Vauxhall Astra TwinTop Review

Vauxhall Astra Review

The first sentence in the Astra TwinTop press-pack reads, ‘Today’s weather forecast is…irrelevant.’ How true.

Featuring the front end from the Astra Sport, the TwinTop is both a sleek, elegant coupe and a stylish Cabriolet. In coupe format the hard top looks so good and solid that a friend didn’t even realise that the top came down.

TwinTop is actually a bit of a misnomer as the roof is in three segments. This allows it to fold into a smaller space than the more normal two-piece, making more room inside the cabin and making an extended boot unnecessary.

The action is something to behold. I have seen many convertible roofs in action and I still find the mechanics fascinating but at the same time, I can’t help wondering what would happen if it all went wrong. There is manual operation but, thankfully, I didn’t have to put it to the test.

The TwinTop system is fully automatic. There are no latches to undo - it is simply a matter of pressing a button. The five electric motors whirr into action and the eight hydraulic cylinders do their stuff. The frameless windows drop a little, the boot lid yawns open while the roof lifts and separates into the three sections before stacking themselves neatly into the boot. All manner of parts slide and rotate before the boot lid closes, forming a very neat and aerodynamic cover.

Vauxhall Astra TwinTop