VAUXHALL is not to follow Ford into an aggressive pricing war following a shake-up within the Mondeo line-up in which more than £1,400 is slashed from some models. Ford's pricing review not only resulted in the base-model Aspen being scrapped and the 1.6 LX becoming the entry level vehicle at the new price of £14,400 - £1,450 cheaper than its original on-the-road price of £15,850 - but also saw specification improved throughout the range.

A base-model Vauxhall Vectra Envoy 1.6i, with air conditioning, of a similar specification to the base model 1.6 LX Mondeo, costs £15,295 on the road - almost £1,000 more than the entry-level Mondeo. However, most of the Mondeo range has undergone a £150 price increase, which sees the GLX 2.0i 16V 5dr rising from £16,850 to £17,000 on the road - almost identical to the Vectra GLS 2.0i 16V at £17,175.

A Vauxhall spokesman said: 'We are not rushing to do anything with prices. Specification and pricing is under constant review but we are not reacting simply because Ford does something.'