Vauxhall Astra Review
Published: 15th April 2005
Vauxhall Astra
The three-spoke leather covered steering wheel column is adjustable for reach and rake and incorporates the audio controls keeping your hands safely on the wheel.
The SRi model has electric front windows with safety autoreverse and one-touch facility, twin electrically adjustable heated door mirrors (wide angle on the drivers side) and manually folding door mirrors.
Air-conditioning with rear passenger compartment heating ducts is standard as is a pollen filter which which prevents dirt, dust and pollen from entering the cabin.
How It Looks - Exterior
The new Astra's design is both bold and modern and incorporates the unmistakable Vauxhall V-shape corporate nose and styling characteristics that include the elegant crease line that runs from the radiator grille into the cabin and on down the rear of the car.
The rear of the car features large rear tail lamps which with the help of special plastic particles provides improved illumination over conventional lights. At night the indicators are easier to see and the reversing lights increase the drivers field of vision when reversing which is ideal for country lanes or dark side streets.
Body coloured bumpers, door mirrors, door handles and side moulding's are standard. Tinted glass, rear spoiler, visible stainless steel exhaust tailpipe, front fog lights and the standard 17" alloys wheels with 215/45 R 17 low profile tyres further accentuate the SRi models overall appearance.
How It Looks - Interior
The interior styling of the Vauxhall Astra SRi is modern, stylish, functional and uncluttered with chunky and tactile switchgear. The charcoal interior plastics were of a good quality and are enhanced with a metallic/carbon fibre effect trim. The leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob are tactile and the speedometer, rev counter and fuel indicator are backlit and have matt chrome rings. The SRi model features aluminium pedals for added sports appearance.
Our test car featured charcoal leather sports seats and matching leather door inserts. Both the seat fabric and carpets were good quality and should prove durable in the long term.
In Car Entertainment and Satellite Navigation
Our test car was equipped with the optional CDC 40 stereo radio with Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) facility, FM and MW reception, integral six-disc CD autochanger and graphic information display with seven speakers and steering wheel mounted audio controls.
The CDC 40 is also equipped with Digital Sound Processing (DSP) which allows the user to adjust its seven-band graphic equaliser to find the perfect sound or, alternatively, select one of the preset sound modes such as Pop, Classical, Jazz or Speech.
This system is excellent and well worth the £450 cost.
Rivals
- BMW 1 Series, Citroen C4, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Peugeot 307, Renault Megane, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf and Volvo S40
/ 