Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £15,405 to £22,000
Room, ride, handling and decent engines, making it good to drive and ride in. It's cheap to run, and provides good crash protection.
Dull interiors are a major flaw, it lacks individuality and looks boring besides more modern, striking rivals. A little pricey, considering some stingy standard specs.
Sensible, yet enjoyable to drive. If only it looked less dull, inside and out.
The Astra is well put together, but the quality of its interior is no match for the VW Golf's. The engines tend to be reliable, however, though do ensure that the recommended cam/timing belt change intervals are adhered to. Owners report a variety of minor faults, such as electrical glitches and cabin trim defects, plus problems with sticking/notchy gearboxes, but nothing too horrific. All its technology and mechanicals are well-proven by now, and there's nothing too complex that could go badly wrong; reliability is average for a mass-market, big-selling car like this.
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