VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.5 TURBO D

We’ve tested plug-in hybrid and petrol versions of the new hatch. Now it’s diesel’s turn

In what could be the unlikeliest comeback story since Kate Bush topping the charts a few weeks ago with her 1985 song Running Up That Hill, diesel is enjoying a bit of a resurgence in the new car market.

Even after years of demonisation, diesel still just about stands proud as the most affordable and timeefficient means of covering large distances at a constant pace. Until the advent of solid-state batteries and the proliferation of EV chargers across Europe, there will surely remain a place in certain product line-ups for a variant that sups from black pumps.

That’s why the new Vauxhall Astra (like the Citroën C4 and Peugeot 308 to which it’s closely related) is offered with a diesel engine as well as petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric power.

That’s unparalleled drivetrain diversity and welcomed particularly in this instance, given the flexibility of purpose that it affords Vauxhall’s Ford Focus rival. Urban runabout, fleet-friendly family car or proper mile-muncher: it can do it all.