Vauxhall Astra VXR (2005 - 2010) 2.0T 16V VXR 3d Owner Review

It’s been 1 year and 14,000 miles since I bought my Astra VXR and it was a car I wasn’t expecting to keep. A year later it’s still with me and if anything I love it more than I did when I bought it. The styling is spot on, purposeful but neither is it in your face, the sloping roof line and compact factory tinted rear windows give the car a striking appearance along with the 19 inch optional extra alloy wheels and VXR bumpers/side skirts. The centre exit exhaust is a nice touch too. The interior has got a couple of flaws such as the driving position which is a tad too high for my liking but it’s something I’m use to and no longer bothers me. The controls lower down such as the climate control switches are further from reach and don’t fall to hand but these are only small issues. The Recaro seats look great and hold you firmly in place with reassuring safety aspects such as the active head restraint system (whiplash prevention). There’s front, side and curtain airbags along with stability control as standard to keep you out of trouble along with and adaptive brake lights that respond in an emergency braking situation. The interior offers a decent amount of leg room and rear headroom is also good despite the sloping roof line, I’m 5ft 10 and can comfortably sit behind my driving position. The boot is a decent size, well shaped and if packed strategically it can hold more than you’d expect, having used the car for a camping holiday and taking my parents to the airport (mother doesn’t pack light!) and my dad having a snow board which the car swallowed up with the 60/40 split rear seats. The interior quality is also a surprise, soft touch plastics on the dash, front doors and in the rear which my partners 2017 VW Scirocco has hard brittle plastics in the rear. Despite the age and mileage there aren’t any creaks, rattles, or loose trims. The best bit of the car is the driving experience, there’s something exciting about big power in an average hatchback and trying to get it down on the road. It deals with the power well and despite the torque steer claims, my car is hardly affected by it. The handling is also good, grips well and body roll is minimal, brakes are strong and are effective with good feedback through the pedal. The acceleration is fantastic, overtaking is a breeze and pulls strong with diesel like torque. The suspension is well set up, it’s firm but still manages to still be comfortable on a cruise. Refinement on the motorway was also a surprise, wind noise is minimal and tyre noise is well suppressed. At an 80 mph cruise the car sits at 3000rpm in 6th gear and the exhaust isn’t intrusive or noisy. My car is equipped with the Navi 70 system which had a decent sound system considering its an old system, the nav is outdated but that’s to be expected. One of my favourite features is the keyless entry along with the start/stop engine button. It responds well and with a touch on the door handle, it locks the car and will unlock with a pull of the handle never needing to take your key out of your pocket. I’ve also had a few strangers say to me that they like the car and asked me about it. It’s slowly becoming a rare car, rarely seeing others on the road. It’s a car that turns heads and a car I’d recommend if in the market for a hot hatch. If badge snobbery isn’t something that damages your ego then I say give it some serious consideration. I’ve driven many cars due to my job but I was pleasantly surprised with the Astra VXR.