Suzette Richards' Thoughts on the New Astra

The new Astra is as functional as it is stylish. The interior is well thought out and well laid out. The boot space is excellent, especially with the folding seat arrangements and extra compartments under the boot floor. Flat loading space without a lip is a boon to anyone that has to carry awkward loads. The sprung bumpers are designed to allow for small parking knocks without costing you an arm and a leg.

Seating is comfortable and supportive. Instrumentation is clear and well laid out. Steering is smooth and responsive. Had I known just how well the car handled in the ESP demonstration I would have chucked it around the hill loop with more gusto! Even without ESP and 4 people in the car it just gripped and was hard to unsettle it. Justin was trying very hard to do just this. With ESP it was even better. You'd have to be very determined to crash this car. If you do, it has a 5* NCAP score to protect you.

My favourite feature is the adaptive lighting which allows more light to shine sideways in built up areas so you can see pedestrians and the kerb much more easily. The automatic full beam function is also a brilliant idea. My least favourite feature is the ambient lighting. It seemed a bit of a gimmick rather than a useful addition to the car. Also the handbrake is too close to the gear lever so that you can pinch a finger if you let off the handbrake in the conventional manner.

The new Astra compared well to its competitors. The Focus was let down by ride noise and poor handling. The steering was sloppy and didn't give you any confidence in the car. The diesel engine was also very noisy. This was the first Focus I had driven and it was a massive let down. The Astra 1.6 was under powered in my honest opinion so the diesel 1.7 is probably the best car to go for as it was significantly quieter than the Focus TDci and had enough punch to make the car feel brisk. The ride in the Astra felt more fluid. Steering was slightly softer than on the Civic. The Civic was mainly let down by the dash display that belonged in a teenage boy's bedroom. Ride, handling and performance I liked on the Civic and preferred it to the lower powered 1.6 petrol Astra.

The Astra 2.2 diesel was a different kettle of fish altogether and won out the day being my favourite as a passenger and my guest's favourite as a driver.