Advantages: Rewarding Handling, Torquey Engine, Driving Position
Disadvantages: It's a Vauxhall, Depreciation

...usable and seems to have been put together properly. The driving position is good, I’m over six foot and can (just) fit comfortably, all the pedals are light which makes the car particularly easy to drive, however as I mentioned earlier the Vectra gear box means it can be difficult to change gear smoothly. Like the previous model the best aspect of this Astra is it’s engine. It may only be a 1.6 and has just 8 valves rather than 16, but it’s very torquey and pulls well, even when the estate is fully laden there is still enough grunt to overtake safely. It’s also a very responsive engine, which combined with plenty of grip and feel in the steering makes for fun driving if you can find a quick twisty road (A74 into Moffat). I never thought I’d ever say fun and Vauxhall in the same line! As for resale, well fortunately this is my parents... Read review

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Advantages: Price, fuel economy, cheap insurance, cheap parts, nice looking
Disadvantages: Drab uninspiring interior, basic equipment levels, horrible seat trim, needs the pokier 16v engine

...I had this car up until last year. It was a 2001 Mk 4 Astra Club in Metallic dark blue with a 1.6 8v engine. The engine to be honest was a major bone of contention for me, leading to me getting rid of the car and upgrading. The 1.6 8v is the same ageing engine used in the Cavalier and frankly just wasn't good enough in a modern car like this. Carrying on with the bad points, the other major bugbear with this car is the frankly awful interior. One gets the feeling vauxhall deliberatly choose the worse colours to use in the basic Astra, I got horrible grey velour seats (yes the same colour as in the cavalier!!) and a horrible brown/beige/black colour dashboard which was franlkly irritating to sit behind. However, good points for this car definitely outweigh the bad, especially if (unlike me) you are not after good performance from your car... Read review

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Advantages: quite and nice performance.
Disadvantages: Style

...What things have gone wrong with the car? No faults to report. Aircon clunks when turned on, but settles down after a few seconds. General comments? I was never a Vauxhall fan until I got my Astra about 2 years ago. The Astra was brilliant, but my job has moved me into working in the city centre more, so the Astra was heavy on fuel and a bit too big for on street parking. I traded in the Astra and got a new Corsa - Silver Lightning SXi 1.2 16v. '04 spec with the new front grille, making it look a bit like a Mk5 Astra from the front. The seats in the Corsa are pretty spectacular compared to the Astra, my occasional motorway trips are more comfortable, and the sport seats hold you much better than the "grandpa" seats in my Astra Club, during harsh cornering. Even some of my larger friends (I'm talking 25 stone, 6'3" people here... Read review

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Advantages: Space, Aircondition, Automatic
Disadvantages: 8 valves, Noisy, fragile

...It was time to buy a good family car, so according to the word around, I decided to ake it a Vauxhall, as I had a Cavalier once before and it was a very reliable car. I went to Network Q, with 118 point check to be sure of quality, not even 3 years old car, paid in cash in advance,and they got me the 1st Astra Club 1.6i car 2 weeks later with 15K miles on. Lots of issues from broken rear mirror to water leaking lights and a noisy suspension system were found. The car is only 3 years old (not even). Returning the car the very next day, the trip was about 3 miles, the Engine light went ON ! 2nd car came and so did the 3rd, Tooo noisy, no power in the push and suspension is Badddddddd to say the least. A friend of mine drives an Astra CD estate, they love it , I dorve their car and it is at least 200% better than the club. Suffice... Read review

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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 happens... Read review

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Advantages: Comfortably, nippy when works
Disadvantages: Breaks down a lot

...I own an easytronic 55 model of this car, probably in the first batch of the new models to be made. I have it in the Ultra Blue shade, with rear parking sensors. Looks: For an Astra, the body is rather sporty and sleek. The 16 inch alloys, painted wheel arches and painted door handles are a nice touch-but not very practical because they show up the slightest bit of damage. The 1.6 engine is very nippy, except that it chooses to remain in 3rd and 4th gears (easytronic mode) for longer than it should, meaning that this may affect fuel consumption. Sports mode is quite fun, if a little scary, makes the revs faster so the gears change quicker. Good when you need to overtake. The air conditioning is terrible, with no temperature control and it actually isn't very cold when you need it in summer. CD player: Standard Vauxhall cd player... Read review

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Advantages: Sporty, Roomy, Leather seats
Disadvantages: Not for 5 people

...knew this car would be powerful, but yet not too powerful as a family car. The engine is a 4 cylinder, 16 valve type. When I took the car out onto the open road and changed gear from 2nd to 3rd I could tell the pulling power, and it cruised easily at 65 to 70mph. The fuel economy is quoted at: 22.6mpg (urban) 41.5mpg (extra urban) 31.7mpg (combined) I think these are excellent figures for a coupe. The power of this car for those people who want a sporty car is quoted at 7.0 seconds (0 to 60mph). The only drawback I found is that this car is only a 4-seater, which is therefore no good for a family of 5. There are other models in the range: 1.8i 16v Edition 2.2i 16v Bertone Edition 2.2i 16v Auto Bertone Edition When I change car from my 1.6i Astra Club I would more than likely opt for the 1.8i 16v Astra Coupe version.... Read review

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Advantages: Good looking stylish and easy to drive car
Disadvantages: none yet

...I've always liked Vauxhall and wanted a new shaped Astra since there launch I managed to buy one 6 months ago (1.4i club) and was instantly hooked. It has a great sporty look and is available in a wide variety of colours and drives really well, visibility is excellent all round with large windows offering superb forward and side vision. The dashboard is well laid out, simple and uncluttered. All the controls are tactile and stylish with everything to hand. The windscreen wipers feature a simple to use intermittent wiping facility which is activated by tapping the lever upwards once. The boot is very spacious and can be increased folding the rear seats down (but not totally flat) or can be split 60/40. Load restraint lashing eyes are standard and the luggage area is Illuminated. The doors can be easily locked from the inside... Read review

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Advantages: Good safety, economical, spacious, stylish, 3rd full seat belt
Disadvantages: Burns oil quickly, poor rear visability, poor stereo system

...and radio reception is excellent. We have had some problems. The car has only done 2,000 miles and has used 6 litres of oil. We took it back to Vauxhall and they said there is nothing wrong with the car the engine is designed to burn oil. Maybe this is just the petrol model. We know of another owner with the same problem. It also needed a new engine management system which they say was faulty from the start. Maybe this had something to do with the burning of the oil. Only time will tell. It's back in for repair this week because the air conditioning has broken. I would reccomend this car for anyone with a family but beware dander from clothes and pet hair is difficult to remove from the seat material. Model is 1.6 petrol Astra Club Enjoy your ride... Read review

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Advantages: Air conditioning as standard; Remote central locking; Power assisted steering; electric front windows, large boot/trunk space; room for three across the back with s/belts; no middle headrest so better visibility
Disadvantages: No electric wing mirror option; not a great range of colours available or trims.

...I have just ordered a new Astra 1/6i Club from my local dealership. Having trawled around other car dealers, it was a pleasure to visit the Vauxhall dealer, who was friendly and courteous and offered advice. He sat down with me and helped me choose the best value for money regarding specifications - electric sunroof; ABS; etc On the test drive, the car was light to manouevre, with good visibility and the gears were much easier than my older Astra. The shape is similar to a 1990's Ford Escort, but still different from most of the new cars on the road. The boot/trunk is large enough to fill with the supermarket shop for a family of 5/6 or with family sized suitcases. 10.3.03 - I have now taken delivery of the car - yippee. This is not an opinion for anyone who knows a lot about cars, this is purely for the cosmetic purchaser! I went... Read review

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