A COUPÉ-LIKE rear and a blend of crisp and smooth lines combine to give Vauxhall's all-new Astra the edge on looks over its biggest rival.
The sixth-generation Astra family hatchback is undoubtedly a better looking and sexier profile than the Ford Focus.
The design brief from Vauxhall was for “sporty and elegant”, and the Ellesmere Port-built car more than lives up to those expectations.
One can only hope the new Astra will still maintain its visual impact when Ford launches its new Focus in a year's time.
For the moment, though, the good-looking Astra can bask in a mist of golden praise, despite the uncertainty that has surrounded its parent company, General Motors.
The new Vauxhall Astra has much more street cred and road presence than its predecessor, which was far too conservative. The previous model was well-made, but boring . . . a familiar phrase.
The newcomer, which goes on sale next month, borrows a number of stylistics from its larger sibling, the Insignia, which has won praise for its handsome shape. But, while Vauxhall has been keen to embrace the family likeness, the small family hatch remains distinctively Astra-like.
The newcomer sits on a much bigger platform, which allows a longer wheelbase, which in turn provides extra cabin space over the outgoing model. The interior instantly felt much more spacious and belies the size of the compact hatchback.
From the word go, the Astra felt perfectly packaged. The seats are both well-sprung and well-shaped, the cockpit a coup in contemporary design and there's decent head and legroom, front and back.
The test car's 1.7 diesel engine felt brisk, particularly in mid-range, though the 123bhp unit (there's also a 110bhp unit) demonstrated reasonable muscle at low revs, too.
The 1.7 CDTi isn't particularly subdued, but still it's less vocal than several diesel engines new to the lower medium sector. It wasn't too noisy, though, and actually seemed less intrusive once the Astra was in motorway cruise mode.
The hatchback handles supremely and the Astra's grip, even on rutted S-routes, was highly impressive, while the ride, though firm, was amazingly smooth and comfortable.
Whatever was underfoot, the Astra always felt well-balanced and composed and along demanding switchback moorland roads the hatchback felt well-anchored to the ground and demonstrated superb grip.
The six-speed gearbox was a delight – smooth and slick – and in this SE trim mode has the bonus of an electronic handbrake. Top speed is 122mph, the 0-60mph sprint is 10.7 seconds, while official average economy is an amazing 60.1mpg.
The steering is the least inspiring aspect of the car, providing not a great deal of feedback, and the hefty A-pillars seem unnecessarily broad, but there's little else to quibble about this little hatch which has great style and poise.
The wraparound cabin style is sporty and modern, and the cockpit is beautifully laid out, with lashings of aluminium-look trim on the sloping console, dials, gear lever, door and door handles, which give the interior a premium feel.
