Vauxhall ASTRA CONVERTIBLE EXCLUSIV SPECIAL EDITION
Vauxhall Hope Their Astra Convertible Exclusiv Special Edition Will Find Willing Buyers Amongst The UKs Legions Of Drop-Top Fans. Steve Walker Reports
There comes a time in every motorists life when they consider the merits of purchasing a convertible car. Those with a head thats firmly in control of their heart will dismiss the idea out of hand. There is, after all, scant logic in owning a car with a removable roof in a country with a climate as damp as ours. The people who do give in to temptation and buy a convertible, however, couldnt care less about logic.
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They dont mind the extra cost, the impracticality and the rain. Far more important is the sheer thrill of open-topped motoring. Judging by the number of drop-tops sold in the UK annually, there are vast numbers of motorists who think like this and
Vauxhall hope they can nab a fair few of them with the Exclusiv special edition of their Astra Convertible.
Its a tried and tested formula: offer the public a special edition model with extra equipment for the same money as a comparatively sparsely equipped standard model. They should lap it up. Vauxhall, however, have veered drastically from the well-trodden path with this Exclusiv Astra Convertible. The additional features are there alright, £950 worth of them to be exact, but as well as chucking these into the mix, Vauxhall have actually cut the price by £1,900.
A regular 1.8-litre 16v Astra Convertible costs £18,895 and the 1.8-litre 16v Exclusiv with all its extra equipment costs £16,995. Logic might not be the strongest suit of the average convertible buyer but even they should grasp the merits of a deal like that.
With this Exclusiv, all you stand to loose out on is that e. So Vauxhall have cobbled together a tasty looking offer in the shape off their Astra Convertible Exclusiv but what do you actually get for your £17,000. First, the exterior tone is raised by a set of 17" five-spoke alloy wheels, the sort that are usually only found on the range-topping Turbocharged models, and a set of front fog lamps. Inside, the seating is covered with Silverstone part-leather trim and the instrument dials are white. Theres cruise control too and buyers are invited to choose from three distinct external colour schemes. Opt for Silver Lightening or Horizon Blue paintwork and the folding soft-top roof will be fashioned from blue cloth while the Carbon Black paint option is accompanied by a matching black roof.
In addition to all this, theres the Astra Convertibles standard specification which includes the remote control powered roof, ESP stability control and air-conditioning. That remote control roof is particularly useful for confounding bystanders. You can drop the hood from your office window or a concealed vantage point in the shrubbery across the street and watch them trying to work out whats going on. When the novelty of that one has worn off, there are also electric windows and a CD stereo to play with.
"With this Exclusiv, all you stand to miss out on is that e"
The sole engine option in the Astra Convertible Exclusiv is the 123bhp 1.8-litre 16-valve unit that constitutes the mid-point in the standard range. Its capable of performing the standstill to 60mph sprint in a shade over 10 seconds, which is reasonably bracing but may not be sufficiently sporty for some prospective buyers. Top speed is 125mph and that should be more than enough for most.
The Astra Exclusiv is always going to more of a cruisers car than a drivers one and why not? It has classily sleek lines married to some tidy detailing, it looks good with the roof up or down, its refined and it doesnt cost the earth to run. You should be able to average in the region of 37mph under normal driving conditions and considerably more than that if your normal driving conditions involve crawling a snails pace along your local high street so everyone can see you. Convertible cars arent traditionally the most rewarding to drive fast anyway. They are usually based on hard top models and the process of chopping off the roof chassis tends to give rise to the terrible twins, flex and scuttle shake.
Both are very well suppressed until the moment that you have a VX220 delusion and give the Astra a sound thrashing down a poorly surfaced road. Then the view in the rear-view mirror will grow blurred, the dash will give the odd chirrup and creak as the body does minor parallelograms. Despite these niggles, in terms of total body control its an impressive job and a world away from most rivals. As a result, Vauxhall have managed to engineer in a quality that hasnt traditionally been mentioned in association with the MkV Astra fun.
The basic architecture of the car is sound. The MkV Astra hatch (now replaced by the much improved MkVI) was a solid well built car and this Convertible version shares those qualities. The styling has benefited from the involvement of Italian styling house Bertone who have worked with Vauxhall to create something altogether more sophisticated. Few would mistake it for Bertones vintage work, but given the constraints of the design its a tidy job, if a little heavy at the rear.
Its still an Astra, but any colour bar yellow banishes any residual skip imagery. In developing a new kind of up-market-feeling affordable convertible, the Bertone people clearly used upmarket BMWs and Mercs as benchmarks. The Astra cabin in this guise feels sharp and classy, particularly with the optional leather trim in place. More importantly, from the outside, the car looks even better.
Unlike the old Astra Convertible, theres no ugly rollover bar to spoil the pretty lines, nor does the hood rest bulkily at the back as in the
Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet. In terms of value, the Astra Convertible Exclusiv is well worthy of some serious attention from Convertible customers. The Astra Convertible itself is a well rounded package and the extra equipment does much to make the Exclusiv feel that bit special.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Vauxhall Astra Convertible Exclusiv Special Edition
PRICE: £16,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 184g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.1s / Max Speed 125mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 37mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin Front airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4267/1709/1390mm
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