Vauxhall Astra long-term test: report 4

The car Vauxhall Astra 180 Ultimate plug-in hybrid Run by Chris Haining, sub-editor

Why it’s here To find out if a plug-in hybrid family hatchback is the answer to a varied motoring regime, while keeping an eye on running costs

Needs to Soothe in motorway traffic, sip petrol, and entertain on a twisty road

Mileage 4340 List price £40,400 Target Price £38,123 Price as tested £39,550 Test economy 53.2.0mpg Official economy 256mpg

28 February 2023 – The colour and the shape

You really get to know a car when you clean it. With the more senior cars in my fleet, this usually means discovering new areas of rust, but in the case of my Vauxhall Astra, every time I wash it, I grow fonder of the way it looks.

And I'm not just talking about its fetching Electric Yellow paint. Look past that, and you'll see numerous references to Vauxhall (and Opel, its European sister brand) models from the past.

The menacing "visor" nose design recalls the first-generation Opel Manta and also graces other current Vauxhall models, and I reckon it's the strongest corporate identity the brand has enjoyed for years. The prominent bonnet bulge echoes the Viva of the '70s, the blistered wheelarches hint at the formidable Manta 400 rally car of the '80s, and the rear door quarterlights and faux vents acknowledge the first generation of Astra – the first model to give the brand a rival to the Volkswagen Golf.

 Inside, meanwhile, the driver profile screen shows a picture of a Vauxhall Nova SR – a car that was very sought-after when I began my driving career. The design team behind the Astra clearly know how to pull at the heartstrings of those of us who care about cars. 

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