USED Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (04 - 12)

My car

Took delivery of the car at the end of May, just before going off on holiday, so the car had quite a good test, doing just over 2000 miles in 2 weeks.

I drove on a mixture of autoroutes and backroads and the trip computer tells me that fuel consumption came in at a shade under 41 mpg. for the whole journey.

Comfort and performance couldn't be faulted, although storage space is a bit limited.

An extremely enjoyable ride, no problems at all.

My car

My first ownership experience of a Vauxhall has been a good one.

My primary aim was to drive down running costs and it certainly delivered here. I expected compromises on cabin qualty, which was not as severe as expected. Its comfort and overall feel were positive (better than the horrific plastic wheel in the Vectra).

The one big complaint on this front was the lack of storage space. A tiny central compartment and negligible front slot is all you get beyond the door bays. A diesel 'chug' was noticeable, until properly under way, but you can always turn the stereo up! I did find the pace sluggish, but came from a 3.0-litre petrol so its difficult to gauge objectively.

Overall I consider this better bang for bucks than the gold-standard Golf but would stretch to the 1.9TDi if possible.

My car

Having planned to order a 5dr Design 1.8 auto after a short test drive, I was fortunate to drive one as a hire car on a return trip from London to Sheffield recently and it proved an excellent drive. Although the auto box is a conventional four-speed, in a world now full of tiptronic-style paddles and gearlevers, it is the best I have tried. The ratios are well spaced and the box proved very responsive to driving style, being willing to drop down a ratio easily without the need to floor the throttle. As for the 'sport' button, well often these do little apart from make the up-changes come a little later. In this case, however, all hell breaks loose. Not only does it hang on to the gears longer, it also prevents immediate up-changes on part throttle and makes early downchanges when slowing down. All in all, it's great fun when coupled with very sharp, almost sporty handling from a 'normal' family hatch. Oh and the interior of the car is a great place to be too. The driving position, seats and level of equipment and build quality are all excellent. Having spent three years with a Focus I was pleasantly surprised to see how far Vauxhall has come.

My car

A good smooth ride, easy to reach instruments. The indicators are very good, colour range good choice.

A lovely looking car inside and out.