An Astra comes to us all. If you don't buy one, someone in your family might. Or you'll be given one for work or take a holiday renter. Midsize hatchbacks are a staple part of wheeled life, the Astra one of the most prevalent. It's just... there. Even so, this review isn't a foregone conclusion. This is the eighth Astra generation. Some of the previous seven have been fine for their eras, others absolute donkeys. Besides, this is the first Astra to have been developed in Vauxhall/Opel's post-GM era.
Under the skin it has a lot in common with the new Peugeot 308 and the DS 4. But it doesn't look like them. That dark visor front is distinctive, and there's some attractive creasework: a sharp bone down the middle of the bonnet, and horizontal lines to mark the wheelarch bulges. Most versions have a black roof, which visually lowers the car. It's truthfully lower than before anyway, and wider too. But only a bit. It isn't needlessly bulky.
It's motored along by entirely familiar and relatively low power née-Peugeot pure combustion engines. Or a 180bhp plug-in hybrid. A 225bhp version of this PHEV follows, which we gather will get a bit of a warm hatch identity. Next year there's a full battery one.
The PHEV is an interesting financial story. Although it lists at exactly £4,000 more than the 1.2 auto, Vauxhall says its higher monthly PCP would be fully offset by the fuel saving provided you plug in for your regular mileage. Meanwhile, if you do pay BIK tax, the PHEV would save you £5,000 of tax over three years.
Bu hikaye Top Gear dergisinin April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Top Gear dergisinin April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO
For as long as we can remember the Porsche 911 has been the default best sports car money can buy. Does the new Aston Vantage represent a changing of the guard?
BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO
In a world exclusive, three makers of the world's most powerful hypercars are cordially invited... to drive each other's creations
THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar's future, or gone mad?
Koenigsegg Jesko Attack
The Jesko Attack drives like a conventional supercar. Brakes like one, turns like one, grips like one. But it doesn't accelerate like one.
STIC LAPS are back!
It's a 1.75-mile figure of eight on an old Canadian Air Force base just south of Guildford. Hardly Monza, or the Mulsanne straight, and never in a million years - you'd think a place that would become one of the most sought after performance benchmarks in the motoring world.
URBAN OUTWITTERS
Does the solution to city motoring lie in designs from the past with powertrains from the future? TopGear goes in search of answers... at rush hour
FUTURE FERRARIS
If you thought Ferrar's past was colourful, wait until you see what it's cooking up next. The future's bright, the future's rosso
DIRTY DOZEN
Ferrari's new super GT makes no secrets about what's under the bonnet, but can it swallow five countries in just a few hours? Better get on with it...
MYTH BUSTER
\"ADAPTIVE DAMPERS ALWAYS NEED TO ADAPT\"
The S2000 from a parallel universe
Meet Evasive Motorsports’ Honda S2000R, the car the Japanese firm should have built itself
