Advantages: Space age looks (New Model 2004) Great Engine. Quality interior. Equipment
Disadvantages: Driving position. Ride & handling.

..., the paint all flaked off of it.) Whilst not having any intention whatsoever of buying a new Astra, due to its newness and sure to become ubiquity, this new model was at the top of last years "cars to drive list". Having experienced each model of Astra since the late 80's, and owning three convertibles in the early 90's, I approached this latest model with mixed feelings. My wife and I like the look of it, inside and out, it is vastly preferable in appearance to the latest, or any other, Vectra. The press reports so far have all been complementary; dynamically they say that it is class competitive with the new Golf, if not as sharp as the recently obsolete Focus. The model I chose to drive was a double test as it had one of GM's all new 1.7 CTDi engines under the bonnet. A brand new Astra, with a brand new engine, this does not very often... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Value for money, performance is great, economical in fuel, tax and insurance
Disadvantages: Not for the image conscious

...I recently bought this car and it is certainly a winner in my view. I previously owned a VW Golf, 1.9 TDI, and was tempted to by another one because it was a good motor. I was recomended an Astra and thought I may as well test drive it, what harm was there. I booked a drive and was instantly impressed. I not only found that this car handled just as well as the golf but also matched its performance (in terms of handling and response). I recently changed jobs and needed a newer car and being on a budget I knew that if I was to buy another Golf it would be older and I just wanted the reliability of a warranty. Just something to stop me worrying should something go wrong. The Astra Design has the added benefit is more luxurious than the standard spec Golf, or equivalent class of vehicle. The design comes with half leather, sports... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Styling, handling, performance
Disadvantages: Sat Nav display

...This is a review for the corsa SRi 1.7 CDTi but seeing as there is no category for it and i am new to this so dont know how to create one, i thought i would put it here. before Purchasing my Corsa i couyld find no reviews anywhere on the net for the new 1.7 CDTi variant, so hopefully this will help others!! ok well i took delivery of my corsa about 3 weeks ago and i still think it is superb. Its thebest car ive owned , so far!! I went for the CDTi engine, whcich is uprated from the SXi version to 100bhp, for a couple of reasons, mainly insurance and running costs. The performance of the engine is exellent, especially when the turbo kicks in which makes it great for overtaking. And there is no worrys if u go into a corner too fast the stifened and lowered suspension and fat tyresmeans tehres no problem, and if something jumps out... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Stylish, smooth and sexy
Disadvantages: Personally, couldn't find any!

...I personally think you can never go wrong with a corsa, easy to drive, very stylish to look at, not a boy racer car, but not too girly, not to mention reliable and cheap to run. I recently test drove the new vauxhall corsa SRi 1.7CDTi 16v when deciding on what new car to purchase for myself. I was very torn between this model and another corsa, I ended up buying the other but it was a very close contest. Driving this car was enjoyable, smooth and easy. The 1.7 turbodiesel engine ensured top class power and performance, and the car includes all the standard extras that are now expected in a new car. (E.g air conditioning, alarm, CD player, alloy wheels, central locking, power steering, the list goes on....) The car is very reasonably priced (around £11,000) in my opinion you would definately get what you pay for, if not more... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Stylish, Comfortable, Sporty, Distinctive
Disadvantages: Small Boot

...I am currently the driver of a Breeze Blue 1.7CDTi SXi (100ps) 5 Door Hatchback which when I first aquired the car in October 2004 I wasn't very impressed, this however as changed. It's wonderful. The company I work for gave me the choice of a Ford Focus in various syles and Engine Sizes , and also the New Astra, having previously driven a Focus I stumped for the Astra. I can't put my finger on what I didn't like about at first it just didn't feel right, the driving position felt awkward, the seats were hard and un forgiving. But this all changed when I had to do a 700mile round trip to Penzance from Sheffield. I didn't feel very tired, I didn't have the usual aches and pains I normal got from long cars journeys in the past and to top it all off I didn't stop for any diesel until I got to Chesterfield on the way home which worked out... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Roomy, versatile, flexible and fast enough
Disadvantages: Firm ride, hard seats

...be called a Tardis! Would it be a let down form the Mondeo? I didn't think so. It looks roomy, versatile, flexible and fast enough. So how to buy one. A Vauxhall Partner's discount from my daughter's employer and my GM card with a good woj of rebate points off the price, no questions asked. Down to £10k on the road! Some redundancy money paid the deposit and on top of all that, Vauxhall offered 3 years interest free payments! Got one! A Meriva Life 1.7CDTi. I didn't even choose a colour - chose the first one in the pipeline with air con - no other added options. It arrived last December & I've done over 8k miles now. What's it like? - A brilliant package - good looking & practical (like me. The passenger area is surprisingly roomy and the rear seats can be switched from 3 to 2 seater and moved backwards in the process. (I love gadgets... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Comfortable, looks great, VERY economical
Disadvantages: Can be too "electronic"

...My dad had a choice of new company cars. These ranged from the Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Fiesta through the Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus to the Vauxhall Vectra and Ford Mondeo. In the end, he decided to go for the Vauxhall Astra Club 1.7 CDTI (100 HP) hatchback in pearlescent black paint. First impressions are great. It's a fantastically good looking car and bears a resemblance to the new VW Golf. The interior styling is very modern and it feels quite solid - a world away from the previous Astra which was dull and boring. The seats are supportive and comfortable - I drove 250 miles and got out of the car as comfortable as if I'd just popped up to the shops. The equipment levels are very good with electric front windows, air-con and alloy wheels standard on the Club. It can be too electronic at times - turning on the headlights... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Good Milage and Very Quick
Disadvantages: Lots of road noise, manual windows

...I got my astra van as a company vehicle last year as i work in IT and need to shift light to heavy loads between various places. Now i wasnt convinced about getting a van as i would have rather had an estate car or a hatch back but im getting used to it, so where to start from a potential buyers point of view. Well mine has just been in for its first service which is every 20000 miles or 1 year on the road. that concerns me as even if you have roadside cover a lot can go wrong doing that many miles, so i say keep a bit of oil handy my light started to come on at about 18000 miles. Luckily for me no breakdowns upto now. Ok whats it like to drive, well the CDTI engine has a lot of beans in it, and pulling away from any junction or roundabout is very nippy, as for motorwar driving i cant compliment it enough on the power being... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Drives Nice, Great Economy, Cheap Tax, Cheap Insurance
Disadvantages: Not as quick as some.

...I bought this car in November 2005, to replace a rather thirsty, but fun Ford Probe. Due mainly to the fact that I do a 40 mile round trip to work every day, which was costing over £40 per week in petrol, I decided to forget performance, and get a Diesel. I test drove several cars, Golfs, Mondeos, Citroens and the like. I had never considered an Astra, as the Cavalier I had several years ago was the most unreliable car I've ever seen. On a budget of £3500, I was looking to get the newest, best condition car available. 406's, Mondeos (newer ones) and Golfs were all either well out of my price range, or had huge miles. I spotted the Astra 1.7Dti Envoy in Autotrader, at £3495, in Silver, 81,000 miles, with Full Service History, and one owner, on a 2001 Y plate. This was the best condition car I had looked at, by a country mile... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Stylish and cheap
Disadvantages: No safety features

...! There is a viewing window so you can see how far you have filled the kettle when on its stand. The kettle’s maximum capacity is 1.7 litres though I have over filled it a number of times and it doesn’t explode. This is a safety issue because overfilling may cause boiling water to shoot out of the spout before the kettle before it switches off. There is nothing special about this kettle, it is cheap and does what a kettle should and nothing more. Some kettles have a built in features which means that if the kettle has been recently boiled the lid cannot be opened as this may cause hot water to splash on the user. Considering that this kettle’s capacity is quite large, not the largest on the market, opening the lid when the kettle has recently been boiled could cause some serious damage. Since we have had this kettle it has been used every day... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful