With the recent sale of Vauxhall and Opel from General
motors to Magna one of the world’s largest car parts manufacturers the new
Astra is being pinned as the saviour of Vauxhall but is it going to provide? With
the small car market being so competitive can the Astra knock the Focus and Fiesta
off the top spot and become the best
small car?
Prices are going to start at £15,675 which I feel may be too
high. The Ford Focus the Astra’s direct competitor starts at £14,675 which is
enough to lure people away from the Astra especially if the cars are similar. The
sales blurb at the Frankfurt motor show Vauxhall were keen to emphasise the
fact that it was all about quality, with the levels of quality at levels similar
to the Insignia. In fact the Astra seems to have gone back to being a squished Vectra/Insignia.
What I liked about the previous generation Astra was its individuality, you
could tell it was a Vauxhall but it was completely unique to the brand.
It is more fuel efficient than the previous generation with
the 1.4 providing the same level of performance as the previous 1.8. The entry
level 1.4 provides 84bhp which will probably provide 0-60 times of around 12-13
seconds it gives emissions of 129g/km almost putting in the lowest tax
band. There will be three diesel engines
a 109bhp 1.7 along with a 2.0 litre tuned at 128bhp and 158bhp. But many people
will be interested in the Ecoflex version which will be running on a 1.3litre
diesel and produce a very low 109g/km.
With a wider stance it should feel more stable to drive and
with options from the Insignia such as the Flex-ride which can provide a
sportier or more comfortable driving experience depending on what you feel
like. All in all I hope the Astra is a success as I was a great fan of the last
Astra however I feel this one may lose the sporty image to previous generation
has fought hard to achieve.