For Drives as well as its sporty looks suggest – and more sharply than the five-door hatch. The cabin is roomy for four and of very high quality.
Against Not enough versions have stability control and it's only available in high-end trim levels. There's also too much wind noise at 70mph and rear visibility is terrible.
What Car? says
Mechanically sound with excellent fit and finish, this Astra handles more sharply than the five-door and won't cost a lot to run.
Reader review rating
There are 18 Vauxhall Astra versions available
Buyer's notes
Target Price team says:
Of the four bodies in the Astra range, the three-door Sport Hatch is - naturally - the sporty option.
Effectively, it’s a three-door version of the regular five-door, but there are sufficient differences that it deserves its own name.
To go with the sportier styling is a more sporty drive (plus tighter accommodation and worse rear visibility), while the Sport Hatch also does without some of the more basic trims.
That means the Sport Hatch range starts at a higher price, but if you compare like for like, the two models cost the same.
The most major difference is that, in keeping with its sporty ethos, the Sport Hatch range is topped by the screaming 236bhp VXR hot hatch, which isn’t available in the five-door.
Other than that, the engine options are pretty much the same and, as in the five-door, our favourite model has the 1.6 16v petrol engine.
Reader test team says:
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Having come to driving relatively late this was my…
Astra used rivals
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