. ▁The ▁following ▁year , ▁ ▁L ut on ▁would ▁become ▁the ▁sole ▁source ▁for ▁the ▁estate ▁version . ▁The ▁V ect ra ▁received ▁disappoint ing ▁feedback ▁from ▁the ▁mot oring ▁public , ▁and ▁several ▁well - known ▁journal ists , ▁most ▁not ably ▁Jer emy ▁Clark son , ▁yet ▁it ▁was ▁still ▁h ug ely ▁popular , ▁and ▁for ▁a ▁while ▁after ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁fac el ift , ▁it ▁was ▁actually ▁more ▁popular ▁than ▁Ford ' s ▁highly ▁acc laimed ▁Monde o . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 6 , ▁V aux hall ▁launched ▁the ▁short - l ived ▁Sint ra ▁large ▁MP V . ▁The ▁A stra ▁entered ▁its ▁fourth ▁generation ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁and ▁offered ▁levels ▁of ▁build ▁quality ▁and ▁handling ▁that ▁were ▁better ▁than ▁all ▁of ▁its ▁prede cess ors . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁the ▁seven - se ater ▁compact ▁MP V ▁Z af ira , ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁A stra ▁ch ass is , ▁went ▁on ▁sale ▁and ▁the ▁V aux hall ▁Mon ter ey ▁was ▁with dra wn ▁from ▁sale ▁in ▁the ▁UK , ▁although ▁it ▁continued ▁to ▁sell ▁in ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁Europe ▁as ▁an ▁Op el . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁V aux hall ▁received ▁criticism ▁in ▁several ▁high - profile ▁car ▁surve ys . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁a ▁Top ▁G ear ▁customer - s atisf action ▁survey ▁condem ned ▁the