Specifications
Model tested: Vauxhall Astra 1.6i 16v VVT, Vauxhall Astra 1.7CDTi
Price as tested: £18,205, £21,935
Range price: £15,675 - £23,695
Insurance group as tested: N/A
CO2 emissions as tested: N/A
Company car tax %: N/A
EuroNCAP result: N/A
Date tested: October 2009
Road tester: Vijay Pattni

This is it – this is the big one.

With over forty years of ‘compact car’ history, the successor to the best-selling UK-built car in Britain has just launched – the sixth generation of the Vauxhall Astra.

Will the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf get an Astra shaped dent in their sales figures? Vijay Pattni travelled to the home of Astra – Ellesmere Port – to find out.

We first saw its new design in a drawing more than a year ago. Then we got the interior shots. We saw it trump the Focus and Golf at Millbrook driven by BTCC ace Fabrizio Giovanardi.

We saw its new “Delta” chassis debut in the Chevrolet Cruze earlier this year – and now, the sixth generation of one of the UK’s biggest selling cars has arrived: the all-new Vauxhall Astra.

First things first - it's made in Britain, at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory. A 'world class' factory which built the first Vauxhall Viva compact car in 1963, and which currently has the capacity to churn out 4,000 new Vauxhall Astras in a week.

So it seems the Astra really is coming home - but what is it coming home to?

Well, frankly, it's coming home to wage war. The hatchback segment is one of the most fiercely fought markets in the UK, and accounts for 17.7 per cent of all retail car sales.

Gallery: click below to view images of the all-new Vauxhall Astra

And not only that, it is going up against the Ford Focus, the UK's best selling car for the last ten years, and the evergreen Volkswagen Golf.

A tough bout, we think you'll agree. So let battle commence...

Smooth Operator

First impressions of the new Astra are striking - the front profile looks sleeker and smoother than its somewhat ungainly predecessor. The coupe-like roofline and smart side creases make for a distinctive and premium profile, complete with a handsome rear and chunky proportions.

We spoke to one of Astra's chief designers who explained why the old one looked a bit, well, rough - it's all about environment. "Your environment definitely influences car design", explains Malcolm Ward, Vauxhall's design director. "The UK has a very up-close urban feel, so up close, the old Astra was all about sharp edges and flat panels".

Apparently the new one is designed to look graceful from a distance right down to the chrome window surrounds which add to the 'premium' feel. To us it looks like a mini Insignia, which itself is a handsome saloon, and this is something Vauxhall is keen to stress. "The Astra has been designed to look like its siblings", explains Malcolm, "but it still retains its own identity".

And those chunky proportions we mentioned? The new Astra is 17cm bigger than its predecessor, complete with 71mm of extra passenger space thanks to a longer wheelbase.

Inside Job

And aside from the usual 'road-tester' spiel, we put it to real-world buyers to tell us what they thought. Or rather, they put it to us...

"That's a beauty - makes you wanna' just jump inside, don't it?"

As we pulled up for a photoshoot one onlooker became quite enamoured with the new Astra's interior - he had an old one, so you can see just why he was so impressed.

Where the outgoing model offered unimaginative interior styling and a dash which fell at a 90 degree angle, the new driver and passenger area has been designed as a 'cockpit'.

The driver's dials are lit up by a pleasing ambient glow, while the central control unit and gearbox are sloped towards the central armrest to make the new Astra a much more comfortable and pleasing environment.

It's a bit button-heavy, but everything is simple to operate and our optional TV screen with sat nav worked a treat. The cubby holes dotted around the inside can reportedly hold up to 4 litres of fluid, while the seats were supportive, sturdy and adjusted infinitely. The rear offers masses of space for occupants, and there's plenty of headroom despite the sloping roofline.

Chasing Cars

A pleasing start - so when we turned the key to the 1.6i 16v VVT-engined SRi Astra, we were a tad disappointed.

The SRi badge has a lot of history behind it, as far back as the Mk II Cavalier SRi, and once stood as a moniker for lively, powerful engines and a sporting ride.

Now however, Vauxhall whack the fabled badge onto anything with sports suspension - which means the engine isn't necessarily 'sporting'...

The 1.6i naturally-aspirated engine produces 115bhp and 114lb/ft of pulling power - which equates to a 0-60mph time of 10.9 seconds while returning 44.8mpg on the combined cycle.

Gallery: click below to view images of the all-new Vauxhall Astra

In the real world, the engine is fine, but feels a little restrained. You have to thrash the unit before making any meaningful progress, and it never seems to 'kick in', despite the variable valve timing. It's quick enough to get where you need to go, but not quick enough to be satisfying.

Other units offered may quench that thirst however - a 1.4-litre turbo unit with 140bhp is offered, along with the current range topping 1.6-litre turbo engine, which produces 180bhp and a 0-60mph time of 7.9 seconds.

There's also a nippy diesel - to find out just how frugal and fast it is, click here.

Ride On Time

However, start making progress and you'll suddenly realise just how grown up this new Astra is.

The ride is pleasingly supple, supportive and offers the right amount of flex without feeling too soft; firm without being too hard. The steering has a pleasing heft to it, without being unwieldy, and the overall ride quality is superb.

And there's a good reason why it works so fluidly on British roads.

Vauxhall's engineers honed the Astra specifically for the UK, testing at the tortuous Millbrook Proving Ground and along the disjointed, rickety old roads around Vauxhall's HQ in Bedfordshire - a test if there ever was one...

The rear chassis set up is also unique. It features a Watts Link, which offers the benefits of modern, multi-link rear suspension with the benefit of being more compact - meaning more boot space.

And this all adds up to a cracking ride. The chassis comes with three suspension settings - normal, sport and tour. Normal and tour are both perfectly judged for pootling around town, while sport firms up the steering wheel and sharpens the acceleration.

The damping is fluid, body roll is kept in check nicely, and the car feels reassuringly placed on the road. The brakes are excellent, and pull you up without any drama, while the traction control winds down any hairy cornering disasters. The car has a tendency to understeer when pushed hard - as most front-drivers do - but for the majority of owners this won't be a problem. In fact, our source at Vauxhall reckons "this chassis can handle a LOT more power"... is he talking about the next Vauxhall Astra VXR?

When you've stopped playing Michael Schumacher and just potter around the ride quality in the Astra is astonishing. The cabin is quiet and the sound-deadening works wonders, resonating little of the road nuances around.

Overall, we were very impressed with the new Astra. It's smooth, refined, offers spirited sure-footed driving and looks the business. Where the old one was a junior sales rep in an ill-fitting suit, this is the sales manager in an M&S tailor made two-piece.

We'd need to spend a little longer behind the wheel for a definitive verdict, but we think this new Astra is a very serious contender for the hatchback crown.

Visit Vauxhall's website to find out more about the new Astra

Search for a Vauxhall Astra on Auto Trader

Video: BTCC ace beats the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus