The Cavalier was Vauxhall's mid-size family and fleet car from 1975, becoming a mainstay of British company car parks for two decades. The original Mk1 was rear-wheel drive, but the 1981 Mk2 switched to front-wheel drive as a rebadged Opel Ascona and sold very well. The Mk3 of 1988 continued that strength, leading to the four-wheel-drive turbo Cavalier before the nameplate was replaced by the Vectra in 1995.
The Vauxhall Cavalier was a mid-size family and fleet car sold from 1975 to 1995 across three generations. It was based on Opel platforms (the Ascona and Manta early on, and the Opel Vectra A for its final generation) and became a mainstay of British company-car fleets. The second and third generations were front-wheel drive and very popular in the UK sales charts. The Cavalier was eventually replaced by the Vauxhall Vectra.
45years
2generations
3trims
89–148hp range
The Lineage
2 generations · tap any to explore1 trimCavalier Mk2 (1981-1988)
1981–1988
2 trimsCavalier Mk3 (1988-1995)
1988–1995
The Story
Why the Cavalier mattersTrims · Cavalier Mk3 (1988-1995)
2 trims · 1988–1995Cavalier Mk3 (1988-1995): refined front-drive family car topped by the 4x4 turbo and 2.5 V6 GSi/SRi models before the Vectra took over.