Advantages: goodlooking, sexy, excellent ride ;-)
Disadvantages: common!

...purchased my 5 door, silver Sxi 1.6 16v Twinport (with 17,500 miles on clock) for £6500) in 2005. ~ Conclusion ~ Overall I really love my Astra SXi, it's a really popular car and there are a lot of them about, so it has sometimes been critised for being too common, but surely that's a good thing, must be a good car! Nowadays you can pick up a good quality Astra SXi for under £5000, because there are so popular they are readily available and there is always the Mark IV version available, which means when you come to sell, you are more likely to get interest. I haven't done a lot to mine since I brought it (I did put a spoiler on it a few weeks after). I pretty much like it how it is, once it's had a good wash it looks brand new! Overall I have no complaints about the Astra SXi it really is a fun car to drive, gets up to speed... Read review

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Advantages: Nice styling, outstanding drive and handling, good quality interior!!
Disadvantages: Finicky new toys, 1.6 lacks real muscle and Vauxhall badge!!

...Test Model Vauxhall Astra 1.6 16v SXI Reg no: BF55 FYP UK model RHD Mileage 5912 Actual 0-60: 9.6 Printed max speed: 115 mph Printed economy: 32.8mpg urban Actual economy: 25mpg The new generation Astra has gone through a complete revamp since its ageing predecessor, both externally and internally there are very few features kept from the previous shape. The main improvement overall is the driving experience which has been improved by 80%. The New Astra is a beautiful looking car in sport hatch form and in 5 door form (like the one I tested) is still sporty looking, especially with alloys and front spot lights. As mentioned before the similarities between the previous Astra and the new generation one is minimal, Vauxhall choosing more sporty and dramatic lines to complement the cars shape. Have to say I am no big fan... Read review

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Advantages: excellent handling and engine power, very reliable
Disadvantages: alternator quite expensive, suspension should be looked at at 40k

...I bought mine in October 2005, its on a 'V' plate which is 1999. all i have had to get done on it was the exhaust which only set me back £80 which is very cheap compared to other cars in the same class i believe. the only serious cost i have had to incurr is a new alternator which was £180 but the car had done 65000 miles so thats not so bad. i bought mine second hand with 54000 miles on the clock for £3100 which was also from a dealership... the cars are generally totally sound, have a good double central locking feature which makes you feel a bit more comfortable leaving it places overnight. as far as the performance goes... the 1.6 16v is a surprisingly powerful engine (101bhp i believe). the handling is also second to none with lotus tuned suspension, this gives the car the ability to hold the road better and gives the care a totally... Read review

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Advantages: Smooth, slick and sexy.
Disadvantages: Reverse always clunks, fuel consumption, interior mirror falling off

...Basically I wanted the 1.8 VVT, but the insurance for my age on a 1.8 VVT was 2200 (I am 18 years old) So i decided why not take a look at the 1.6 Sxi. So I ended up buying it , insurance costing me £1400. I didnt end up with the edsact car I wanted because I am not alowed factory fitted bodykits or small spoilers or my insurance would have been void with directline (Dont risk it, You crash they win) In all I am happy with the car, although its heavy on fuel. It works out with maintanance around 40pence p/m which isnt too bad I must say. One thing I dont like, the interior mirror fell off yesterday and swung into my face whilst I was driving (my car is an 06 plate, didnt expect this) Then it took around an hour for me to get it back on... 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... Read review

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Advantages: Performance, Cost, Looks
Disadvantages: Common car, petrol and SUSPENSION!

...end about the same though - from experience)! and obviously the looks are the same the wheel size etc... you can get cruise control with both aswell, but traction control is an extra with the 1.8. Now, let me get to the bigest let down on the 1.8 (which is crazy) THE SUSPENSION. I'm not one to change things to do with engines, brakes and suspension on cars..... THIS CAR IS SO BOUNCY HOWEVER, IT NEEDS A DIFFERENT SET OF SPRINGS. ok, its not ridiculous, but it is certainly not as tame as the SXi. Being so used to my 1.6 SXi, when driving the SRi i felt a little queasy afterward. it just doesn't seem to hold the road as good. Vauxhal upgraded everything else such as brakes and general tweaks... WHY DID THEY DOWNGRADE THE SUSPENSION??? So in all, yes the astra is a good car. good to drive, good to run, insure, good looks and i like... Read review

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Advantages: Fuel consumption, insurance, looks
Disadvantages: Air conditioning sometimes gives out damp smell, gear change a bit notchy

...with low profile tyres, smoked rear lights, body colour bumpers, mirrors and door handles, front fog lights and transparent headlights, although no spolier on the back - standard on the high performace SRi. The 1.6 16v twinport engine offers good performance and good cruising ability on A-roads and motorways. Good acceleration from 30 through 70mph. The car handles well with very little body roll and the brakes are responsive and feature ABS. My car was purchased through a Vauxhall Main Dealer for £8995 in 2005 and has been 100% reliable.... Read review

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

...the body embellishments, in Sxi trim it has a firmer suspension set up than the regular Astra. At around 1350kg unladen, this is a heavy, modern car so 100bhp, it is not going to give it brilliant performance away from the traffic lights, although as already mentioned that 177lbs ft torque should prove very useful. Let us take to the driver's seat and find out. Firstly before you can give of your best as a driver, or come to that obtain the best from a car you need to find a comfortable driving position. For me this has always been a Ford v Vauxhall thing, in a Ford, any Ford, I sit down set the seat to the right leg length and am immediately comfortable. In Vauxhall, any Vauxhall this has never been the case. I know this because I have in the past owned 6 Fords and 8 Vauxhalls. Each Vauxhall I have had I have fiddled and fiddled... Read review

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

...is very 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... Read review

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Advantages: Smooth and cheap to insure
Disadvantages: Its a British Car

...The Model of Car that I have recently purchased is a 02 reg MK4 5 door 1.6i 16V Club Hatchback. It has a max Torque of 100 BHP and is a Multi Point Fuel injected Car with a ECOTEC engine under the bonnet. The Vauxhall Astra runs very smoothly and you can’t even hear the engine running. Since I’ve only had this car for a week then I can only tell you my experiences and they are all good so far. The Features for this car include: - Air-Conditioning - Driver’s and Front Passenger’s airbags - Front Seat Head Restraints - Front Seatbelt force limiters and body-lock pretensioners - Two Rear Seat Head restraints - Power Steering - Steering Column Adjustable for Reach and Rake - Driver’s Seat Height Adjuster - Remote Control Central Deadlocking - Cassette Player/ Stereo - Steering Wheel Mounted... Read review

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