Vauxhall Astra

HELLO

£28,710 OTR/£29,310 as tested/£409 pcm

WHY IT’S HERE

Does the sharp-suited new Astra prove you don’t need that SUV?

DRIVER

Sam Philip

REALISED SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY. IN TWO DECADES OF DRIVING and owning cars of varying decrepitude/sensibleness I’ve never genuinely considered purchasing a Vauxhall Maybe it’s me rather than the cars but I’ve never found Vauxhalls have nailed the sensible yet interesting conundrum with the same regularity as say Ford

But with Ford apparently scarpering out of the regular hatchback segment as fast as its spangly new crossovers will carry it that leaves a neat space for Vauxhall  with its recently rediscovered sense of style  to fill

And on the face of it the new Astra looks just the ticket For starters it is a proper trad hatchback no pretensions at crossoveriness or sportful utility here just a classic regular roofline five door This is a good thing

It also looks to these eyes at least pretty tidy I’m not sure the ‘Vulcan Grey’ paint of our test car …†‡ˆˆ‰ shows off the Astra’s sharp lines to quite the same effect as the lovely ‘Electric Yellow’ signature colour …†‘ˆˆ‰ but does lend it a faintly DeLorean design vibe from some angles

Which again is a good thing We’re hardly in a golden era for hatch design right now  the Focus and Leon have gone frumpier than they once were the Golf looks like a Golf  so it’s good to see Vauxhall …and sister brand Peugeot‰ flying the flag for a bit of styling vim in the segment

Without putting too much weight on the Astra’s smartly creased shoulders it feels this car …not BP–– EXJ specifically‰ has a responsibility greater than merely elbowing Vauxhall towards the top of the C segment hatchback class Instead in the face of an SUV/crossover onslaught it feels like something of a referendum on the future of the humble hatchback itself TG likes a humble hatchback Don’t let us down Astra