ASTRAL PROJECTION: WE DRIVE A PAIR OF MK6 PROTOTYPES
To see what Vauxhall has in store for the new Astra, we joined its development team in the final stages of its two-year development programme in Germany.
The prototypes that we drove were early hand-built examples, but they were nevertheless representative of what we will see here when sales begin in September.
The interior remains under wraps for now, but we can tell you already that the new Astra has a different driving position to the old model. The driver’s seat is mounted 12mm lower than before, which doesn’t sound much, but you definitely feel more enclosed, with the window line higher in relation to your seat squab than before. The front seats give greater support, too.
Our time with the Astra was limited to running in a controlled convoy over a variety of roads, including autobahns and a particularly challenging country road that’s used by Vauxhall engineers to give feedback on various chassis set-ups.
The 128bhp petrol engine serves up strong flexibility, albeit also a somewhat gruff exhaust note. The threecylinder turbo unit revs freely, giving the Astra a reasonable turn of in-gear acceleration once you’ve tapped into the mid-range, where it’s clearly at its strongest.
It doesn’t endow the Astra with scintillating speed, nor does it pretend to. Rather, it allows you to percolate along with adequate performance in everyday driving conditions, thanks to its six well-judged manual gear ratios.
Combined cycle fuel consumption that’s claimed to better that of the old Astra should make it quite economical to run, too.
The more powerful of the plug-in hybrid powertrains, with a combined 222bhp, is predictably more energetic and refined. In electric mode, it starts silently and can leave the engine to rest for around 31 miles when fully charged.
Performance on the electric motor alone is reasonable for city driving, with punchy step-off and acceleration up to typical urban speed limits.
The car is more convincing in its hybrid mode, though, where the added reserves of the petrol engine give it quite spirited performance in combination with smooth operation from the motor. The action of the automatic gearbox is impressive, too, with fast and crisp shifts.
Running on 225/40
R18 Michelin Primacy tyres, the prototypes we drove were in differing stages of development.
The petrol felt well sorted, with a light but direct steering action, well-controlled body movements and noticeably improved roll and pitch behaviour. Although lacking for outright feedback and any real feel, this lightest of all the new Astra models offers outstanding ease of driving, with an agility that makes it enjoyable to drive, both around town and out on the open road.
The heavier plug-in hybrid isn’t quite as convincing. Its steering delivers the linear qualities and immediate response that Holl told us were high on Vauxhall’s engineering priority list, but it’s also overly light and devoid of any feel. Thankfully, the team is still working on it.
The petrol-electric Astra offers predictable handling but, at this stage of development, lacks the precision of its petrol sibling.
It’s a similar story with the ride, with the petrol proving more compliant than the plug-in hybrid over a variety of surfaces.
We will need time in a completed production car to know for sure, but from what we’ve experienced so far, the new Astra is a far more convincing proposition than today’s six-year-old model.
Its similarities with the new Peugeot 308 can’t be denied, but it’s clearly a more mature and contemporary family hatchback, with the sort of digital interior features, performance and driving characteristics that wouldn’t seem out of place on a more premium-priced offering.