Vauxhall Astra review

It's an easy and satisfying car to thread through bends. The steering has good proportional response, natural self-centring and even a suspicion of road feel. Push harder and the rear tyres take up their share and follow the arc rather than shoving the fronts into early understeer. The extra weight of the hybrid is noticeable but not crippling.

The ride is a bit taut, but it's not crashy or noisy so the suspension will mostly fade into the background of passengers' consciousness. Wind and road noise is nicely suppressed too. You've got very welcome Vauxhall soundproofing to thank for that.

Remind me of the variants...

The 1.2 engine is familiar from dozens of Stellantis cars, and feels its usual self here. Two states of tune are available in the UK: a 108bhp version that'll hit 0-60mph in 10.5 seconds, and a 128bhp alternative that cuts that to 9.7s. Only the latter is available with an auto, but sprint time remains the same. Top speed is 124 and 130mph respectively. It's characterfully chatty and decently lusty in the mid-revs, if a bit too vocal towards 6,000rpm.

The entry-level hybrid is much quieter, and you're seldom conscious of the engine/electric motor. But full-on performance isn't leagues better than the 1.2 manual, because of the extra mass – all told it's almost 340kg heavier – and 0-60mph in 7.7 seconds is… meh. We also saw mixed results in electric only mode, a high of 27 miles first time round, and a low of 19 miles second time round. Weird. But even after the 12.4kWh battery's depleted, it's still more economical than the 1.2 in the real world, and you should see a decent advance on the mid-40s we achieved in the petrol.

How does the GSe compare?

Ah, yes. The Astra GSe is the first car to wear Vauxhall’s new performance car sub-brand badge and on paper it looks the part, with its 222bhp hybrid powertrain, recalibrated steering, 10mm lower ride height and unique suspension set-up.

Except... it’s not that quick. It only manages the 0-62mph sprint two tenths quicker than the standard PHEV, while the eight-speed gearbox is very hesitant and almost immediately overrides any input you give it using the steering wheel paddles.

The steering is also very lifeless, and while putting it in Sport mode adds weight there’s still little feedback. The one noticeable improvement is when cornering, with improved grip and very little bodyroll, and negligible impact on ride and comfort.

Overall the feeling is of warm hatch identity rather than hot, with the GSe ultimately lacking the appeal and engagement of GSi performance models of old. A missed opportunity perhaps, with little reason to recommend it over the regular PHEV.

Shame. And the diesel?

Available in just one state of tune - a 1.5-litre four-cylinder mated to an eight-speed auto gearbox - it outputs 128bhp and a healthy 221lb ft of torque, resulting in a 0-62mph in 10.6 seconds. It’s noticeably more chattery compared to the petrol, especially when idling, and while pleasantly nippy around town it’s most comfortable when cruising.

The standout figure however is a claimed 64.2mpg, and in doing many motorway miles we even managed to better that with an indicated 67.1mpg. However, this figure started to plummet (along with the estimated range) in stop/start traffic in central London. As you'd expect.

Unless you're doing big miles, then, we reckon the average buyer's best bet is the standard petrol, or the non-GSe plug-in hybrid for the eco-conscious.