Astra is best of British (From Living Northeast)

Astra is best of British

2:48pm Friday 19th February 2010 in

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VAUXHALL ASTRA SE 1.7 CDTi Price: £21,406 THERE'S a small sticker in the back window of the Astra. Next to a Union Jack logo it says: "The new Astra. Built in Britain."

During the dark days of British Leyland, the UK motor industry was a familiar patron of the Last Chance Saloon. From the Metro onwards, every new BL car was billed as crucial to the company's future.

Rarely have the hopes and future of so many workers rested on just one car as they do with the Astra.

Without it, Vauxhall would have been firmly in the firing line when parent company General Motors sharpened the axe this month.

As it is, chief exective Nick Reilly has restricted UK job losses to around 500 - far less than the 4,000 expected to go at GM's German factories and the 2,300 likely to lose their jobs when the group's Antwerp plant, in Belgium, closes.

Why? Because the Astra is made at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant and it represents company's the best hope for a bright future.

More than 2.5 million Astras have been sold in the model's 30 year lifespan. Over here, it is the fourth most popular car ever sold.

No wonder GM has high hopes for the latest, and greatest, sixth generation Astra.

The first thing to say about this new car is how well the Insignia's styling has translated on the smaller hatchback.

The outgoing Astra was always a bit of a looker to my eyes, but this is something else.

The previous model's slabby panels have been replaced by a more curvaceous 'organic' look that successfully disguises the Astra's bulk and manages to make it look both lower and sportier.

The Insignia's concave door pressings have been reversed and the distinct swage line in the doors helps trick the eye into thinking the Astra is shorter than its predecessor. It's not, it's actually 18cm longer. The Astra sits on a wheelbase that's stretched by 7cm, to the betterment of legroom and pedestrian protection. It's also taller (1cm) and wider (3cm) with greater distance between the wheels for better stability and a "big car" ride.

Visually it's a triumph which instantly renders the Ford Focus about as trendy as a pair of tartan trousers.

The good news continues when you climb aboard. Vauxhall has used the Insignia's radically improved interior as the basis for the Astra so you get the same quality switches and impressive audio/climate control.

The chunky leather steering wheel is nice to hold and adjusts for reach as well as rake. The inner boss has extra controls for the standard cruise control, audio and telephony.

I liked the way the classy instruments sweep the dials when you switch on just like a superbike and the cool red ambient lighting around the centre console and in the doors lends a sophisticated air to travelling at night.

Getting comfy is a cinch thanks to a wide range of adjustments, but I'd rather have a knurled knob back rest adjuster than a hard-to-get-right lever.

I'm not a great fan of electric parking brakes - they save space but I prefer the feel an old-fashioned handbrake gives - but the version on the Astra is better than most. Hill-starts pose no problems.

Vauxhall has thrown the full range of gadgets and gizmos at the Astra range. The SE model on test was fitted with automatic windscreen wipers, an automatic dimming rear view mirror and auto high beam. The latter is somewhat controversial because it decides when to dip the Astra's main beam.

The system uses a camera-on-a-chip to automatically turn the high beams on or off according to surrounding conditions. The system, designed by the Gentex Corporation, has been around since 2004 but this is the first time beam assist has been used on a medium-sized European hatchback.

Generally it does a good job of detecting when there's an on-coming car but, once or twice, it took a few seconds longer than I would have done. On at least one occasion it provoked an angry flash of high beams from an approaching car. You can, at least, turn it off.

On balance, though, it's probably a handy addition for dozy drivers who forget to dip.

There's plenty of legroom in the rear seats and, although the middle passenger has to straddle a small "transmission tunnel", the seat base is wider and comfier than is the norm. The seat belt buckles have their own housings in the seat so they won't get tangled up.

The Astra's 1.7 CDTi diesel engine is very refined, especially when its warmed through. Cruising at the legal limit there's bags of performance in hand.

Advances in vehicle electronics allow car companies to change a car's personality at the press of a button. The Astra's 'Flexiride' variable damping system offers three possibilities: normal, touring and sport modes.

Switching on the sport mode really tightens the handling up.

There's an appreciable surge from the engine, too, with a sharper throttle response and a fruitier exhaust (although the latter may just have been my imagination).

I had a harder time spotting the changes made by touring mode, although the ride is marginally softer and the engine response languid to say the least.

Only a strange propensity for the door mirrors to pick up dirt like a Dyson picks up dust marred an otherwise exemplary performance.

Better looking, better performing, roomier and more comfortable, no wonder Vauxhall bosses are bullish about the company's prospects going forward.

Unlike so many other Brit hopes, this one really does look like a world beater.

SPEC CHECK: Engine: 1,686cc turbodiesel Max power: 125PS@4,000 rpm Max torque: 280Nm@2,300 rpm Max speed: 122 mph 0-60 mph: 10.7 seconds Fuel economy: 60.1 mpg combined CO2 emissions (g/km): 124 Road tax: £120 Equipment: Air conditioning, CD player with MP3/RDS radio, auxiliary-in socket for iPods etc, electric front/rear windows, cruise control, steering wheel audio controls, ambient lighting, electric 'hand' brake, rain sensitive wipers, trip computer, auto lighting control with tunnel detection, ultrasonic alarm.