Faults:

Nothing so far. Had the car one year, had a service and MOT with no advisory.

General Comments:

Astra - boring, but a fine no fuss kind of car.

Good looking in silver. Nice wheels.

Interior a bit dull, but very spacious and laid out well. Blind spot when reversing is a pain, as per modern cars.

OK to drive, enough power and very economical, the 1.6 diesel is a fine engine if looked after.

Difficult to say much more, it is a nice car but hardly exciting. You can get these 2016 models for a nice price now used. Always buy a well looked after car, there is plenty of choice, no need to buy a rough one.

Faults:

Really nothing more than servicing and new tyres and brake pads. A/C a bit weak, probably just needs a re-gas.

General Comments:

My bright red Astra from 2016 is the first of the newer shape cars, really good looking and sharp car. My favorite style yet from Vauxhall.

SRi is the spec to have - plenty of electrics, nice suspension setup. It's a shame the 1.6 diesel engine does not have the power to compliment the excellent chassis setup, but it is very economical, I regularly got 60 mpg or more.

I have little negatives to say about this car apart from lackluster performance. But it is comfortable, economical, good to drive, and great to look at.

Long term reliability remains to be seen - I have had it for 3 years but have not done much mileage in it because I bought it right at the start of the pandemic and switched jobs. I usually do 20,000 miles a year, but lately it has been around only 7000 per year! But so far so good, but I will watch out for common diesel issues as the miles rise. But as with any car, keep them serviced on time and drive carefully, and use quality fuel and oil, and you should be OK in the long term.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

GTC is quite a different beast from the regular Astra. A bit of a stretch to call it a coupe; I just think of it as a sporty hatchback.

Sport model with the 1.4 is probably the most basic model, but the car is still well equipped and the interior is nice. Ride a little firm but not really bad or anything. Rear visibility a bit limited, other than that I have no complaints. Interior is black cloth, exterior bright red with nice alloy wheels, good looking car.

1.4 is no ball of fire, but nippy enough for everyday driving. Does a solid 45 mpg also, and is much quieter than diesels.

Not had it long enough to comment on long term reliability, but so far so good, no issues with this car and it is already over six years old.

Faults:

Nothing but basic maintenance. The car has never let me down.

General Comments:

After my previous Ford Focus finally died back in 2018 (it was a 2003 car with high mileage) I was on the hunt for another modern hatchback to last me a long time as a daily driver. I had never had a Vauxhall since the 1990's and early 2000's, so this Astra was quite a change for me.

Initially thought it would be boring and for the most part it is - it does not drive much better than an old Focus, and these cars are generations apart. That's not to say it's bad - it isn't, but this Astra was never known as a driver's car unless you went for the faster versions. This 1.4 Design model is a bit basic and plodding.

Interior is very dull and grey. Has all the modern features you would expect. Seats are comfortable, visibility is good, and ride is quite smooth. Design model is lower range, but it does have air con, electric windows, touch screen DAB radio.

Exterior wise I think it is a good looking car, alloy wheels look very nice. To drive the 1.4 turbo charged petrol engine is only adequate, but it does do 45 mpg or 50 mpg on longer drives; I'm glad I got the petrol engine as I have heard a lot of bad things about modern diesels. And this is still after all economical to run, tax and insurance is also well priced. I have not had any major repairs or breakdowns yet, but it is a Vauxhall so I expect any problems should be reasonably priced to take care of.

In short, if you want modern basic transport that is reliable and easy to live with, have a look at the Astra.