Vauxhall Astra Electric

FIRST DRIVE Hatch offers battery-powered option for first time

- Alastair Crooks

ADDING the Electric edition is certainly the biggest change to Vauxhall's Astra line-up in its five decades of production. But whereas Ford seems willing to throw away iconic badges, such as Fiesta, Vauxhall obviously thinks the Astra nameplate can remain competitive into the electric age.

From the outside, though, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is any other eighth-generation Astra. Aside from a little 'e' badge on the boot and a green section of the number plate (if you want it), it looks like the plug-in hybrid or diesel. But as with other Astras, the Vizor grille and headlight arrangement, plus the angular surfacing, do help it to stand out from the crowd.

Climb into the Electric and you're greeted with the same cabin as in the rest of the Astra range. The dual 10-inch screens on the dash are a huge improvement over the old Astra, but pretty much standard fare for this generation of family hatchbacks - especially those with electric power. The infotainment system is easy to use, though, and having physical climate controls is a relief.

Our car is equivalent to the top-spec Ultimate model, which means there's a head-up display, a wireless smartphone charger, dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, Alcantara seat upholstery and a heated windscreen. The Ultimate also gets Vauxhall's full suite of safety systems under the Intelli-Drive 2.0 umbrella. This consists of semi-autonomous lane-change functionality, rear cross-traffic alert and speed-limit adaptation.