Car: Vauxhall Astra Estate range
Prices: £15,790 - £21,490- on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-16
Emissions: 119–185g/km
Performance: [100bhp CDTi] Max Speed 112mph / 0-60mph 11.5s
Fuel Consumption: [100bhp CDTi] (urban) 43.5mpg / (extra urban) 65.7mpg / (combined) 55.4mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS
Dimensions: Length/width/heightmm 4375/2030/1460mm
A MORE GENEROUS ESTATE
Our Rating: 7.0 / 10
Size may not be everything but in the estate market it’s still a big deal. Andy Enright sizes up Vauxhall’s current Astra Estate…
If you’re in the market for a compact estate car, Vauxhall may well have your number. Whether you knew it or not, that number is 1,570. That’s the amount of cubic litres of space in the back of the latest Astra estate with the rear seats folded down and it’s a big number. Bigger than you might expect of an Astra estate but then this car does have a trick or two up its sleeve.
When the Astra hatch was announced, Vauxhall made great play of the fact that they could design a sleek, sexy looking car without too much emphasis on overall practicality, due in no small part to the fact that they could rely on their more practical cars like the Zafira for the more family-friendly duties. Therefore when they announced an estate version of the hatch, many jumped to the conclusion that it would be something of a half measure. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, we should have seen this one coming. When Vauxhall announced the Vectra estate, they used the stretched chassis of the Signum as a basis, this giving excellent load lugging abilities and ample passenger room. They’ve adopted a similar tack with the Astra estate, using a stretched version of the Astra hatch chassis with another nine centimetres stitched into the car’s wheelbase and longer rear overhangs to give a fairly spacious luggage compartment. Although rivals from Ford, Peugeot and Renault may be able to offer more in the way of total volume, the Vauxhall counters by dint of its sheer practicality.
For a start, the load bay has straight side walls and storage areas below the floor and in either side, maximising the amount of genuinely useable space available. A stainless steel rim protects the conveniently low boot sill from scratches. The rear bench seat splits 60/40 although there is an option of a nattier 40/20/40 split system. Vauxhall’s FlexOrganiser is also offered as an option. This system organises the rear loading space into separate compartments and now features horizontal side rails in anodised aluminium. We tried in vain but could not find a FluxCapacitor anywhere on Vauxhall’s long options list for the Astra Estate.
An automatic levelling system, a trailer stability program and Hill Start Assist, on the other hand, can be specified. Flat roof rails, which will also be familiar to Signum customers, are fitted as standard. Choose between black and silver. The estate’s styling is integrated and sleek, the longer wheelbase giving it real presence. The rear light clusters are distinctive, with an angular three-dimensional look that clearly differentiates the rump of the Estate version.
Load lugger or otherwise, Vauxhall haven’t compromised the Astra estate’s driving dynamics and it’s fitted with the same advanced suspension system as the hatch. It’s the first car in its class to feature Continuous Damping Control (CDC), electronically controlled shock absorbers that continuously adapt to the road surface and the driver’s style. It’s all part of what Vauxhall dub the Astra’s ‘Interactive Driving System’ (IDS) that can integrate all of the electronic functions in a way that’s a good deal cleverer that you might think.
For example, the ESP stability control system beefs up the damper forces first before applying the brakes to the front wheels during extreme cornering manoeuvres making for a more sensitive and less intrusive intervention. Upspec models also feature a ‘Sport’ button so that the suspension settings, accelerator and steering response can
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