24/01/2012
filed under:

• Reviews

Mentions:

• Vauxhall
• Vauxhall Astra

The Vauxhall Astra hatchback is an important car, lining up again in this very competitive sector. We drove it to see how it faired.

For those of you who remember driving on the motorways in the 1980's will remember Astravans. They were on the outside lane, doing improbably speeds. 

In the pub you would hear the drivers claiming cruising speeds of 117mph, and journey times from London to Edinburgh of just 2 hours, including a fifty minute break at Scotch Corner.

There always was a passenger car sat behind that, and it always sold tolerably well. The styles seemed to leap around hugely, and some models, if we are going to be honest, are best left unremembered. But it has always been an important car in the market place, playing second fiddle in the sales charts to Ford's usually excellent Focus.

The previous model was, however, a leap forward, with a nice crisp drive and a rather decent looking Sport Hatch version. So what of this new Astra?

We drove it in 1.6SRi petrol version, which we found to be lively enough but slightly breathless at motorway speeds.  Dont be too scared of revving it, because you can hit 3rd gear on a hill and have to repent, and reselect 2nd. But if you are after speed, you won't be choosing that engine, and actually, the diesel solves all that in exchange for some noise.

Sorry, I forgot to mention something. I love the way this car looks. The basic concept has been aped by others since, but no-one has done it better.  Apart from Alfa, of course, with the Guilietta. But that is not a fair comparison.  And the interior is nice too, with a clear display. Nice steering wheel, with buttons on it!

So, what is wrong with the Astra. Well, not much. It has an electric handbrake with a hill start assist facility which solves a problem that most drivers never had. It could do with very slightly taller top gear for motorways. And don't go for the rain detecting wipers, because on our car they did not detect rain. So you end up using them manually. Which is no hardship. 

But really, that is about it. The car feels spacious. The seats are comfortable for the class. In SRi trim it has decent equipment levels. It steers nicely. And so on. This sector of the market place is not about blowing your brains but about sensible and nice, and it does that, even with a touch of pretty.

We turned in a fuel consumption of 36 mpg overal, which again is respectable.  If you go for the diesel, which many will, that will go up massively, but unless you are driving big mileages, that is not going to save you money.

I guess the purchasing decision is going to come down to one of two things. Some will prefer Ford to Vauxhall, and vehemently do the Focus thing. Nothing wrong with the Focus either. But I reckon this car has closed up hard on its heels, and is well worth a go.

It is listed at just over £19000.  There-in lies the snag, for both Ford and Vauxhall. These are no longer cheap cars.  But wait. You are extremely unlikely, in both brands' showrooms, to be asked for anything like that, so ignore the manufacturer's website and go talk to a dealer!

Overall, a thumbs up for a car that is spacious, pleasant to look at and pleasant to drive. And continues the recent trend of big improvements in the Vauxhall range.