The Vauxhall Astra GTC will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Prices for the three-door hatchback will start at £18,495 and the car will be offered with three petrol and one diesel engine.
Aimed at the
Volkswagen Scirocco and
Renault Mégane Coupé, the Astra GTC uses the same HiPerStrut front suspension as the
Insignia VXR. Vauxhall says the car has been designed form the outset to appeal to keen drivers and much of the development driving has been completed on UK roads.
The GTC sits 15mm lower than the
five-door Astra hatch and has an extra 10mm in the wheelbase to allow for wheel sizes of up to 20-inches. Vauxhall's FlexRide system is an option for the GTC.
Petrol engines start with a 118bhp 1.4 Turbo and then there's a 138bhp version of this engine; both come with stop-start as standard. Topping the petrol range is the 177bhp 1.6 Turbo, while diesel fans are catered for by a 163bhp 2.0-litre that offers 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds as well as 57.6mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 129g/km.
The order book for the Vauxhall Astra GTC is now open and first deliveries will begin shortly after the car's debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Alisdair Suttie - 7 Jun 2011