Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £15,405 to £22,000
Well-equipped, smart design, good quality, pleasing petrol engines, agile chassis
Diesels a bit noisy, steering a little numb
A big advance on the last-generation model and the most competitive Astra yet - it's not quite a Golf-beater but it's almost there
This Astra, the fifth-generation of Vauxhall's small family car, replaces the model available since 1997.
It's far more stylish than the outgoing car, and comes with a wide range of engines, from 1.4-litre petrol and 1.7-litre turbodiesel units with under 100bhp to a 148bhp turbodiesel and 168bhp turbocharged petrol model. Even more powerful versions will follow, including sporty 200 bhp and 220 bhp-plus variants.
Vauxhall has put quite a lot of effort into boosting the model's showroom appeal: it's a much more attractive prospect than the old car, not just because it looks far more dynamic, but because desirable features like big alloy wheels, air conditioning, digital radio and MP3-compatible CD players are available across the range.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Vauxhall Astra
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