Vauxhall Astra (2004-) Review

On the road

• Previous: Reliability and Quality
• Next: Safety and Security

With MacPherson struts up front and a torsion-beam axle at the back, all Astras have an agile chassis, with good body control and resistance to understeer. This Mk 5 is much sharper than its predecessor, though it does feel heavier than the Ford Focus, and has less communicative steering.

SXi and SRi models get lowered suspension, and the SRi comes with 'SportSwitch,' which firms the suspension further, weights up and quickens the steering and increases its response, and sharpens throttle response. Not that this is spectacular in its effects... it's a bit gimmicky in a car of this class and we suspect that most buyers will turn the switch on and leave it there. More importantly to most buyers in this class, the Astra generally rides more smoothly than the Focus, even with the larger alloys and lower-profile tyres.

Visibility's pretty good, though the A-pillars are quite wide, while all controls operate smoothly and positively. There's a hill-start braking system, which holds brake pressure for 1.5 seconds after the handbrake has been released. Pretty pointless - why not just hold the handbrake longer? Hill starts are part of the driving test, for heaven's sake.

The petrol engine range starts with a 1.4-litre unit, which produces an adequate, if uninspiring 89bhp, and moves on to a 1.6-litre unit, which has 123bhp. That produces reasonable performance, though the lower-geared 1.4 actually feels a bit sweeter and there's little to choose between them in terms of sheer grunt. There's more of a gap between the 1.6 and the lively 1.8, which sounds sporty and comes with the option of the desirable SRi spec, with lowered suspension - the 1.8 SRi is a great all-rounder and arguably better value for money than the 2.0 Turbo. The 1.6 comes with the optional Easytronic gearbox, which isn't very easy, as it goes.

There are steering wheel mounted change buttons, two on each side. The ones facing the driver, operated with thumbs, shift up gears, and the ones on the back, finger operated shift-down - the wrong way around, as far as we're concerned. So too is the shift-lever on the centre console, which shifts up when you push it forward, rather than when you pull it back. Its shifts are reasonable, though, but not as good as with the manual: five-speed on most models, six-speed in the 2.0 Turbo (168 bhp) and 1.9 (148 bhp) diesel versions. Both manual boxes are precise, the six-speed a little more so, although with a heavier clutch.

Claimed performance, with 0-60mph in 9.8 and 8.4 seconds respectively for the 1.8 and 2.0-litre turbo, is adequate but hardly outstanding. There are three turbodiesels, too, starting with 79 and 99bhp 1.7-litre units. The latter isn't all that strong, especially at low revs, and it isn't as quiet as some rival units. The 1.9-litre turbodiesel unit, which gets a six-speed 'box, develops 148bhp, also a bit noisily at high revs, and the turbo takes a while to spool at low revs. But along with impressive 0-60mph performance of 8.6 seconds (barely slower than the 2.0-litre turbo petrol), the 1.9 returns 50.5mpg overall. More powerful petrol versions will follow after launch, around 200bhp from the 2.0-litre turbo at first, and a 220 bhp-plus model is scheduled for autumn 2005.