Vauxhall ASTRA
Vauxhalls Astra has transformed itself. June Neary Checks it out.
Hasnt the
Vauxhall Astra changed? If it hadnt been for the badge on this latest version, Id never have guessed it to be a Vauxhall. But then, this brand has been reinventing itself over the last few years. Not long ago, no chic woman about town would have been seen dead in anything with a Griffin badge on the front. No longer.
The latest Tigra coupe/convertible, the Monaro coupe, the VX220 roadster even the family Vectra and Signum models all have transformed the brand. The latest Astra is another car from Luton that does just that. The swoopy lines of this Family Hatchback promise an involving driving experience that doesnt disappoint. Well get on to that in a minute.
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Prior to driving however, you want a car that looks good on the driveway and this one does. In the design phase, the car had to pass whats apparently called the 100 yard test. A large percentage of the buying decision, it seems, comes about in the first 100 yards of any given test drive and the Astra had to make the driver feel instantly at home and comfortable with the controls, impressing through sheer ease of use. Take note,
BMW.
Im told that clever packaging and a long wheelbase have helped to maximise the Astras interior space. Theres certainly no doubt that the Astra is one of the biggest cars in its class. I thought that sloping roofline would pinch rear headroom but on closer inspection, I found that the sloping line that originally caught my eye was something of an illusion: the actual roofline arcs higher. Rear headroom is in fact better than the old generation car and legroom and shoulder room is in another league. A
Vauxhall spokesman claimed that the interior of the new Astra fitted like a glove, but as few people I know are shaped like hands, this would seem to present certain problems. Not so.
Big doors and surprisingly upright side windows give an airy feel to the interior, although anybody familiar with the look and feel of the latest Vectras cabin wont find much to excite them with the Astras fascia.
The design of the interior isnt quite as eye-catching as the exterior styling but everything falls to hand easily enough. The engine line up consists of the usual wide selection of powerplants, some new, some heavily revised and some carried straight over from the previous model. The line-up kicks off with an 85bhp 1.4-litre petrol unit, alongside a 100bhp 1.
6-litre and the familiar 125bhp 1.8-litre engine. A 2.0-litre turbocharged unit is also offered for sportier versions with 170, 200 or 240bhp.
The entry-level 1.4 and 1.6-litre engines will use the Twinport technology as already seen on the Corsa whereby one of the two exhaust outlets are closed down at low revs to boost torque and improve fuel economy. Four diesel engines are available, a 1.
7-litre unit in 80 and 100bhp forms plus 120bhp and beefy 150bhp versions of a 1.9-litre powerplant that was developed by
Fiat. As would be expected, all four meet the Euro IV emissions regulations which means that business users wont have to pay the onerous three per cent benefit in kind surcharge that drivers of non-compliant cars get tapped up for. Future developments are rumoured to include a version of the dual-clutch DSG gearbox and even a continuously variable transmission option to supplement the available five and six speed manual boxes, the four speed auto and the Easytronic clutchless manual system.
Five-door bodystyle prices start at £10,995 for the entry-level 1.4-litre variant and rise up to £19,195 for the current flagship, the 200bhp 2.0-litre turbo estate model. You can order Estate variants of most models for around £1,000 more or one of the Sport Hatch 3-door derivatives which are offered with the sportier trim levels.
There arent too many modern-day Vauxhalls I wouldnt be happy to live with these days. This Astra has transformed itself from being worthy but dull to being genuinely desirable as far as a practical Family Hatchback ever can be. For that, Vauxhall deserve credit.
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