Vauxhall's last new car was the replacement for a saloon so devoid of positivity that the maker had to come up with a new name, lest it hamstrung the poor thing from the start. Not so this time around, however, as GM's UK arm unveils the plain old new Vauxhall Astra.

However, the overhaul is fairly comprehensive, with Vauxhall claiming its newcomer will make a proper mockery of the car it replaces. It's built on GM's brand new Delta platform, so there's no question of it being a tarted up old Astra, and despite being instantly and strangely recognisable, the restyle alone points to a bright future for the mass-market griffin.

It will come as a five-door only to start off with - that's by the end of this year - but a sleeker three-door and a boxier estate will follow, both likely by 2011. We've not seen the inside officially yet, so we'll have to wait a while before commenting on that too much, but we can say with confidence that it will take plenty of cues from the Insignia, just like the exterior does.

So let's look at that styling then. To our eyes it pulls off that thing of aping a bigger car without simply looking like a smaller version very well indeed; the only notable Insignia facsimile is the pair of swage lines running down the flanks that kick up towards the rear door handles. The rest is rakish, aesthetic and quite unique.

The important stuff, like how it drives, how economical and how practical it is, are all spot on - if we're to believe Vauxhall's publicity machine. On the dynamic front, the Astra gets the option of an active 'FlexRide' chassis for the first time, which allows the damper settings to be altered three ways between spongy and firm. The rear suspension is overhauled too and added to a wider track than the outgoing car, while over 600 hours in the wind tunnel should help make the current Astra seem rather stodgy by comparison.

Engine wise, the initial line-up comprises four petrol and four diesel options, though there's apparently a new VXR model on the way too, which we hear will comfortably trump the Golf GTI's power output and might even knock on the door of the Ford Focus RS. We'll believe that when we see it, but for now the most power you'll get is from the 178bhp petrol variant, though arguably more interesting is the new 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which has a 138bhp output, but will sip fuel like the Queen sipping hot tea. There's a 108bhp petrol unit too, and the four diesels will range from 94bhp to 158bhp.

And that's about all we know for now. We'll give you more when we get it, which will no doubt be long before the car makes its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Mark Nichol - 13 May 2009