Driving

As 4Car noted, 'all-new Astras are cleaner and more economical than their outgoing equivalents', with the downsized 1.4 and 1.4 Turbo achieving the most dramatic cuts in emissions - of up to 33g/km. Also attracting lower insurance premiums than before, and with Autocar trumpeting that 'average CO2 emissions are down by an average of 13% across the eight engine range', it was left to Fleet News to observe that even this is only the beginning: with a new ecoFLEX Astra launching next spring 'offering CO2 emissions of 109g/km from its 1.3-litre 90bhp diesel engine.'Fifth Gear was not alone in observing that 'Vauxhall has worked hard to make this Astra more entertaining for keen drivers.' As a result, they say, all-new Astra 'scoots through corners with the same incisive grip as its Ford and Volkswagen rivals, with a little more refinement besides' while Autocar's verdict was even more forceful, calling it 'a better car in almost every way'.Fifth Gear found the 180bhp 1.6 Turbo 'performs very well' to deliver 'an entertainingly fat stream of pulling power'. Finding the range as a whole 'smooth, refined and offering spirited sure-footed driving' - and the ride quality to be 'among the very best in class, with good refinement and excellent handling characteristics' - Auto Trader selected the 1.7 litre turbo-diesel for praise. They said the 'in-gear shove is impressive and seems to grant the Astra's chassis a little more urgency - and, crucially, allows you to play a little more.' The Daily Telegraph found that Astra's 'steering has a newfound precision and the brakes are powerful and easy to use without tipping the car on its nose. It is relaxing and easy to drive, yet sporty enough to be enjoyable.'

Innovation

Vauxhall's exceptionally generous list of standard equipment had Whatcar? pointing it out 'as further proof of Vauxhall's status-chasing. Even the entry level S cars have most of what you need, including air-conditioning, electric front windows, remote central locking, daytime running lights and a CD player with MP3 socket'. 4Car noted that, by fitting every new Astra with six airbags, active head restraints and ESP anti-skid control, the range was always 'expected to win five NCAP occupant protection stars... and its thief-proofing is competitive too'.This new launch sees Vauxhall bringing high-tech innovations to an even wider public. Examples include technologies such as FlexRide, FlexFloor, Flex-Fix and a third-generation Advanced Forward Lighting system, none of which has previously been available to Astra owners.With such a wide array of technological innovations to choose from, Auto Express fastened on the new FlexRide system for particular comment, observing that the sophisticated variable damping system offers owners 'a lot of choice'. Within the spread of its three, precisely-calibrated suspension settings, Auto Trader found normal and tour 'both perfectly judged for pootling around town' while out on the open road sport 'firms up the steering wheel and sharpens the acceleration.'

Interior

With any new car, first impressions count for a lot, and Autocar was very clear that when it comes to all-new Astra 'what strikes you first, apart from the appeal of its strongly contemporary styling, is the draw of the cabin.' The experience of climbing in, said the magazine, was like 'being upgraded from cattle to business class', with an authentic 'aura of sophistication' and 'a high precision visual uplift' from the many wholesale improvements which have been made across the range 'in terms of room, architecture and quality.'4Car agreed that the more luxurious, more comprehensively equipped interior was quite simply 'leagues ahead' with 'usefully more room inside, too, both up front and in the rear.'Auto Express was similarly impressed by the 'well-proportioned' and 'high quality' cabin, especially the way in which its 'new curvy, multi-surfaced style looks borrowed from a bigger car'. Auto Trader went further still, applauding the vastly improved interior styling in which 'the new driver and passenger area has been designed as a cockpit. The driver's dials are lit up by a pleasing ambient glow, while the central control unit and gearbox are sloped towards the central armrest to make the all-new Astra a much more comfortable and pleasing environment.'Auto Trader also found the 'optional TV screen with sat nav worked a treat' and, like their colleagues, applauded the exceptionally generous provision of storage areas for phones, iPods and drinks as well as luggage. The seats, too, it found 'supportive, sturdy and adjusted infinitely' while the rear offers masses of space with 'plenty of headroom despite the sloping roofline'. 'Easily large enough in the rear for three large adults on a long journey,' said Auto Express, or as the Telegraph preferred to describe it 'more accommodating than the new Mercedes-Benz C-class.'

Quality

Clearly in the present climate an all-new Astra was always going to be one of Vauxhall's more crucial new launches and fortunately - as the Daily Telegraph's 'Honest John' is keen to stress - 'It's not only very good, it leaps straight to the top of its class. A very important car,' he calls it, and one whose 'prospects are very good indeed.' With Auto Express welcoming what it called all-new Astra's substantially 'improved refinement', 4Car finding the it to be 'leagues ahead', and Autocar detecting an air of sophistication while insisting it 'should go straight onto the short list of anyone shopping in this class', Vauxhall is widely acknowledged as having worked hard in recent years to enhance every aspect of its cars from design through engineering and materials to final assembly. Whatcar? said that 'those lucky buyers - or, more likely, those who are given an Astra as a company car - certainly won't feel as though they've been short changed'.4Car is just one of many to identify Astra's interior as one of the most significant leaps forward, with 'the quality of materials used in the cabin now as good as the exterior finish.'Nor is it just this important aspect which marks the new car out from both its predecessor and rivals, 4Car being just as keen to draw attention to all-new Astra's 'low mechanical and wind noise levels' which, they assert, make it 'a pretty civilised car'.

Ride and Handling

Autocar was impressed by the car's improved ride quality, stressing the importance of the testing Vauxhall had done on UK roads. With its wheelbase lengthened and both the front and rear tracks significantly widened, they said 'it promises considerably improved refinement.'Just as importantly, added Autocar, none of that promise is betrayed 'when you let out the clutch'. On the contrary: 'Astra navigates short, sharp shocks with a cushioned pliancy never before felt aboard a front-drive Vauxhall, and with impressive quiet, too.' What's more, says the magazine's detailed report, 'the ride remains well controlled at higher speeds.''It is really in terms of its ride and handling that all-new Astra makes the biggest leap forward', says 4Car. For their road tester it is out on the road where the Astra is 'most impressive... its low speed ride over the pock-marked roads typical of Britain is vastly improved'.Describing the car's 'excellent ride' and its 'tidy, predictable and enjoyable handling', the team at Channel Four also found the Astra 'unusually pliant, even when the bigger alloy wheels are ordered'. Its 'more refined front suspension' provides greater suppleness over broken surfaces, as well as enhanced wheel control and a 'far more enjoyable drive' than the outgoing version.Fifth Gear commended the car for its 'low-speed ride over bumpier roads, finding it exceptionally absorbent and very quiet. In this respect,' they said, 'it's probably top of its class.'

Styling

The launch of all-new Astra caused an instant buzz in the motoring media. With a close family resemblance to the 2009 Car of the Year-winning Vauxhall Insignia, the new shape, stance and fine detailing have been variously hailed as 'sleek', 'sporty' and 'curvaceous' by CAR Magazine, Fifth Gear and Auto Car.The Sun praised all-new Astra, saying 'it is without doubt the best Vauxhall ever built, even better than the Insignia'. For Auto Express all-new Astra's exterior represents 'a real transformation', the magazine welcoming 'an organic, curvaceous Insignia-inspired look that hides bulk, cheats the wind and looks terrific.' And for Autocar, all-new Astra's styling is 'the sportiest and most satisfying yet.'Fifth Gear found the sexier design 'curvaceous, contemporary and ever-so-subtly muscular... as stylish as the very first Astra was in 1979 [with] no bad angles, something that can't be said of many cars.'Among its many strengths, according to Auto Trader, is a new front profile which 'looks sleeker and smoother', while 'the coupe-like roofline and smart side creases make for a distinctive and premium profile, complete with a handsome rear and chunky proportions.' CAR Magazine was similarly taken with the new design's classy, expensive appearance, applauding the way in which the best styling cues from the sleek, contemporary Insignia 'have been reinterpreted to create a shape still clearly Astra.'