MOTORING Astra


There was a time when Vauxhall’s Astra fought hard with Ford’s Escort to be Britain’s best-selling family car. When the Escort morphed into the Focus in the late ‘90s, the battle continued, the Astra usually coming out second-best. More recently, the Focus’ smaller sibling, the Fiesta,


has topped the table with the Astra’s stablemate, the Corsa, taking second slot. But with the launch of its seventh generation, the


Astra could be about to become the star of the show. It has already claimed the European Car of the Year


prize for 2016 - a well-deserved accolade and one which should see it start to ascend in the bestselling car table where it is currently ranked seventh behind the Fiesta, Corsa, Focus, Golf, Nissan Qashqai and VW Polo. Sitting seventh is no shame. Vauxhall sold 52,703 Astras in the UK alone in 2015. With the advances made for the latest model, which launched last November, the car’s market share – currently two per cent – is expected to soar. If you’re in the market for a new car, the Astra is


definitely worth a look. For a start, it’s 200kg lighter than previous models and that makes a huge difference to the way it drives and handles. The lighter weight and slightly stiffer chassis means


it now soaks up bumps more effectively and is more nimble on those twisty country roads. For the more technical readers, better torque


distribution means it now has better traction, which means less pull to one side under acceleration. Visually, the new car looks very similar to the sixth


generation model. This is no bad thing. Radical redesigns can alienate past customers. But there are design tweaks which show that the car


has moved on considerably. The new Astra has a leaner look about it whether you choose the five-door or Sports Tourer version. There is a stronger swage line running from the chaser indicator lights by the front wheels to the top of


48 business network May 2016


becomes a


star


For six generations, Vauxhall’s highly competent Astra has played bridesmaid to Ford’s Escort/Focus for sales and VW’s Golf for desirability. But in its seventh iteration, the Astra may be about to become the bride. Motoring writer Nick Jones went to see why it has been voted European Car of the Year 2016.


the rear light clusters and the C-pillar has been given a dark insert to make the roof look detached from the lower body at the back. It’s more subtle than, say, the way Honda did it on its


Civic Tourer, but effective nonetheless. The front and back ends have both been tweaked


and are state of the art, which means the car won’t date as quickly as some past models have. Internally, Vauxhall has increased elbow and head


room and added 35mm of leg space in the rear. There is a smarter new fascia, with lashings of


chrome and a shiny touchscreen ‘infotainment’ system which makes the dashboard seem less cluttered. Make no mistake, the new Astra is a state-of-the-art


hi-tech motor which offers drivers the added security of Vauxhall’s Onstar system – a 24/7 support service that will automatically call the emergency services, for example, if it detects that you’ve had a crash. The car can also come with in-car wifi to keep the kids


amused on longer journeys. Could this be the car that changes the mantra to “we’re not there yet, are we”? There isn’t room here to list all the model variants,


which probably runs to the 50s for the five-door hatchback alone, suffice to say that there are petrol and diesel versions with specification starting at the Design trim level with Elite at the top of the pile offering just about everything an owner might possibly want. And it will have mass appeal for company car drivers


because there are among the range some that rate zero for vehicle excise duty and attract only 16% benefit-in- kind tax. To be honest, there isn’t really a bad choice among all


the models available in the new Astra range and there isn’t a bad engine among them either, so buy with confidence. European Car of the Year is no mean feat – to scoop


the award the new Astra beat the likes of the Volvo XC90, the Mazda MX5, the new Audi A4, the Jaguar XE and the BMW 7-series. A jury of no less than 58 experts gave it the award, and that, in such exalted company, says it all.


FACTFILE


MODEL New Vauxhall Astra


PRICE £16,585 to £24,105 (5-door)


PERFORMANCE Max Power: 98bhp to 200bhp Top Speed: 110mph to 147mph


CO2 EMISSIONS 89g/km to 142g/km


FUEL CONSUMPTION 47.6 to 91.2mpg (combined)


‘With the advances made for the latest model, the car’s market share is expected to soar’


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52