Identifying Vauxhalls USP has long been the problem I think and creating a compelling reason to buy a Vauxhall in the face of years of anonymity and mediocrity is going to be a tough. This model definitely deserves to succeed though, it looks fantastic particularly up against the frumpy and grumpy Golf. In the colour/trim combo on test here, I can’t think of a better looking car in its class. Really really good looking machine and the first genuinely desirable Vauxhall in a long long time.
I can. Peugeot 308, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 are all much better looking and much more stylish. Saying that the Opel certainly has a nicer dash than the Corolla but not the other two.
Am I the only one who saw the left hand drive vauxhall for the first time? Until now Opel had the steering wheel on the left and Vauxhall on the right side in Europe.
Looks stunning. Seeing a little bit of Camaro in the styling. Having said that, piano black interiors are the pits. Especially when they put it in parts of the car that are easily scuffed like centre consoles. I test drove the previous version and even the showroom model had deep scratches in the shiny plastic.
Thanks Vicki - a great down to earth review. Well they've made a previously dull car slightly interesting and you can certainly see its links to peugeot, but what does it offer that I actually might want? Those good finance deals will do nothing to help the resale value so I think I'll get one in a years time for 9 shillings and sixpence!
Nice one Vicky, great photography and drone footage. This is certainly a big step up in terms of styling and that certainly puts it apart from the others in the class. I guess the takeaway is that it's good at everything it needs to do (excluding the brakes that you mention) but other cars in the competition will be better in different areas. The competition from the VW group tends to slightly pigeon hole brands, VW - slightly better build quality and materials but arguably more spartan in standard equipment for the price, Seat for being slightly more sporty and arguably more youthful at the expense of ride quality and Skoda for perceived better value but a lot more space at the expense of outright style dynamics This car might just make it as a jack of all trades.
There’s no bad cars nowadays… There’s just ugly cars and beautiful cars… while I am, and have always been a Golf fan… I have no alternative but truthfully say that I would pick the Astra… the golf while brilliant… comes second in the segment for me. I will never call the golf ugly you see (too loyal I guess)… but golf is not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination… while dare I say… the Astra’s sex appeal has more than just beauty going for it - it has brains too! Love it! For the first time (as far as I’m concerned) I pick the Astra hands down. Well done Opel!
Does seem a little long. I charged a Kuga PHEV with 14.4kwh battery (though I think you can only actually use 75% of it) and that took 3 hours. I guess they have very conservative charging profiles to protect the lifespan on the battery.
Regen? I thought this plug in hybrid didn't have regenerative braking? Anyway, what I want to know and what nobody seems to be able to tell me it's what's the mpg for the hybrid version once the battery has run out?
Black plastic trim that scratches easily gives the dealers chance to say no it’s marked devalue the car when you hand it back maybe shiny metal looking would be better
USP is as it always has been in "Opel" - the COMBINATION... of everything... together... Everyone is looking for a single huge extreme detail as being the USP and many cars have what attracts attention with one or two such details, but it is a mistake to be fooled by these single extreme details because the rest of the car is usually quite empty... In these "USP cars" with extreme characteristics you get Very much collected on only a few things and very little... on everything... else. In for exampel this Astra you get a lot everywhere THAT is the USP... a much smarter choice, but not many people think so far. Extreme USP details are actually there on purpose to deceive you... an illusion, a trick that a magician performs in a magic show... he makes you put your attention on a big event, while he performs the real trick itself where you not watch... exactly the same trick is used by many car manufacturers for to trick customers into not seeing flaws and weaknesses in the cars by drawing attention to some HUGE extreme detail.
This looks great - to be fair, the insignia tourer also looks great but I never see any - the GSI even better. It’s a shame as the design department are clearly doing their job properly
The inevitability of me pulling you up for having said inevitableness. I sometimes feed the birds. They say, 'There's Mike, he got O Level English Language, is quite handsome but a fairly horrid person'.
I have a top of the range Astra as a company car. It’s very nice and will be replaced over the next couple of months. I’m not sure I’m as sold on the styling and interior as Vicki though? Maybe it’s better in the metal?
Yes, I agree. They did not mention the Head up display (HUD), the 360 camera, the sunroof, the heated / ventilated / massage seats, the heated windshield, the safety features ... to be honest, I'm not sure this review taught me anything at all. I think the electric hype has gotten so much into people's heads these days that they can't see anything else. Sad. It's all about EV and plug-in and battery charge and nothing else.
I see a lot of shiny black on the exterior and interior. 🤮 Why is that the new standard with new cars. It will be full of scratches within 6 month of use. Thx but no thx and that's a shame because i think it's a beautiful car.
WHATS THE GLOVEBOX GOING TO BE LIKE ON RIGHT HAND DRIVE CARS... Have to see about an electric version hopefully it's 6.5 to 7 seconds to 60 with 250 miles of real world range
As a Opel enthusiast Im really looking forward for the new Astra, really consider to buy or lease one if I can afforde it. One thing I miss tho is a lighter interior but you cant get everything 🙂 And as allways you make really good reviews, love the calm bakgrund music in this one.
A lighter interior is available in the basic models up to the equipment Elegance and AGR seats are standard. There are pictures of it but it is not possible link an address to them because you tube deletes all that contains an address...
Nice looking car. Just wondering if this phev is capable of towing 😜 I'm hoping to replace my Outlander far a smaller plugin capable of towing 1000kg caravan. Great review as always 👍
Why hide the Vauxhall badge? Be proud of your model don’t paint them black. For me the doors go to far up for my liking a bit more glass please and a lighter trim for seats and especially roof lining
The mark 7 was a great handling car! Looks like the Peugeot Astra has gone backwards in MANY AREA'S , Where's the space gone ??? Plenty of room in the back of my Mark7!!! and it drives very well indeed and with the 1.6 D between the front wheels its the ONLY car I've ever had that can actually get the MPG claimed!!!!!. This new one is a remoulded French thing! NO IF'S OR BUT'S that's what it is.
My Vauxhall had an engine block made from inferior metal. Vauxhall denied any liability and lost my full service history in the process - how very convenient. Had to pay for a new engine, as a consequence I would not touch another Vauxhall if they were the only car manufacturer on the planet.
I will be honest. If you will check the deals Vauxhall have the most expensive deals on the market. Good example with Mokka base model is starting around 290£ for lease or PCP for 10k miles per year. Second of all the price of the car is expensive. For less you can have seat Leon or Skoda. In my opinion Vauxhall is going in wrong direction. Not many people will spend that much money just to drive Astra. Especially during this time of high inflation. I am disappointed with Vauxhall
It’s owned by Peugeot and not GM last few years, GM like Saab run both companies into the ground with mediocrity and bad quality unreliable engineering.
I really liked it until i saw they had followed that weird trend of using a Poundland tablet for an instrument cluster. I’m not sure you’re supposed to change car settings or play the keyboard with those cabin controls. Didn’t get to the test drive if there was one. On the outside definitely one of my favourite styled mid hatch’s on the market but interior 🤢. The reason instrument clusters are reseeded is it to stop them illuminating the windscreen at night time & obscuring the view ahead. I once had a van some years ago that had a poorly designed instrument cluster. At night I had a much unwanted & irritating heads up display of the instrument cluster mirror imaged in my face & view ahead. Horrible!
Round my way these seem to be selling like hot cakes, seen quite alot them on the road and stranger still is they were on the roads before I even seen a single review on RUclips.
You can't really compare hatchbacks to the Office because the Octavia is more saloon than hatchback and you can't compare the Seat Leon to a hatchback because that's a cave 😀
Toyota Corolla could’ve been mentioned. I still sense a small bias towards vw group cars as they so similar. Looks decent & please stop this obsession with soft touch materials if car is reasonably priced.
I think Vauxhall has lost its way since being taken over by PSA. As nice as the new Astra, Corsa etc may be, the massive leap in design change is just that, a huge leap. Where is the evolution in the design? What I’m this design resembles ANYTHING of any previous Astra? Zero. It’s just a rebadged Citroen.
It has taken the look from 34 older Opel models, although not so much Vauxhall, the oldest from 1956, instead of from a single, it is more impressive than if it were just a variant of the Astra. But it is certainly similar to 1980-84.
Maybe it’s the colour but I think it looks horrible, that front grill looks like it’s run into something and the rear looks just like a new Golf. We had an Astra G and J and although you could argue they are quite boring they’ve aged much better than this will (the Astra J looks less contrived than this) but I’m sure the car itself will drive just like every other modern hatch
I think it's dull. A Mazda 3 is a much nicer design or a Puegeot 308 or a Skoda Octavia or a Toyota Corrola although the Astra has a nicer dash than the Corolla. A Seat Leon is nicer to look at too.
Vauxhall is long discredited so why would anyone spend their money on what is now rehashed questionable quality Peugeot’s. French are looking for their Vw equivalent of Seat and Skoda to their company. No thanks.
A Peugeot ☝️only different badge👎🏻copies and copies. Car designers try something else beautiful not copies from each other everything looks the same….☝️
One of the best car reviewers I’ve come across, many thanks for your opinions and thoughts.
Great balanced, easy to listen to review thanks Vicki
Glad you enjoyed it!
Identifying Vauxhalls USP has long been the problem I think and creating a compelling reason to buy a Vauxhall in the face of years of anonymity and mediocrity is going to be a tough. This model definitely deserves to succeed though, it looks fantastic particularly up against the frumpy and grumpy Golf. In the colour/trim combo on test here, I can’t think of a better looking car in its class. Really really good looking machine and the first genuinely desirable Vauxhall in a long long time.
I can. Peugeot 308, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 are all much better looking and much more stylish. Saying that the Opel certainly has a nicer dash than the Corolla but not the other two.
Go home Boy
Never have really liked Vauxhall's per say BUT this is stunning
Not even astra H?
Am I the only one who saw the left hand drive vauxhall for the first time?
Until now Opel had the steering wheel on the left and Vauxhall on the right side in Europe.
Looks stunning. Seeing a little bit of Camaro in the styling. Having said that, piano black interiors are the pits. Especially when they put it in parts of the car that are easily scuffed like centre consoles. I test drove the previous version and even the showroom model had deep scratches in the shiny plastic.
All my Leafs have had piano black shinies and never scratched any of them. I think if you’re not a maniac throwing keys about it isn’t an issue
It's looks set it apart. Most of us tend to overlook some small shortfalls if you love the way a car looks.
You have an excellent presentation style. Factual and to the point.
Thank you kindly
Thanks Vicki - a great down to earth review. Well they've made a previously dull car slightly interesting and you can certainly see its links to peugeot, but what does it offer that I actually might want? Those good finance deals will do nothing to help the resale value so I think I'll get one in a years time for 9 shillings and sixpence!
Nice one Vicky, great photography and drone footage. This is certainly a big step up in terms of styling and that certainly puts it apart from the others in the class. I guess the takeaway is that it's good at everything it needs to do (excluding the brakes that you mention) but other cars in the competition will be better in different areas. The competition from the VW group tends to slightly pigeon hole brands, VW - slightly better build quality and materials but arguably more spartan in standard equipment for the price, Seat for being slightly more sporty and arguably more youthful at the expense of ride quality and Skoda for perceived better value but a lot more space at the expense of outright style dynamics This car might just make it as a jack of all trades.
Glad you enjoyed the review
The FIRST Vauxhall I have ever wanted to own....
The most beautiful in class.
I wish we could see a comparison with the base model. Most people can’t afford the top of the range.
It would look even better in black
There’s no bad cars nowadays…
There’s just ugly cars and beautiful cars… while I am, and have always been a Golf fan… I have no alternative but truthfully say that I would pick the Astra… the golf while brilliant… comes second in the segment for me.
I will never call the golf ugly you see (too loyal I guess)… but golf is not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination… while dare I say… the Astra’s sex appeal has more than just beauty going for it - it has brains too! Love it!
For the first time (as far as I’m concerned) I pick the Astra hands down.
Well done Opel!
Like the design of the new Astra, don't like the touch screen or the dashboard. The seat's look nice and comfortable.
Why does it take 4 hrs with the optional 7,4 KW faster charging to fill up a 12.4 Kw/h battery?
Does seem a little long. I charged a Kuga PHEV with 14.4kwh battery (though I think you can only actually use 75% of it) and that took 3 hours. I guess they have very conservative charging profiles to protect the lifespan on the battery.
Regen? I thought this plug in hybrid didn't have regenerative braking? Anyway, what I want to know and what nobody seems to be able to tell me it's what's the mpg for the hybrid version once the battery has run out?
Lovely new Astra looks good and vikki even better model 😀
Looks much nicer than the focus put it that way 🙌🏻
Fords interior is terrible now. So we’ll done to Vauxhall
Black plastic trim that scratches easily gives the dealers chance to say no it’s marked devalue the car when you hand it back maybe shiny metal looking would be better
USP is as it always has been in "Opel" - the COMBINATION... of everything... together... Everyone is looking for a single huge extreme detail as being the USP and many cars have what attracts attention with one or two such details, but it is a mistake to be fooled by these single extreme details because the rest of the car is usually quite empty...
In these "USP cars" with extreme characteristics you get Very much collected on only a few things and very little... on everything... else.
In for exampel this Astra you get a lot everywhere THAT is the USP...
a much smarter choice, but not many people think so far.
Extreme USP details are actually there on purpose to deceive you... an illusion, a trick that a magician performs in a magic show... he makes you put your attention on a big event, while he performs the real trick itself where you not watch... exactly the same trick is used by many car manufacturers for to trick customers into not seeing flaws and weaknesses in the cars by drawing attention to some HUGE extreme detail.
The USP is a good car that is desirable! It’s the first time that I can say that about a Vauxhall.
It looks good, but I'd choose a DS4 over this in a heartbeat.
Left hand driven Vauxhall?? Where will they be sold? Nice review!
This looks great - to be fair, the insignia tourer also looks great but I never see any - the GSI even better. It’s a shame as the design department are clearly doing their job properly
The inevitability of me pulling you up for having said inevitableness. I sometimes feed the birds. They say, 'There's Mike, he got O Level English Language, is quite handsome but a fairly horrid person'.
I love this car. Only downside is the rear indicators. Too small and makes me question whether safe enough
I have a top of the range Astra as a company car. It’s very nice and will be replaced over the next couple of months. I’m not sure I’m as sold on the styling and interior as Vicki though? Maybe it’s better in the metal?
one of the best looking new cars out there
I like the review but wish you would have touched a bit more on the features that come with it
Yes, I agree. They did not mention the Head up display (HUD), the 360 camera, the sunroof, the heated / ventilated / massage seats, the heated windshield, the safety features ... to be honest, I'm not sure this review taught me anything at all. I think the electric hype has gotten so much into people's heads these days that they can't see anything else. Sad. It's all about EV and plug-in and battery charge and nothing else.
I see a lot of shiny black on the exterior and interior. 🤮 Why is that the new standard with new cars. It will be full of scratches within 6 month of use. Thx but no thx and that's a shame because i think it's a beautiful car.
Excellent review
Thank you kindly
Wow,what a ball show,very cool,but this will be the newest incarnation of all generations,so l just have to thank God because he won me over.
I read the Focus handles better, and can believe it.
This car deserves a v6 or at least a 4 inline with 200+ hp, no hybrid.
Very good looking car but let down by the poorly designed and unreliable Stellantis/Peugeot/Citroen puretech engines.
You mean the Purecrap engine 😉
WHATS THE GLOVEBOX GOING TO BE LIKE ON RIGHT HAND DRIVE CARS... Have to see about an electric version hopefully it's 6.5 to 7 seconds to 60 with 250 miles of real world range
Good honest review. Why a ups? Good allrounder with buttons. Vw can learn from that.
Greetings from the Netherlands
Thanks for watching!
How much horse power does it have?
Astra has ways been a great car, absolutely bulletproof
As a Opel enthusiast Im really looking forward for the new Astra, really consider to buy or lease one if I can afforde it.
One thing I miss tho is a lighter interior but you cant get everything 🙂
And as allways you make really good reviews, love the calm bakgrund music in this one.
Glad you found the review helpful.
A lighter interior is available in the basic models up to the equipment Elegance and AGR seats are standard. There are pictures of it but it is not possible link an address to them because you tube deletes all that contains an address...
@@Djeseret Thanks mate, didt see that in the broschyr but will look it up 😊
The best since the MKII Astra?
Does it have a spare wheel and do the rear fold flat to the boot line.
Lovely car 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Why in the US and UK, Opel calls Vauxhall?
Nice car looking cool
Nice looking car. Just wondering if this phev is capable of towing 😜
I'm hoping to replace my Outlander far a smaller plugin capable of towing 1000kg caravan. Great review as always 👍
Those who know, are sticking with the 4 cylinder K Turbos.
Why hide the Vauxhall badge? Be proud of your model don’t paint them black. For me the doors go to far up for my liking a bit more glass please and a lighter trim for seats and especially roof lining
The mark 7 was a great handling car!
Looks like the Peugeot Astra has gone backwards in MANY AREA'S , Where's the space gone ??? Plenty of room in the back of my Mark7!!! and it drives very well indeed and with the 1.6 D between the front wheels its the ONLY car I've ever had that can actually get the MPG claimed!!!!!. This new one is a remoulded French thing! NO IF'S OR BUT'S that's what it is.
Looks like it has gone back to the HV viva square looks
My Vauxhall had an engine block made from inferior metal. Vauxhall denied any liability and lost my full service history in the process - how very convenient. Had to pay for a new engine, as a consequence I would not touch another Vauxhall if they were the only car manufacturer on the planet.
Fab looking car! Great features too!
I had an Astra back in the 90s but it was a verrrry boring machine. This new model looks very stylish.
i dont like this astra i like my old astra better but good review
So with the Peugeot tie up they have now built an unreliable Astra
I will be honest. If you will check the deals Vauxhall have the most expensive deals on the market. Good example with Mokka base model is starting around 290£ for lease or PCP for 10k miles per year. Second of all the price of the car is expensive. For less you can have seat Leon or Skoda. In my opinion Vauxhall is going in wrong direction. Not many people will spend that much money just to drive Astra. Especially during this time of high inflation. I am disappointed with Vauxhall
Only if GM would sell it here in the US, then they wouldn’t be losing that much money.
It’s owned by Peugeot and not GM last few years, GM like Saab run both companies into the ground with mediocrity and bad quality unreliable engineering.
Looks good on the outside. Then it's ruined by that big glossy black plastic dash.
I really liked it until i saw they had followed that weird trend of using a Poundland tablet for an instrument cluster. I’m not sure you’re supposed to change car settings or play the keyboard with those cabin controls. Didn’t get to the test drive if there was one. On the outside definitely one of my favourite styled mid hatch’s on the market but interior 🤢. The reason instrument clusters are reseeded is it to stop them illuminating the windscreen at night time & obscuring the view ahead. I once had a van some years ago that had a poorly designed instrument cluster. At night I had a much unwanted & irritating heads up display of the instrument cluster mirror imaged in my face & view ahead. Horrible!
I'll stick with my f30 320d on a 12 plate 30 quid a year road tax 60 mpg fast as well ,who needs electric!!
No thanks !!!
I never say about a car is just a road furniture if I'm dressed just like a furniture ...
Possible return of the family car? Goodbye SUV’s 🤞🏻
The front end looks like a Chevrolet Camaro 👍
Real climate control switchgear ....sold
Round my way these seem to be selling like hot cakes, seen quite alot them on the road and stranger still is they were on the roads before I even seen a single review on RUclips.
No mention of the power or performance which is a big deal breaker for most. We can all see the aesthetics but can't see the performance.
Charging times are ridiculous, on standard 7kw home charger this shouldn't take more than 2 hours to fully charge
Very very nice car
I have a 16 turbo Astra 18 top spec always have had Astras but this one no thanks pug looks terrible inside and out
Rear similar to the Lexus CT
You can't really compare hatchbacks to the Office because the Octavia is more saloon than hatchback and you can't compare the Seat Leon to a hatchback because that's a cave 😀
I can't understand why Vauxhall didn't make an Astra EV before the petrol an diesel? The have made the mokka
Because the petrol and diesel versions will outsell the EV version several times over...
What your saying about presence etc it’s coz the Colour .
Toyota Corolla could’ve been mentioned. I still sense a small bias towards vw group cars as they so similar. Looks decent & please stop this obsession with soft touch materials if car is reasonably priced.
Carola simply not in the same class as Astra, Golf, Leon etc so that probably why it's not mentioned.
@@michaelflinn7784 Incorrect. Corolla is a C segment car like the Astra, Golf and Focus.
@@TheIceMurder2 the Carola is definitely a c segment car but it's not in the same class as the other cars mentioned. By this I mean stature etc
Opel and Vauxhall are in better hands now, the PSA group make for a better car than any using GM - at least for the European market.
So, you're gonna shoot a professional car review video, and you decide to wear that?
I think Vauxhall has lost its way since being taken over by PSA. As nice as the new Astra, Corsa etc may be, the massive leap in design change is just that, a huge leap. Where is the evolution in the design? What I’m this design resembles ANYTHING of any previous Astra? Zero. It’s just a rebadged Citroen.
It has taken the look from 34 older Opel models, although not so much Vauxhall, the oldest from 1956, instead of from a single, it is more impressive than if it were just a variant of the Astra.
But it is certainly similar to 1980-84.
Maybe it’s the colour but I think it looks horrible, that front grill looks like it’s run into something and the rear looks just like a new Golf. We had an Astra G and J and although you could argue they are quite boring they’ve aged much better than this will (the Astra J looks less contrived than this) but I’m sure the car itself will drive just like every other modern hatch
con los motores de psa no creo que te dure mucho
Give me the mark 7 Astra K over this new Astra anyday.
I think it's dull. A Mazda 3 is a much nicer design or a Puegeot 308 or a Skoda Octavia or a Toyota Corrola although the Astra has a nicer dash than the Corolla. A Seat Leon is nicer to look at too.
It's a peogeot
It’s a Peugeot, no such thing as a Vauxhall
All the large manufacturers use platform sharing now. It's hardly unique to stelantis
Vauxhall is long discredited so why would anyone spend their money on what is now rehashed questionable quality Peugeot’s. French are looking for their Vw equivalent of Seat and Skoda to their company. No thanks.
mope.. it looks like lada
It looks good but the petrol engines are utter c**p, 1.2 with 3 cylinders
Just another PSG clone, Vauxhall in name only
Too much tech by far. Nice enough looking motor, but not having proper dials makes it a non starter for me.
What cars have analog dials in this sector?
Chevrolet Camaro front end lol
To expensive I bet.
Looking forward to full electric Astra
It’s a cool looking car. But people will buy golfs. How boring.
Vauxhall do not have a very good reputation!
It's a PSG car. vauxhall is dead.
She's a bit of a geezer me think!
But to be fair... it is shite.
A Peugeot ☝️only different badge👎🏻copies and copies. Car designers try something else beautiful not copies from each other everything looks the same….☝️
It seems incredibly average… just like every other Vauxhall. Boring, bland & uninspiring