Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi Elite
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 22 July 2010
MENTION 'VAUXHALL ASTRA' and eyes tend to glaze over. But that’s only because it’s such a popular car and nothing 'special' in the minds of petrol-heads.
This new Astra is different.
In fact it is rather special.
Launched at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Vauxhall's latest Astra is poised to raise the bar for compact cars sold in the UK.
It will uphold Vauxhall's tradition of offering buyers levels of innovation and technology normally found in a class above, but at an affordable price. New Astra prices start at £15,675 for the comprehensively equipped 1.4-litre, 87PS Exclusiv model and extend to £23,695 for the luxurious 2.0CDTi 160PS Elite automatic.
With a range of eight engines and five trim levels, the fresh Astra will attract many a buyer. In fact, even in its outgoing form, the Astra was Britain’s best-selling UK-built car and one that was almost always seen in the top three sales listings. I bet you didn’t know that!
On the outside, with its steeply raked windscreen and sloping rear roofline, the Astra makes clever use of many of the design features found in its bigger brother - the Insignia. Also like the Insignia, it has spent over 600 hours in the wind tunnel, benefiting performance, economy and overall refinement.
Echoing the flowing forms of its bodywork, the new Astra’s interior marks a major shift towards premium design and quality.
The range-topping Astra Elite's cabin is trimmed in perforated leather and comes with heated electric seats and extendable cushions.
Dual-zone electronic climate control, electrically foldable door mirrors and a fold-down rear-seat centre armrest are also standard on this flagship version.
Ambient lighting, normally associated with 'prestige' brands enhances the feeling of quality in the cabin, with lighting points framing the gearshift surround, the area above the centre console and within the door handle recesses.
Basically, it’s a pleasurable car to spend time in and it makes you wonder why you’d want to bother with a ‘higher end’ car – such as a similar sized Audi A3.
What's really practical about the Astra is the raft of clever cabin storage solutions. Rather than focusing on the compartment size alone, the car's cabin is full of bespoke storage areas.
Vauxhall says they're designed specifically for the 20 most common items buyers have been found to carry in their car, from an MP3 player to a 1.5-litre drinks bottle.
It sounds dull, but on test, I did actually find space for most of my fiddly stuff – it really makes a difference and made me feel more 'organised' whilst on the move.
Simple, but clever stuff, Vauxhall!
The new Astra is available with an assortment of engines, ranging from 87PS to 180PS, all of which offer impressive efficiency and an overall cut in emissions of 13.3 per cent compared with the old Astra range.
Diesel engines are expected to represent almost half of all Astra sales. They range from the 1.7-litre - available in two states of tune, providing either 110PS or 125PS to a 2.0-litre generating 160PS.
The combined cycle fuel consumption for my 1.7 CDTi 125PS Elite demo car is allegedly 60.1 mpg. I didn’t quite get that in the week I had the car, but I have to say it’s one of the most economical cars I’ve driven for a long time – and it even had fuel left in it when it went back to Vauxhall.
Try as I might I just couldn’t get the car to drink the juice fast enough.
It's a great buy if you want a car to commute in and an excellent car for a family with 2.2 kids.
Definitely worth splashing the cash – if you're not bothered about having a 'dull' Vauxhall parked on your drive.
PROS ‘N’ CONS
PROS
- Looks
- Cabin
- Economical
CONS
- Image
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 122 mph
- 0-60 mph: 10.7 seconds
- Combined mpg: 60.1
- Engine: 1.7 CDTi 16v (125ps)
- Max. power (PS): 125 at 4000 rpm
- Max. torque (lb.ft): 280 at 2300 rpm
- CO2: 124g/km
- Price: £22,295
