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

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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: 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

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Advantages: Great drive
Disadvantages: Economy suffers when driven hard.

...I had a couple of these as hire cars, covering about 15000 miles over 6 months. They were pre-facelift models (04 and 54 reg). If I was in the market to buy a car in this class. this would be a sure contender. The SRi badge is probably pushing things a little. I always associated SRi's with BIG engines, and certainly not diesels! However, while the diesel (150ps) does a good job, I have to say the handling is the thing that justifies that Sri badge. The car feels really safe cornering and in general driving situations. While the Vectra has yet to reach the NCAP safety ratings of 5* acheived by manufacturers such as Renault, I would suggest that improved handling offered by a Vectra over a competetive model would actually reduce your need for this higher rating. I always felt that I could fully trust the brakes on the Sri, which I... Read review

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Advantages: Sporty feel, improvement over others in range
Disadvantages: Minor technical faults (trim, electrical), fuel economy, company car tax band

...2005 Vectra 3.0 V6 CDTI SRi The SRi is a more defined car, than the "normal" range cars. This is helped by "uprated" suspension and wider track tyres. Interior features are slightly similar to the standard range, but enhanced by improved trim Performance is near to that of the older 2.5 V6 GSi, but with vastly improved fuel economy The vehicle is a compromise between the 1.9 CDTI SRi (which will return a better fuel economy) and the 3.0 V6 CDTI Elite Fuel consumption averages 30mpg. Insurance is reasonable for the performance Due to the high company car tax band and the poor fuel economy (compared to the 1.9 CDTI version) haggle hard for a discount I bought my 16 month old, 10000 mile example for £10800 on a window price of £11995 When bought from a Vauxhall dealership, a 12 month unlimited mileage warranty is included and can... Read review

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

...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

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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 there when... Read review

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

...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 with the seating position... Read review

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Advantages: Good value, mod cons, easy to drive.
Disadvantages: EGR valve can be an issue

...I bought my Astra over 2 years ago and I still wouldn't change it… despite being told by my partner to buy a Japanese car… well that was until I let him drive mine… and guess what? Now HE wants to buy an Astra too! OK so what can I tell you? Well before I go on please be sure to note that this is written by someone without a huge driving experience, in fact I have only ever driven 4 cars…A Ka 1.1, A Ford Fusion 1.4 CDTi, A Suzuki Jimny 1.3 and finally the Astra. I aim to rate these cars in relation to one another in the review. The Engine & Driving… Well the Astra by far has the better engine, a 1.6L 8V (3 secs longer on 0-16 than the 16V but £2000 cheaper!) I find that achieving 60mph in 3rd gear is no problem and I can more than keep up with motorway traffic while running at about 3500rpm. An easy car to accelerate... Read review

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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. I... Read review

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