Come the end of the year Vauxhall will have the new Astra in the showrooms so there will soon be bargains galore as they try to get rid of the old model.
And it won’t be a bad buy. The Astra isn’t perfect but has proved reliable, has become a family hatch favourite able to compete with Ford’s Focus, has solid handling and reasonably good engines.
New Astra will take the car into a higher league particularly ride quality and upgraded trim.
Chassis and suspension technology has moved on leaps and bounds in the last five years so we will get Vauxhall’s FlexRide which allows the driver to select the damper setting to suit the moment.
That is normally reserved for executive cars but because so many people are downsizing this sort of top end technology is creeping into the family hatchback market.
FACTFILE: Vauxhall Astra CDTi SXi
Engine: 1.7 litre diesel; 98hp
Performance: 0-62mph 11.5secs; 112mph
Economy: 56.5mpg combined
Emissions: 135g/km. VED £120
Insurance: group 6
Price: £17,590
Improvements to the Astra’s ride should be a priority. It is not that the car is uncomfortable but it is lagging behind the likes of Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4 in the comfort stakes.
Having just spent a week in the current model there are a few obvious areas that Vauxhall will need to sort out .The boxy tail has always looked awkward and early pictures of the new car show they have redesigned the whole back end which now sports a dipping roofline giving more of a coupe look, not unlike the current Astra Sport Hatch which is the best looking three door hatchback around.
And the design of the tailgate isn’t too clever either. It is too narrow at the base making it difficult to load larger items. This is a family hatch after all.
Inside needs attention too. The Astra’s dash doesn’t shout look at me I’m interesting, and the centre console layout is flawed because the heating controls are set too low making them difficult to read.
We can expect a huge improvement here with the new model which is likely to draw inspiration from the Insignia which has the classiest dashboard layout in its class.
I’ve always found the Astra story fascinating. I had the first model in 1981 and it didn’t just blow me away, it blew away the opposition as well. But after a great start it went slowly downhill until 1998 when, with a little help from Lotus, they made a huge improvement to the handling and tried to sharpen up the styling. Trouble was Ford did an even better design job on its new Focus.
That said this was a worthy car and what followed with the current model raised the bar again. The range has also grown to include a great driving convertible with a folding steel roof.
My test car was a middle of the range SXi diesel which is only moderately well equipped for a car heading for £18k. An electronic stability control package was a surprising omission and something that will no doubt be rectified right across the new Astra range.
The 1.7 diesel engine has been around a while now and it shows. By today’s standards it is a noisy beggar and its average fuel consumption of 56mpg is down on its rivals who are boasting more than 60mpg and lower emissions.
Never mind, new Astra should be a different story.