15 Feb 05
Getting Lotus involved in the development of the car's ride and handling dynamics has paid off - and how. There's real sophistication in the weighting of the controls and the progressive response from all driver inputs. You don't need more than a mile over a challenging road in the car to know that engineers rather than accountants have developed the Sport Hatch.
Performance from the warm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol is very strong. Its 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds is quick, but it's in the mid-range that it really excels. It's a free-revving engine, zipping to its red line with real enthusiasm and delivering a crisp exhaust note. The 1.9-litre CDTi may lack the 2.0's aural thrills, but it more than makes up for it with sheer grunt. From just above idle right through to 4000rpm, it pulls with an addictive punch of acceleration that makes the petrol feel a touch lethargic by comparison. In-gear urge is impressive - the Astra charges forward in fourth gear with the same enthusiasm that most hot hatches can deliver only in second.
Even in the rangy, long-legged sixth gear, the commonrail engine has enough muscle to fly past slower traffic and flatten inclines. All this with nigh-on 50mpg economy. It makes the diesel Sport Hatch an impressively quick and comfortable ground-coverer - and probably the pick of the line-up.
The Astra feels fluid and terrifically controlled no matter how quickly or aggressively it's thrown into corners. You can really pour it through a string of corners and bends, carving through them in clean, fast arcs.
The gearlever on the six-speed manual 'boxes is wrist-flick light and precise, with a snappy, short throw. No problem shedding speed, either: the brakes are powerful and progressive. And the clutch has plenty of positive and early bite.
