Our cars: Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer - January 2012

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi SRi automatic

Week ending January 27
Current mileage 29,430
Miles driven this week 193

The Astra Sports Tourer hasn't covered as many miles as usual, because I've been laid up with a neck injury.

My fragile condition has made me appreciate the Astra's easy-to-use nature more than usual. The tailgate is particularly light and easy to shut or open, which is just the job when you're not as mobile as you should be.

Neil.Williams@whatcar.com
Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer review

Week ending January 20
Current mileage 29,237
Miles driven this week 295

The Astra’s heating and ventilation controls are refreshingly simple to use.

There are two chunky dials to control the temperature and fan speed, so you don’t have to move your eyes from the road to adjust the settings.

Then there are the three airflow direction buttons. They’re stacked on top of each other in height order, so it’s easy to know which one you’re choosing, and because they illuminate bright red when selected, a quick glance is all it takes to check where the air is blowing.

Add big switches for the air-con, air recirculation, windscreen demister and heated rear window, and the system is pretty much perfect.

Neil.Williams@whatcar.com

Week ending January 13
Current mileage 28,942
Miles driven this week 517

The Astra has just been treated to a set of winter tyres. They're the same size as the originals (225/50 R17), so new wheels weren't required.

The Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tyres were decent value – a set costs £670 from Blackcircles.com – and were speedily fitted by HiQ in Leatherhead (01372 379988).

Unfortunately, the rest of the news isn't quite so good. They're reinforced tyres, so the Astra's ride is now noticeably firmer. There's also more tyre noise, plus a slight buzzing vibration coming through the steering wheel.

Hopefully things will improve as the tyres bed in, and they'll come into their own when the winter weather really hits. I just wish they hadn't affected the ride so much.

Neil.Williams@whatcar.com

Week ending January 6
Mileage 28,425
Driven this week 459 miles

Let's be honest, good visibility is often way down our list of priorities when choosing a car. Financial and practical considerations come first.

The Astra is good at those final two, but its forward visibility is badly compromised by the thickness and angle of the front pillars. They cut right across your line of sight at junctions, making it hard to spot other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

They also make it hard to see the inside edge of roundabouts or the exit of corners.

It's not a deal-breaker, but the Astra's visibility isn't good enough.

Neil.Williams@whatcar.com