New Vauxhall Astra: first look - On the inside

The wrap-around cabin style of the Insignia has been re-created for the Astra, with a wing-shaped dashboard top that extends round into the doors and down into a sweeping centre console angled at 30 degrees – the maximum that still allows you to get CDs in and out of the slot.

The steering wheel, gearshifter and door handles come straight from the Insignia, and so do the seats. The optional sports seats even come with the approval of a group of German back specialists.

Trim quality is excellent to look at and to touch, and it's all finished off with nice details such as the chrome rings around the gauges and clocks. The speedo and rev counter are in pods angled slightly inwards towards the driver, and on upscale models there's an electronic handbrake.

Vauxhall talks about 'a choreography of light' (where do they get these phrases?) inside the cabin, with dials that glow white or red, depending on whether you're driving like a saint or a sinner, and red lights in the footwells, around the door handles and at the bottom of the centre stack.

New Vauxhall Astra preview video
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