2008 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.7 CTDi turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Sporty and Sexy!

Faults:

Nothing at all!

General Comments:

Love the Astra SRi 1.7 (100bhp), in the 3 door the car is a class act!

I also have the 18" alloys fitted and that really adds to the drive.

When the Astra advert used to say "Put the fun back into driving" they weren't kidding.

The fuel consumption can be a bit of a joke (38-39 mpg), but I think that may be because of the way I drive. In my defense: this car loves to be thrapped, it's not as fun to drive "gently".

If you decide to get one, get the colour "Silver Lightning", it's a blue/silver and hides the dirt really well and looks sportier than the black!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st December, 2008

21st Dec 2008, 16:37

LOL 100 bhp from a 1.7, Vauxhall still living in the stone age then? ROFL.

8th Mar 2010, 14:27

It's a diesel, that's why.

9th Apr 2014, 07:09

I got the 1.9 diesel, and it has been nothing but PROBLEMS!

Spent almost as much on repairs as I did on the car in the first place.

Would never buy another Vauxhall :(

2008 Vauxhall Astra SXI - Sport Hatch 1.4 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

So far, so good!

Faults:

I've had the car for nearly 3 weeks, and nothing has gone wrong yet!

General Comments:

Bought the car new as I work for one of Vauxhalls long list of "partner" companies e. g BT, Royal Mail, and got a 15% discount.

The 1.4 16v engine seems quite quick to me, as I previously owned a 1.2 8v Corsa. It's not blistering, and is suitable for those who aren't worried about performance. I feel that most people who have had 1.6 engines and higher will find it sluggish. 0-60 is quoted at 12.7 seconds. I'm returning around 45mpg.

The interior features/dash are very user friendly, the best part being the volume and trip computer controls located on the steering wheel, very well placed. The slight let down are the knobs used to adjust the blowers; they are low down and are hard to see.

The indicators are the new touch type, which are annoying to begin with, but actually to my surprise, now I am used to them, are great.

The "sports" seats are very supportive and have good side suppport, and also have lumbar adjustment for your lower back and height adjustment, both which are useful. The back seats are also good for a 3 door vehicle.

The car gets a lot of stick for its rear visibility. The rear windscreen is small, but you do get used to it, and it's not a massive issue like I thought it would be. Parking sensors are optional.

Handling is good, there is only slight body roll, and the lowered sports suspension which comes as standard isn't as hard as some reviews made out, and is not as hard as I expected, it caters well.

The service from the Vauxhall dealership was of a high standard, and they were good to deal with. Vauxhall have allowed me to spread my service costs so I will have a "free" service come next year.

Overall I am pleased with my purchase so far, and would recommend you consider one if you are after a 3 door hatch.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th June, 2008

2008 Vauxhall Astra VXR 2.0 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Awesome - don't be put off by its slightly rubbish image - if you do, you'll be missing out!

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

Having had to wait ages for my car to arrive (I ordered it in January), it finally turned up last week and I couldn't be happier with it.

Since ordering it I had been doing a lot of reading on the Internet (probably should have done this before placing the order), and was a bit worried that I was getting a chavmobile that was going to torque-steer me into the nearest ditch. It is however I'm please to report well built, fairly discreet (in black anyway), rapid & serious fun to drive.

The hyper-sensitive throttle & sharp brakes take a bit of getting used to especially in traffic, but other than that, it really is awesome.

Currently fuel economy is pretty poor but I've been informed that this should get a little better once it is properly run in, but am fairly realistic and know it's never gonna be a Prius!

The interior is a nice place to be, and there hasn't been one passenger so far who hasn't commented on how great the standard Recaro's are, and how good the interior design and finish is. It really does look and feel like a quality product, emphasised by a solid thunk when you shut the doors.

My only small downer is the lack of rear visibility and the thick B-pillars, but to be honest they are minor, and the way the car looks due to its small glass area more than makes up for the minor inconvenience in my opinion. Park one next to a Focus ST and you'll see what I mean!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2008

24th Sep 2009, 17:46

I find your review to be a good one, with some good points made!

My better half owns a 2007 VXR, and after driving it quite a bit, I feel I can give a decent review.

Looks - Vauxhall have always known how to make a hot hatch look good, and the VXR is no exception... it looks very lairy!

Handling - handling has never been one of Vauxhall's strong points, but the VXR is not too bad, but it does torque steer and understeer a little bit too much, too many ponies!

Performance - This car has performance aplenty... it leaves my ratty old FTO GPX in a straight line, but not in the corners I'm afraid, but when driving the VXR it does not feel that fast... it's a deceptive car.

Overall impression = it's quick, looks the part, but the rear view is poor, and the indicators need binning, and it handles like a dustbin really... it's a good progression from the old GSi Turbo, but in the corners it's still no sports car, nor a 205GTi... my ratty old FTO will kill this thing in the twisties and that's a fact, and the missus will agree :)

25th Sep 2009, 09:02

They really aren't that bad at handling, I think people get carried away with tales of torque steer. You only need look at how fast these cars go around tracks to appreciate they will go round bends.

The Nurburgring edition only had a couple of tweaks (none to the suspension) and look how fast that lapped the track it is named after, 8 minutes 35 seconds isn't achieved from grunt alone and the FTO could not match that.