Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (2015 - 2021) 1.6 CDTi 16V (136bhp) SRi 5d Owner Review

I drove this car for 2000 miles around the lowlands of scotland and down to sunderland then back to the home counties. First bad points - accelerator is quite far to the right, no idea why? The rear suspension can get caught out on bumpy roads and roundabouts as it doesn't have the finesse of independent rear suspension. Good point (and there are many) - Its a good size inside I'm 6'3" and I can sit behind me in the rear seat and the boot is as good as the other hatchbacks. The ride is good and turn in is good, the chassis is good enough to keep a decent rate on a B road, you won't catch the fast stuff but you won't end up in the hedges either. The engines are good, I have driven both 1.4 150hp and this the 1.6cdti and I found the 1.4 to have too much torque steer but the 1.6cdti is a good balance of perfomance and economy and works with the chassis. On the diesel it is quiet enough not to be intrusive and I found it to be a lot more civilised than the VAG 1.6 diesel. I did not have a Nav model but found I could connect my Samsung Galaxy to Android auto without issue, and using the mobile for navigation and phone gives a level of connectivity most car nav systems can't match. I agree this is not really Vauxhall's tech but I have used other cars that don't make it quite as easy to use this tech. All in all, if I had to choose a car for the day to day grind then at the prices the Astra can be picked up for it's definitely worth a test drive.