Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Vauxhall Astra 1.0 T Tech Line
Price: £16,995
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
CO2 emissions: 99g/km (Band A, £0 per year)
Combined economy: 65.7mpg
Top speed: 124mph
0-62mph: 10.5 seconds
Power: 105hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 170Nm at 1,800- to 4,250rpm
What's this?
A new Vauxhall Astra, which in family car marketplace importance terms is a very significant addition to the busy, competitive class. Vauxhall is promising it's cleaner, quicker, sharper (both to look at and to drive), more spacious, lighter and a whole lot more besides, in a bid to tempt customers out of their Volkswagen Golfs and Ford Focuses. Certainly it looks a lot more appealing; some of the detailing on the bodywork is particularly neat, such as the crisp crease along its flanks and the visual trick at the rear pillar to lengthen the roof and make it look like it's floating. There are some trick new headlights too (if you spend enough), while the Astra is a little bit smaller and in some cases as much as 200kg lighter, yet has more space inside.
That's obvious the moment you get in with lots more room for front and back seat passengers. There's an all-new dashboard too, losing the clumsily-styled many-buttoned fascia of the old car for a modern feeling and operating touchscreen. It's a far more appealing car to sit in and look at, even if some of the trim materials aren't able to quite match the best of the class for premium look and feel.
How does it drive?
Vauxhall's quest for a lighter Astra isn't just to the benefit of economy and emissions, but agility too. The engine range is extensive and all are either significantly re-engineered or all-new, the weight savings and downsizing seeing the new Astra get a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder unit as its entry petrol offering. As well as being sub-100g/km and road tax exempt, the triple has a quoted official combined fuel economy figure of 65.7mpg. That'll be less in reality, but if you're light footed it'll avoid the pumps with near diesel-like vigour.
You're not penalised too much on the road for its parsimoniousness, either. It's not going to set any land speed records with a 10.5-second 0-62mph time. What it does provide is ample performance given its modest 105hp output, key to that being the low-rev peak torque of 170Nm, which is enough to mean you're not kept too busy with the fine-shifting five-speed manual gearbox to keep it going. Even if you do feel the need to rev it out, it all remains nicely muted for a three-cylinder thanks to the fitment of a balancer shaft. Vauxhall's other measures to improve refinement, chiefly around removing vibration at source and extensive wind-tunnel work, makes for a hatchback that's right up with the Golf for hushed refinement. The handling is decent, too, the Astra riding with a control and suppleness that suits its brief nicely, though some feel from the light steering would be to its enormous benefit.
Verdict
The new Vauxhall Astra is right up there with the class best in every quantifiable measure, with improved space, neater looks, better efficiency, more equipment and improved refinement. It's good to drive too, though the steering is a bit light in weighting and feel. A real class contender then, except for when it comes to the intangibles; a Ford Focus steers with greater precision and Volkswagen's Golf is just, well, more desirable thanks to its upmarket image. This three-cylinder 1.0 turbo model is a highlight though, demonstrating that downsizing can be achieved without feeling like you're missing something and that you don't necessarily need a diesel for good economy and tax-dodging emissions.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
