The Vauxhall Astra has long been one of the go-to hatchbacks in the market, sitting alongside the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. Although its popularity is undeniable, the Astra has never really been renowned for its entertainment value, with an arguably ‘safe’ approach to driving dynamics, and style.

But Vauxhall has been working on this new model for around five years, tweaking everything from its technology to its chassis. In fact, its suspension has been specifically tuned to deal with uneven, pothole ridden British roads, which should help it appeal to UK customers. Its exterior design has even been given new life with some new striking body lines and a rather youthful-looking blacked-out C-pillar. 

Built at its Ellesmere Port plant – an establishment that almost closed down four years ago – the Astra is a big deal for Vauxhall and it is essential that the British brand pulls it off with aplomb. So has it?

Performance

The Astra’s engine options can be a little overwhelming at first, with almost 10 different variants from launch. The expected best-seller is a 134bhp version of the 1.6-litre ‘whisper diesel’, which has been grabbing headlines with the Insignia model. This engine also comes available with 109bhp and 158bhp, the latter being a BiTurbo model.

This diesel is much happier on the motorway, with plenty of low down pull for swift overtaking. Take it on a hilly country road and it does feel a little strained, requiring a fair bit of work from you and the six-speed manual gearbox.

On the petrol front there are 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre turbo options. The 104bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo is the same engine featured in the new Corsa, meaning it is a peppy little thing that offers surprising levels of fun. The fact the Astra is now lighter than before, means the 1.0-litre feels suprisingly nippy, and its 0-62mph acceleration in 10.5 seconds isn't too bad. Despite having just five gears, tall ratios mean motorway cruising isn't too much of a chore either.

The 1.4-litre turbo petrol, available with either 123bhp or 148bhp, delivers impressive performance as well, with low down pull similar to that of a diesel (peak torque comes in at just 1,800rpm). The hotter 148bhp derivative can reach 60mph from a standing start in just 7.8 seconds, making it plenty fast enough for overtaking.

For petrol buyers on a budget, there's also an entry-level 1.4-litre without a turbocharger, putting out 99bhp. With less torque and flexibility than the turbocharged versions, it's nowhwere near as appealing, but should be adequate for town driving.

Ride and Handling

Throw the Astra into a corner and the retuned chassis really pays off.

We tip our hat to Vauxhall’s ride and handling department. The Astra doesn’t just feel like a new-gen vehicle, it feels like a completely different breed. To some, the chassis may feel a tad on the firm side, but this is the sacrifice Vauxhall has had to make to ensure the Astra is a more rounded model. The ride can still deal with lumps and bumps fairly easily though. Throw the Astra into a corner and the retuned chassis really pays off. The Astra feels incredibly well-planted, with loads of grip and very little body roll. Having shed around 200kgs of weight, its affects on agility are readily apparent. The steering has a great balance to it, offering an easy to manoeuvre, light feel when at low speeds and a weightier heft at higher speeds. With so little mass over the front wheels, the 1.0-litre model feels particularly inertia-free, so it happily dives into corners and resists understeer. Is it fun to drive though? Yes, it definitely is. Is it as fun as the Ford Focus? We would have to drive them side by side, but it is very close.

Interior and Equipment

The Vauxhall Astra is built in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire at a factory which celebrated building its five-millionth vehicle in 2014.

Hatchback-wise, you will struggle to find a model as plush as the Astra for the price. What was a cabin dominated with a cluttered, confusing dashboard, is now luxurious, well laid-out and incredibly ergonomic. The dashboard is now split into three easy to digest sections, with a seven-inch touchscreen – which is standard – being the centre of attention. Vauxhall has designed this screen to give a tablet-like effect, and with its plastic-free edges, it achieves this quite well.  The rest of the cabin is dominated by chrome effect materials and black gloss, giving a rather upmarket feel. Other standard kit includes air-conditioning, USB connectivity, Bluetooth and cruise control. If you go for the Sri model we had on test, which is expected to be the best-selling model, you get the likes of a leather steering wheel, 17-inch alloys, a host of driver assists features (including Traffic Sign Assist, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning) and Vauxhall’s new OnStar system. OnStar essentially acts as a 4G Wi-Fi connection to Vauxhall services, giving you the ability to contact Vauxhall’s call centre team and request details on vehicle diagnostics and location information. You can even call OnStar if you feel lonely and just want a chat. OnStar also has an interesting SOS feature, which can automatically alert emergency services in the event of a collision, with information including your GPS location and if (and how many) airbags have deployed.  Another interesting bit of kit are the new auto-adjusting Matrix headlights, which are a £995 option. These allow the headlights to remain in high-beam mode at all times, but automatically dip around other vehicles to avoid dazzling them. Watching these lights do their thing is actually suprisingly entertaining, and boosts safety by illuminating more of the road, more of the time. As a hatchback, practicality should be one of the Astra’s most significant departments. Its boot of 370 litres is quite impressive and rear passenger space is vast, however little things like its high boot lid and large hump when you fold the seats down is a little disappointing.

Cost

It sits in-between its Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf competition when it comes to price

The new Astra starts from £15,295, which is £150 less than the outgoing model – or up to £2,200 less depending on what model you go for. This means it sits in-between its Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf competition when it comes to price. The OnStar system fitted is a great bit of technology to invest in and it comes with 12 month free unlimited online data.

Our Verdict

The fact that the Astra sits in-between the Focus and Golf for price is rather appropriate. On one hand the new Astra is fun to drive and full of character on a twisty road – like the Focus - and on the other it is a comfortable, luxurious, tech-heavy cruiser – like the Golf. We think it is slightly closer to Focus territory however, and Ford will definitely want to keep tabs on the sales charts as the Astra is sure to tempt those looking at a Focus. The new Astra is a great example of what a new-generation model should be. It improves in the areas where it needed to and it is impressive enough to challenge its demanding competition.