VAUXHALL ASTRA
Its real-world range is a quarter of the official figure – and that’s pretty good going
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
To judge how Vauxhall is doing in the big-volume but tough hatchback market
It’s odd how long it has taken me to find the correct answer to the essential question that springs from running a plug-in hybrid: what’s the fuel consumption really like?
The difficulty results from the fact that, if you want to be literal about it, there are multiple answers – all incorrect. For short hauls, the consumption can be zero. And if you’re talking WLTP, the official figure is also magnificently daft. For this 178bhp 1.6-litre Astra, it’s 256mpg. See what I mean?
At last, however, I’ve done enough miles over a big enough variety of journeys to have found the answer. And it’s good news. If you start with the Astra fully charged, then take it on a typical 220-mile British round trip, mixing city and town driving with some 70mph motorway stints and the occasional enjoyable back-roads thrash, you will achieve 62-64mpg at the end.
Double the distance without charging and your mileage will have fallen to the mid-50s, little different from what I was getting from the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol Astra that I ran before this one.
The message is that in some conditions you can spectacularly beat the figures offered by an efficient petrol car, but over long distances you won’t. Thus, whether or not as a private buyer you choose PHEV or conventional – the price difference is £7000 to £10,000 – is more about principle than moneysaving. If it’s a company purchase, the benefit-in-kind tax savings on PHEVS (8% versus 29%) are a no-brainer.
One property has become pleasantly clear: there’s no reduction in driving enjoyment if you choose the PHEV. In the first 1000 miles, knowing my new Astra had a relatively complex driving system, I was always straining my ears to hear what was going on. But the system’s various components are so well integrated that you might as well give up. In any case, you can hardly hear the powertrain above the wind and road noise – not that either is excessive. It’s wisest simply to abandon yourself to the easy availability of creamy power.
The Astra PHEV isn’t hugely quick, though the 0-60mph time of 7.7sec certainly makes it brisk. The big appeal is the easy and precise availability of thrust at all speeds. There’s a more effortless response out of bends than if this car had merely been powered by a 178bhp ICE engine: these days, pure petrol-burners need an extra instant or two to respond, so as not to chuck out too many pollutants. In the PHEV, if you decide to overtake someone, the car responds as quickly as your foot can move.
Talking modern gadgetry, two more Astra properties come to notice, one good and one bad. Bad first: the mandatory lane assistance system. It’s more intrusive than many, and even with a shortcut set up on the central screen, it takes a four-stage operation (find, press, confirm, return) to kill it. And you must do that whenever you drive. I can’t tell you how infuriating it is to have some phantom know-all in the steering rack trying to stop you steering around potholes that might otherwise damage your wheels and tyres.
On the other hand, the adaptive LED headlights are superb. They show more of the road (and verges) more of the time, without annoying opposed traffic. The system must already have prevented dozens of injuries and hundreds of bent wheels and fenders. It’s a pricey option if not included as standard (ours is) but worth it.
In sum, the Astra has been performing extremely well. The PHEV is low, sporty, comfortable, economical and effortless. And I always look forward to driving it, which is the biggest plus point of all.