Our cars Fastra?
Is our Astra GSE worthy of its sporting pretensions?
Sean Keywood
When Vauxhall first introduced the GSE sub-brand (which it says stands for Grand Sport Electric) just over a year ago, it was clear that the middle part of that name was as important as the ending, with the intent to produce performance models since the old VXR badge had fallen by the wayside. Therefore, while fleet managers will doubtless be most interested in the efficiency aspects of our plug-in hybrid Astra GSE, drivers who choose it may well be hoping for a proper hot hatch. So, how convincing is it in this regard?
Well, on the road, the short answer is, not especially. It’s not bad on a twisty road by any means – the lowered sports suspension (the GSE sits 10mm lower than a regular Astra) does a decent job minimising body roll and there’s lots of grip. But the extra weight of a plug-in hybrid powertrain (the GSE is more than 300kg heavier than a GS petrol Astra) is still conspicuous, meaning the GSE can’t deliver the feeling of nippiness and agility of the best hot hatches. Speaking of the powertrain, its levels of power and torque provide sufficient acceleration to be well into at least warm hatch territory (officially 0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds). But you need to stay well on top of the gearshift paddles to ensure the eight-speed automatic gearbox is in the right gear to accelerate out of bends, with a certain degree of anticipation needed given that there is a slight delay to shifts – and, even in Sport mode, the ‘box is still a bit too keen to shift up again and leave you with less power than you were expecting. It even does this under braking, which can leave you grabbing for the paddle mid-corner – not ideal given the paddles move with the turning of the steering wheel (although at least here a possible advantage of the subtle Active Sport Sound engine sound enhancement I wrote about last month
Vauxhall Astra GSE 1.6 225PS Plug-in Hybrid 8-Speed Auto
P11D price £41,745 As tested £42,245 Official consumption 256mpg Our average consumption 44.5mpg Mileage 2,903
Why we’re running it
To see if a sportier plug-in hybrid makes sense.
“I can confirm the bodykit and fab alloys help bring a real sense of car park presence to this Astra”
emerges, making it slightly easier to hear the revs and react accordingly). The brakes, too, are rather unsatisfying to use, given the element of energy regen involved with the hybrid system. So, all in, a driver approaching the GSE expecting an uncompromised performance machine is likely to be
disappointed. However, that doesn’t mean that the sporty nature of this model doesn’t have other good points. The styling, for example – having lived with it for a couple of months now, I can confirm the bodykit and fab alloys help bring a real sense of car park presence to this Astra (although the white paint is, while a striking contrast with the black roof and wheels, unsurprisingly fast to look dirty in winter).
It should also be noted that the lowered WEBSITE Please visit
www.businesscar.co.uk/tests/long-term-test/ for previous reports on our fleet
sports suspension doesn’t mean much of a compromise in ride quality. It’s a degree firmer than the regular Astra, but nowhere near uncomfortable, and there have been no complaints from passengers, or indeed any pining from myself for my previous Astra Ultimate test car on motorway journeys. Which means you certainly don’t lose out by choosing the GSE spec – just that the associated thrills it can bring might not be as big as some drivers would hope.
www.businesscar.co.uk | March 2024 | 47
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