Faults:

The day after I purchased the car I had to take it back to get the engine management computer reset as the car kept cutting out on me.

New brake calipers required on the back wheels as they were faulty.

All work done under Network Q warranty.

General Comments:

Well what a quick little pocket rocket this car really is. Group 7 insurance for this sort of performance is amazing value for money.

0-60 8.5 seconds top speed 127 MPH(claimed)

Solid build quality and excellent road handling all add up to make this car worth considering.

Much improved over the older style astra

Watch and laugh as cars come up behind you and see that you only have a 1.8 engine, and then put your foot down and leave them standing!

Faults:

The automatic computer control failed, causing the car to lose drive. The problem was fixed under warranty, but the dealer tried to get me to drive it to them, rather then have it towed. Considering I would have had to go 7miles down a motorway, at 5mph I considered this very poor service.

General Comments:

The car is easy to drive.

It is well built with no rattles or squeeks.

Handling is very good and the steering accurate with a feel for the road missing in some other power assisted cars.

The cabin is of better quality then a Focus, which I recently test drove, but not as good as a Golf. The layout is sensible and I personally like the dark plastics as it reflects less in mirrors when driving at night.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing.

General Comments:

The car is new to us, but out of test driving over 9 different variants of the Astra this one has the blend of performance, economy and looks that met out stringent requirements in replacing our beloved and faithful Polo.

To sum up the cars we test drove to reach this conclusion. First was a 1.4 5 door which was revvy and sounded sporty, but lacked top end punch. Next a succession of 1.6 16v 5 doors in LS, Club and CD trims, all were adequate and only struggled right at the bottom of the rev ranges. Whilst the tacky fake wood put us off the CD one. We were then taken by the 3 door look and tried the Sport in both 1.6 and 1.8 and the 1.8 is much quicker and accomplished, especially if you live somewhere hilly.

We also looked at the following as well before deciding on an Astra. A Corsa, a Skoda Fabia, a newer Polo 16v, Rover 200 Vi and Fiat Punto.

Insurance is stupidly cheap too!

Only a low specification marks this car (no traction control or air conditioning as standard) but there is a sunroof instead.

Faults:

The odometer registered 0 after six months of owning the car. Went back to the dealer for a fix.

Main fault was a water leak. The dealer I purchased it from was unable/unwilling to fix this and another dealer took pity on me and sorted it out. At one point there was an inch and a half of water under the carpets. The fault was caused by welding missed at the factory - surely this is a quality control issue?

Squeaky driver's window.

General Comments:

I like driving the car, it has enough performance for me and it handles very well especially when cornering.

The interior seems cheap and tacky though.

I wish the rear seats folded flat like the ones on my old Mark 3 Astra.