can be recognised by the small Greek letter Ω (Omega) on the side. These were required, as this car could reach , which made this Omega the world's fastest production sedan at the time.
This was a controversial fact given that the other major German manufacturers producing high-performance cars had been fitting speed limiters to not allow maximum speeds higher than . The car accelerated from 0– in 5.3 seconds and 0– in 11.5 seconds.
Omega B (1994–2003)
The 1994 Omega B was an all new car with a modern exterior design, but a traditional rear-wheel drive chassis. The engine range was all new. Its MV6 model was rebadged and sold in the United States as Cadillac Catera between 1997 and 2001. The Omega B's platform was also modified to form the basis of the Australian third-generation Holden Commodore up to 2006, commencing with the 1997 VT series. This generation also helped succeed the Opel Senator as GM's executive car offering in European markets. The Vauxhall version was the first to feature the brand's corporate 'V' grille which also appeared on the facelifted MK3 Astra later in 1994.
This was 1995 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland, and 1995 RJC Car of the Year for Import Car of the Year in Japan.
Leaked images of a design studio mockup, featuring Opel badges and "D" plates, emerged in Europe in February 1990. The media at the time described the new saloon as coupé-like, speculating a release in 1992 or 1993. Meanwhile, the Cadillac Aurora (which also served as the basis for the Oldsmobile Aurora) presented by General Motors at the 1990 Chicago Auto Show in February, was the concept car that bore close resemblance to the Omega B's eventual design style.
Facelift (B2; 1999–2003) The Omega B2 was launched in Autumn 1999 as a facelift of the B. It was distinguished by minor revisions to the front and rear styling, centre console, and the introduction of an electronic stability program. Gradually, new engines of slightly larger displacement also replaced the earlier ones; the new ones were generally Euro 3 emissions compliant.
Major changes: bonnet (grille now integrated with bonnet) Bumper fascias and bodyside mouldings Taillights Side mirrors New designs of alloy wheels Brand new central console with GPS, air conditioning, and controls Electronic stability program
Engines The engines were not a major departure from the Omega A, aside from the shift from Opel's own (outdated) 2.3-liter diesel to BMW's M51 turbocharged inline-six. Originally with the model code U25DT, this was updated to the Euro 2 compliant X25DT engine during 1996.
In late 1999, the Omega received a facelift and a 2.2 L 16-valve engine was added to the range as an eventual replacement for the 2.0 L which was discontinued within a year.
The following year, a 3.2 L V6 engine replaced the 3.0 L V6 unit, and a 2.6 L V6 engine replaced the 2.5 L V6 unit. 2001 also brought a brand new diesel 2.5 DTI (M57) engine from BMW, with a "common rail" fuel system.
Engine Cyl. cc Power Torque Notes X20SE 2.0i 8V I4 1998 1994–1999 X20XEV 2.0i 16V I4 1998 1994–1999 Y22XE 2.2i 16V I4 2198 1999–2000 Z22XE 2.2i 16V I4 2198 2000–2003 X25XE 2.5i 24V V6 2498 1994–2000 Y26SE 2.6 24V V6 2597 2001–2003 X30XE 3.0i 24V V6 2962 1994–2000 Y32SE 3.2 24V V6 3175 2001–2003Diesel Engine Cyl. cc Power Torque Notes X20DTH 2.0 DTI 16V I4 1995 1998–2000 Y22DTH 2.2 DTI 16V I4 2172 2000–2003 U25DT/X25DT 2.5 TD I6 2497 1994–2000 Y25DT 2.5 DTI I6 2497 2001–2003
Omega V8 (prototypes)