The Vauxhall Astra

I

’ve driven several of the current generation and the previous generation Vauxhall Astra. The two are as different as chalk and cheese in the handling and ride departments, but both are strong, sturdy cars with good engines (marred by overly long gearing in some cases), good interior space and rather dull looking dashboards.

The first Astra I had the dubious pleasure of driving was an N-registration, GLS TD estate, powered by the 1·7 litre Isuzu intercooled and turbocharged diesel engine. This is a good turbodiesel engine, with little turbocharger lag and was also reasonably frugal. The car itself was reasonably well equipped, but marred by stodgy driving dynamics: a wooden ride, too much body roll in corners, and a lurchy sensation when changing direction all that quickly. However, on a long drive - I did several trips that encompassed Norwich to York, and back again, the Astra estate proved to be a solid companion, especially considering that on the trips back the car was laden with boxes of files, computers, and similar office equipment.

I had reasoned that the estate’s handling deficiencies would be mirrored by the hatchback, and was not disappointed when I had the opportunity to drive a 2·0 Sport from Norwich to Thetford in convoy with a work colleague. Again, the star of the set up is the engine, which proved to be rather too much for the chassis. Even with rather long gearing, it would wheelspin leaving damp roundabouts, causing a nasty shuffle from the front wheels. It was well equipped, and reasonably quiet, but the ride was too stiff and it still had too much lean in the twisty stuff.

In comparison, the new Astra is remarkably fluid. All examples of the new Astra have a great balance between handling and ride. The 1·4 16V engine is energetic enough, but the 1·6 is more flexible, and the larger engines are quicker still. The range of diesels is excellent (I have yet to try the 1·7 DTI model yet), especially the 99 PS 2·0 DTI which has a very impressive spread of torque and lots of top end power. Furthermore, the Astra is plentiful, which means that residual values are rather flakey - perfect for picking up a used bargain.

The only downside of the Astra is it’s rather dour interior. Sure, everything is reasonably well placed, and it’s well screwed together, but it lacks a certain sparkle. Otherwise, it comes recommended. I’ve been promised a weekend in a new shape 2·2 SRi, but so far have resisted the bait.

I like the Astra’s blend of performance and economy, especially the higher powered diesels and multivalve petrol engines, the new shape model handles and rides very well, and they’re solidly put together.

I dislike the old model’s handling and ride, and the staid interior design.