Overall rating:

Three-door variants of existing hatchbacks are rarely the most significant models on our radar, but the Vauxhall Astra GTC is a bit different. Far from being two doors short of a full complement, it's been completely redesigned and looks much the snazzier for it. It will also be the body that the full-fat VXR wears next year - plus a few spoilers and skirts.

Key Facts

Pricing: £18,495 - £22,430
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: three-door hatchback
Rivals: VW Scirocco, Renault Mégane Coupé, Audi A3
CO₂ emissions: 127g/km
Combined economy: 58.9mpg
Top speed: 131mph
0-62mph: 8.4 seconds
Power: 163bhp at 4,000rpm
Torque: 258lb.ft at 1,750 - 2,500rpm

In the Metal:

There's more to differentiate the GTC from the five-door Astra than you'd expect. Some of the differences are subtle but the body is totally different, with wider haunches, shapely flanks and a squat stance rendering it by far the most aggressive of the pair.

The cabin is more uniform, decked out with familiar Vauxhall switchgear, but it's comfortable and, for the most part, well finished. On the downside, rear visibility is still lacking and there's less space for back seat passengers than you'd find in the five-door model.

Driving it:

As we've come to expect from Vauxhall, the GTC has the competition licked when it comes to refinement and comfort, but it isn't quite the all-engaging warm hatch it's billed to be. Ride and grip are its strongest suits - it remains thoroughly planted during tight bends and there's very little body roll, courtesy of the firm's ingenious HiPerStrut front suspension system. The steering is accurate but it just doesn't have the kind of satisfying communicative feeling of the best three-doors out there. There's an optional FlexRide adaptive damping system that adds Sport and Tour modes, which sharpen and soften the GTC accordingly. It's at its best in the standard setting, though, so we'd steer clear.

We spent the majority of our time with the 163bhp 2.0-litre CDTi engine, which is likely to figure pretty highly in the sales charts because it's clean, frugal and brisk. Smooth and progressively potent at low to mid revs, it becomes noisy in the upper echelons, which is nothing new for a Vauxhall diesel. Enthusiasts will be drawn in by the charms of the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which promises 178bhp and 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds. It's crisp and urgent, albeit a little quiet from the cabin. Other available options consist of a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol unit and a 1.7-litre CDTi diesel.

What you get for your Money:

You'll pay £18,495 for the cheapest 1.4 Turbo model and standard equipment is rather generous. A DAB radio, 18-inch alloys and cruise control are a few of the 'above the norm' courtesy pieces of kit. Vauxhall reckons the GTC will steal a number of sales from the VW Scirocco, which starts at £19,845, so you're looking at a bit of a snip in that sense.

Worth Noting

If the GTC range seems sedate then fear not, because the VXR version is due in mid 2012. It will be packing something like 300bhp and dressed up in the usual sharp-edged body kit reserved for Vauxhall's performance models. At the other end of the scale, frugal Ecotec versions will join the GTC stable shortly before the VXR appears, the cleanest of which will emit just 109g/km of CO₂.

Summary

It's still a way off the best Renaultsport models out there for sheer entertainment - and even a smidgen less grin-inducing than the Focus (of which there's no three-door variant yet) - but the Vauxhall Astra GTC is an accomplished warm hatch. Comfortable, refined and a capable handler, the redesigned body and in particular the swelled rump make it look the part. Well worth a look if a stylish and useable three-door is on the agenda.