Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: £15,405 to £22,000
Good performance, smooth engines, comfortable over distance
Not the most engaging hot hatches, indifferent residual values
Surprisingly good hot-hatch serves up good performance, if not outright thrills
Vauxhall's Astra hot hatchbacks are often overlooked. In fact, even Vauxhall affectionately dubs the SRi 'one of motoring's better kept secrets'. Presumably, the company would rather it wasn't, but such is life. It doesn't help that the sporty models aren't particularly distanced from the rest of the range, and heralded as halo cars like the Renault Cliosport 172, or Honda's Type-R models.
The SRi is available with 1.8- or 2.2-litre engines and in three- or five-door hatchback forms; the GSi has a 2.0 turbo engine and is a three-door only. Incidentally, there is also a 2.0 SRi Turbo model: it was the forerunner to the GSi and only 500 units were built; some may still be kicking around unregistered or nearly new.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Vauxhall Astra
wrote on 12 01 2008
wrote on 22 09 2007
wrote on 17 09 2007
wrote on 14 09 2007
wrote on 11 09 2007
wrote on 24 03 2007