Faults:

Nothing.

Although we do feel we have had very poor service (delivery and car service) from the main-dealer we bought it from.

General Comments:

Excellent cabin comfort and ride for (small) size of car.

Very pleasing interior, console and switchgear.

Superb auto box and 1.6 is ample for it. I had a previous new 1.6 Auto Astra in 1998 that averaged 37 mpg. This one (2003 model) averages 40 mpg. Excellent for a nippy auto. Really good brake/interlock feature on auto box.

Wonderful engine note that makes it sound like a much bigger engine at 2500-4000 rpm (and really quite quiet at low revs too). Only minor gripe is whistle/whine from engine, most noticeable when cruising 40-60 mph.

I don't think the new Astra (current model) is as good for cabin comfort.

Faults:

No faults to date.

General Comments:

Whilst not the most imaginatively designed Coupe on the road. It has a nice external profile and does look that little bit different.

Interior is more Luton than Lambo, it would have been nice if Bertone could have given it a touch of Italian flair.

As with Vauxhall in general, equipment levels are a bit mean, but everything is where it should be and easy to use and the build quality is pretty decent.

Ride is not "bone crashing coupe" and 4 "real sized" people can be carried quite comfortably for long distances.

The only real criticism is that I would recommend getting rid of the Michelins at the earliest opportunity and fitting Goodyears.

Faults:

The only thing that has gone wrong is the radio/clock display. Half of that doesn't light up properly.

Other than that, it's been faultless and has not needed any dealer attention apart from a regular service.

General Comments:

The most important thing to me is comfort. Here the Astra excels, the seats are nice and supportive, not tiring even on longer journeys. A little bit of lumbar adjustment would be nice, but it's OK without it.

Economy is pretty good, averaging around 40mpg on daily long journeys.

The interior is quite nice compared to another Astra in the family. Here, the dash has tasteful fake wood trim which really smartens the look. The regular SRi with black trim looks so dull in comparison.

The gearshift is a bit poor, slotting into place with a sharp and unpleasant clonk. The gap between each ratio makes it tricky to drive the car smoothly too.

Performance is adequete most of the time, and the engine has a nice raspy growl. However, when the air-con is switched on, acceleration is noticably hampered. So much so that it's better to suffer the heat instead.

The effect could best be described as a kind of "butterflying", with the pull as you press the pedal down feeling like it is varying in time with the air-con compressor. I've tried the air-con in a more torquey Astra (the 2.0 diesel) and that effect was absent there.

Other than that, the car can bring a smile to your face, the steering is sharp and turn-in accurate. For such a dull looking motor from the outside, it can be remarkably good fun to throw about. The purposeful engine note makes you feel you might be in something more exotic too.