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Vauxhall's middle ground. Image by Vauxhall.

Vauxhall's middle ground
Vauxhall's British-built Astra arrives and brings sharper handling, a smooth ride and tidier looks.

   



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| First Drive | North Wales | Vauxhall Astra |

Vauxhall's new Astra has an extremely tough job. In one corner it faces the Ford Focus, its long-standing protagonist boasting dynamic delight in a smartly finished, extremely competent package. In the other there's the VW Golf, a hatchback that's rightfully regarded as a cut above, a class act that oozes quality, refinement and is coveted by the pubic because of it. The Astra sits in the middle. Literally, in the UK sales charts.

In the Metal

It's hardly surprising that Vauxhall's stylists have worked hard to give the Astra a more upmarket look. Certainly it looks more solid, the rather showy looks of its predecessor making way for a less edgy, more substantial appearance. It's largely successful too, the Astra neatly proportioned, the rear looking particularly smart with its arrow-like taillights and wrap-around rear window. If it's weak in one area it's the front, the driving lights trying hard to lift the nose, but it otherwise looking rather generic.

Inside, it's a mix of Insignia - meaning the bulky steering wheel - and unique Astra touches. There's clever lighting to give the impression of a floating fascia, but for all the visual tricks Vauxhall should have perhaps concentrated more on the basics - like reducing the button count on the fussy centre console and running the same soft touch plastic from the top of the front doors to the rear ones. As it is the harder material topping the rear doors rather smacks of cost-cutting and the centre console isn't the easiest to use. It's spacious though, the seats are firm and comfortable and the boot is decently sized.

What you get for your Money

Pick your point in the range and the Astra is going to offer a competitive specification and price compared to its two most obvious rivals. Standard kit, as in every new model launch, is improved and Vauxhall has given the Astra the same trim level designations as the Insignia. As a minimum every Astra will come with ESP, air conditioning, a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel and a CD player with MP3 capability. Walk up the specification levels and you can add 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control and an electronic parking brake to the standard kit - along with plenty more.

Driving it

With suspension and steering tuned specifically for British roads the Astra's chassis engineers are promising great things from the five-door hatchback. The ride is particularly impressive, isolating the horrible surfaces that pass for roads in the UK - all while retaining good body control. Pay extra for the 'Flexride' damping and you can choose between a more sporting set up or a comfort orientated one, but the standard car is good enough not to warrant spending more on the push-button chassis alterations.

The smooth ride is complemented by high levels of grip and excellent refinement from both road and wind noise. Four petrol engines are offered in 1.4- and 1.6-litre sizes: two turbocharged and two naturally aspirated. They're complemented by two turbodiesels of 1.7- and 2.0-litre capacities, the smaller engine being offered in two power outputs. The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol unit should offer good performance given its 138bhp and quoted 0-62mph time of 9.0 seconds, but the car we drove felt gutless, requiring big revs to shift it with anything approaching the sort of pace we'd expect. The 123bhp 1.7-litre turbodiesel is a different proposition altogether, pulling the Astra along with ease, it a far more desirable all-rounder - particularly with its 60.1mpg combined fuel economy figure.

The steering in neither offers the sort of clarity of information offered by Ford's Focus, which, given the decent body control and impressive ride quality, is disappointing. It's quick enough and decently weighted, but the Focus still delivers a crisper, more intense driving experience at the wheel. The Astra has never been closer, though.

Worth Noting

As with any replacement model these days the environment has played a big part in the development of Vauxhall's Astra. The result is emissions improvements of 13 percent. Green fiends will have to wait a while for the cleanest Astra - the ecoFLEX model with its 109g/km engine not arriving until a few months after the standard Astra's December showroom introduction.

Vauxhall is making rather a big deal about the storage space inside, particularly its ability to house '20 common items' within the cabin. Really, it's no cleverer than its rivals, and the boot's FlexFloor luggage compartment is nothing more than a divider that gives a top and bottom floor to the luggage space. Useful perhaps, but not particularly innovative. Annoyingly, in the rainy conditions of our test, the driver's windscreen wiper habitually pulled water back across the screen, lessening visibility in already tricky conditions.

Summary

Vauxhall's new Astra is better looking and classier, comes with more standard kit, is more environmentally sound, smooth riding and refined and is built here in Britain. There's a lot to like about it. It's certainly up there with the obvious rivals, but it fails to shine enough in any particular area to have people flocking from VW and Ford showrooms. Existing customers will be delighted, as the new Astra is unquestionably a very impressive car, if not an exceptional one.

Kyle Fortune - 7 Oct 2009



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2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Max Earey.



2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 

2010 Vauxhall Astra. Image by Vauxhall.
 






 

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