Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch road tests and consumer car reviews

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.4 Turbo Elite 2011

I’ve had the car 5 months now and have had nearly 9,000 miles of untroubled driving. Having previously owned numerous Fords, my last car being a Mondeo Estate I was looking to downsize, but not compromise on looks and quality. I just love my Astra, great car inside and out, great handling, good build quality, very quiet around town and on the motorway. There are only two negative points: When driving up a long, but not necessarily steep incline in 6th gear and it wont make it (unlike my Mondeo). Also the fuel economy, manufacturer claims close to 48mpg, but the best I have managed driving at or around 56mph on a long run (200 miles+) is 44mpg. Normal daily commutes of 32 miles to work average around 40-41mpg. I would definitely recommend though.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2005

I bought this car six years ago and it has been most reliable. It is cheap to run ie. 50 mpg in all conditions and a round trip of 700 miles on one tank full! Road tax is £30. Insurance is reasonable although I pay £400 with no excess and I have a full no claims bonus. I paid £8000 six years ago, now it’s worth £750, a little disappointing. Also I have been told some sensors aren’t working properly and the fuel pump. I’m told it may cost a maximum of £1000! This is more than the car is worth. I’m now trying to decide whether to buy another or spend the thousands pounds as it has been such a good car.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2011

In March 2011 we decided to trade our Astra 1.4 SXI three door model which we had as new from Pentagon, Ecclesall Road. I have always been happy with what the advert says " Thrill to drive" and I always said to people that the 1.4 model always seemed to perform like a 1.6. My reason for writing this letter is that I feel that the vehicle we bought to replace this one from Pentagon, Ecclesall Road, which is the new Astra 1.4 exclusive with alloy wheels and DAB radio as extras, was mis-sold to me. The salesman in question, who left the company about a month after we made the deal, took us out in a Astra 1.6 which we wasn’t aware of!!!, bearing in mind that we was looking at the 1.4 model having had the 1.4 SXI. Due to the performance of the 1.4SXI I thought that there would not have been a problem with the new cars performance, but in the last six months we have had this car back twice to Vauxhall’s Technical Department at Pentagon Sheffield. The reason being is that this vehicle has a flat spot only to be informed that it is due to power to the weight ratio. The Astra we traded in was a 90 break horse power and the new one is 100 break horse power so I would have thought this would have compensated for the different weight if any, if we had known this we would have gone for the 1.6. I cannot believe that Vauxhall have made a car with a 1.4 engine which is underpowered, after the success of its predecessor. I have also been informed that other customers have complained about the same problem and I believe that the power performance is not only dangerous on motorways it is also embarrassing to have Heavy Goods Vehicles and smaller cars leaving you on hills and sometimes being left in the middle lane on motorways at about 60 mile an hour. Upon putting your foot down the car does not respond than faster vehicles which are coming up at 70 and 80 mph and the more you get up the gradient you can see the Speedo reducing quite quickly, we have been back to Pentagon and they seem to be aware of it, we have been back to the sales team at Pentagon Sheffield, Saville St who can only offer maybe a 60 plate 1.6 Astra with 7 to 8000 miles on it and for us to put down another thousand pound.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Design 1.8 Auto 2007

Nice to drive and looks good! Poor interior design, nowhere to put CDs, phone, maps, drink bottles, etc.. Buttons on steering wheel and on control panel do not work (trip computer etc). The Vauxhall garage could not change the program. Auto gearbox gave up in snow on hills, but only started in sports mode. It turned out to be leaking oil in the gearbox through speedo cable (over one week in garage). There’s a rattle in the engine on start up, but told this is normal for this engine! Leg room in back is like a 2+2 and load space small to access. I’ve got rid of it now and got an excellent Nissan Note 1.6 ntec auto.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.4turbo sri 140bhp 2010

I bought my 1.4t sri Astra 10 months ago after being told by the dealer, from whom I have bought several cars over the years, that this was a very good model; 6 speed gear box and very good on fuel. Well lets just say I will not be bying another car from them! The car I bought drinks petrol even though its a 1.4, the noise inside whilst driving is terrible and the turbo went after 7 months. I get 350 miles on a full tank, which is terrible. I am also fluffed off with the service you get from the after sales staff, which is not helpfull at all. I will never buy a car from Cwmbran Motors again. The Astra turbos are complete rubbish.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.9 CDTi SRi (120) 2005

The Astra is not as economical as I was hoping for. Averages 43-46mpg combined but has served us well on a recent trip to Cornwall. The big 18" wheels do tramline a bit and the ride is a little harsh. This is my second Mark 5 astra and I have been very disappointed with this high spec model. It has only done 70,000 miles and already the radiator needed replacing. I am going to be replacing this car soon with something more reliable.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6VVT SRI 2011

The first thing I noticed was the road holding, after my old Vectra C it apeared to be on rails, great! The seats hold you well in place and the steering is light and presise. At present the fuel (petrol) consumption, according to the read out is 43.2 mpg with a mixed bag of driving but take into account that I live in the country with little traffic. The 1.6 vvt engine seems to have enough power (115) to suit the car, but then I am not a "boy racer". Gear box ratios are ok with top gear usable along most roads. The dash layout did take a little getting used to with the driver having to setup a few options on the two screens, but it was after all a new car. I found several of the options very useful enabling you to activate or deactivate across a whole range of settings. The inside was well laid out with all major controls within reach, at last I have rid myself of that awful indicator stalk on the Vectra. I am still getting used to the electronic handbrake so I’m reserving judgment for now; I cannot say that I like the so called "hill start" system, in particular when you are instructed to drive off with the hand brake still on, it does work but I do not like the noise that comes from it. I cannot say that the false floor in the boot is of any great advantage,I  took mine out! Would have rated five stars but the audio system reduced that to four along with the hand brake. But on the whole I am satisfied with my purchase, but only time will tell.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 S manual 2011

This car should average 44 mpg, but this is proving difficult to achieve unless driven very lowly. Over the last 3000 miles, I have found 40 mpg is more like it. The manual gearbox is OK for a Vauxhall, but it’s not that slick and can baulk. Selecting reverse can be noisy and crunchy unless you really dip the clutch to the bulkhead and also give it time. The car is a good cruiser with a supple ride and reasonably quiet. Easily its best feature. I’m not keen on the non adjustable washers nor do I see the point of permanently lit warning lamps to tell me the passenger airbag is OK. The 1.6 engine is fine for most overtaking situations and one finds that you think you are doing 40mph but the speedo says 60mph, such is the quietness. To me the engine mounts allow too much rocking when starting and this is negative. The finish and detailing are not quite at VW levels; gearbox action nowhere near Honda slickness.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2008

I bought this car with one previous owner and 13000 miles on the clock. It was an ex-mobility car from down in Durham and came with the full sevice history. The first problem was an electical fault which came up on the diagnostic computer as 37 faults. At 20000 miles I would have expected better and my local Vauhall dealer were not helpful; it took 3 attempts to fix the problem and cost me £285 as it turned out to be a SIM card in the steering column. The next problem was a big one; the easytronic gearbox got stuck in fourth and I had to get it recovered to another dealer. This time the gear selector had jammed and that burnt out the ECU, which I was informed it goes hand in hand with this fault. Again the dealer was not very helpful and with a £1800-00 bill I would have thought they could have at least cleaned my car before returning it. This was at 27000 miles and to be honest all my previous cars, which have been a lot older were a lot better.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Sri 1.7 cdti 2008

My car feels very heavy, my previous car (the much bigger) Ford Mondeo 2.0d Zetec felt a lot lighter to drive and was considerably more comfortable, it’s not that fast and the economy is terrible! The only thing I like is the mp3 jack for my iPod!

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.7CDTi 110PS Ecoflex 2010

I bought this car in October 2010 for the very good advertised fuel performance, comfort for driver and passenger and slightly longer wheelbase means there is more leg room for the back seat passengers than in the Renault Megane for instance. The car provides a comfortable ride, good gearbox and controls layout. Driver forward visability slightly compromised by roof piler shape and thickness. However, almost immediately aware of fuel performance well below the expected 62.8 mpg combined. First fuel check was 52 mpg and after 6,000miles is averaging 48 mpg. The garage has examined it twice, saying that there is no problem with the engine. This fuel economy is less than the Urban figure of 55 mpg and overall is less than the previous Astra models combined figure of 55 mpg. As a result I am returning the car for a full refund and going to buy another make of car.

Responses to this review

I too bought this car for its fuel economy, as I am disabled. I decided to buy a six month old Astra 1.7 110ps ecoflex with the new shape as it has to last me many years. It has been back to Vauxhall six times now and is going back again next week. It has been faulty from the start. It has an intermittent problem that is driving me mad. The revs jump up and down and the car rocks but because the computer is unable to find it. As it is intermittent, I have to wait until it fails on me. This is worrying me and the fuel consumption is very poor. I was told to fill the car and run it to empty, which I did. I was supposed to get an average of 773 miles to a full tank combined, All I got was 479 miles, and they say there is nothing wrong with it. Even 650 miles would be okay but this is well below. I have done this twice, both times less than 500 miles to a full tank. I need a car I can depend on, feel confident in. As i am purchasing it via Motability, I can’t get my money back so I can find a more economical car. I gave my Ford Mondeo to my son-in-law. I wish I had kept that, I got more mpg and felt confident in it. I drove that to Spain, it was economical and reliable but I wanted a nice new car. What a mistake, does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do, as I feel trapped - Thelma Brown from Nottinghamshire

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2010

The car itself is very good, I have the 2.0ltr diesel. The fuel consumption claimed by Vauxhall are very much inflated, I only get between 29 and 31 mpg.

Responses to this review

John, interesting that you say the mpg is not very good. I have a Astra 2010 1.7CDTi and am getting 48mpg and should be getting 62.8mpg. Is it Vauxhall motors who should be putting their hand up and admitting that they are mis-selling their cars? - Peter Hurst from Leicestershire

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.7 tdci ecoflex (125) 2011

Ah, but it doesn’t return anything like a whopping 62.8, the combined actual is 45, 13% lower than the advertised urban! I know ’cos I’ve got one and been driving diesels for years, always got circa 55mpg, the drive is the same, the driver is the same it’s only the car that is different! No chance of Vauxhall putting it right, the chappie in the garage was getting 38-42 in the estate version and seemed to be quite happy with that. My advice, BUY THE FOCUS.

Responses to this review

I am too have bought this car getting an average 48mpg after 6,000 miles, should be getting 62.8mpg. It is time to take Vauxhall to task? My previous driving experience indicates that this car is being mis-sold - Peter Hurst from Leicestershire

Quite agree with the low MPG. I have had mine for three weeks and I have averaged 44MPG so far. The crime here is the company reinburse me at 12.5p a mile because it is based on Vauxhall’s figures! - Jane Osborne from Dorset

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.7 Ecoflex 110ps 2010

Bought the car at the end of November and very pleased with the car with one exception. The fuel economy. For a car that is rated to do 70MPG extra urban and 61 combined with 51 urban to only be getting 43MPG when driving like a Sunday school teacher is a bit of a killer. Now done 2000 miles in the car but the economy, if you can call it economy, is abyssmal. Awaiting a check at the local vauxhaul garage to find out why it is so bad. However I was told that if nothing was found during the check the customer would normally foot the bill as Vauxhaul would not pay. Might have to think about getting Trading Standards involved if that is the attitude of a Car Comapny that advertises it’s cars on fuel economy.

Responses to this review

It seems that after looking at the reviews on this site that there are a number of people who have bought this model from Vauxhall have been mis-sold the product. My 1.7CDTi Eco is doing 48mpg after 6000 miles and should be 62.8mpg. It has been back to the gararge twice and have been told that there is nothing wrong! - Peter Hurst from Leicestershire

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch designe 2006

Dreadful headrests cause blind spots, small buttons on radio and heater controls too low, cannot get comfortable in driving seat, jerky drive, gas pedal too sensitive, no temp gauge, do not like indicator and wiper controls, gearbox notchy, engine or injectors noisy, mpg very poor on 1.6, washer bottle in front of engine; cannot see level to top up and it freeze up, too much road noise, door pockets too small, hatchback opening too small, takes a lot longer to clean than my MK 3 Astra. I bought it from a Vauxhall dealer with full service full, mot and 12,000 miles on the clock. I would not buy another model of this car. I have owned around 16 cars from 1979 and I would say this is the most disappointing car. The one good thing about the car is it looks good.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 club 8v 2002

Bought new in early 2003, been a brilliant little car with nothing major going wrong with it. Serviced annually though a main dealer. My only complaint is the paintwork - it is flame red, which as it gets older the metalwork is turning pink (the plastic is still ok), only a good clean and waxing every month keeps it sort of like the original colour. I will never buy a red car again especially a Vauxhall.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch ECO4 diesel 2005

Economical (55mpg average, £30 p.a. tax), and cheap to insure. After 77k it still looks good and drives perfectly. It’s special feature is the anti-stall, this means that it will drag itself over the deepest snow in 1st without the driver touching the accelerator, NO wheel slip. Looking forward to another winter like 2009.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Petrol 2010

Car 5 weeks old, very noisy when ticking over and pulling away, gutless, hate to overtake, awaiting recall.

Responses to this review

Which engine is it? - Dave from England

Yeah, I have been onto the phone with vauxhall I really wish they would recall mine as well read response lower down Mayur Pandya you will see what I mean :-( - Nick Bolton from Ceredigion

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch CDX 1998

A very good car that has never let me down in 8 years.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 150 sri 2008

It has a stopwatch, just what’s needed, all round good fast car.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1800 AUTO 2009

This is the second Astra I’ve leased, a really good car.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Design 1.6 Easytronic 2004

I bought my Astra 1.6 design easytronic gearbox second-hand from my local dealer just over 2 years ago and I can say its the best car I have ever bought. It’s gearbox is just brilliant and easy to use after just a few miles drive and the best thing is you can use auto or the manual modes as well as sports drive too. Slight wind noise at speed but this is forgiven because it’s so comfortable, with both driver’s and passenger’s lumber support. Looks are easy on the eye and it’s this that made me look at it in the first place, even now 2 years later it still looks and feels like new. Well done Vauxhall.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2004

I’ve had this car since six months old. From the first few weeks there were problems. First in cold damp weather the car radio would switch on by itself and especially over long periods a flat battery would happen and the sound level would increase. Secondly the car alarm gooes off especially during the early hours, with annoyance to my neighbours. It has been back to dealers four times and the last visit they had my car for twelve weeks. On the plus side the ride is comfortable especially with leather and material trim. The tyres can be expensive.

Responses to this review

Hi George I bought an Astra 1799 diesel four months ago(2004). Looking at your text my car battery drains after 2-3 days of non-use. I bought a new battery but this ’draining’ still happens. My diesel injector warm pack comes on intermitently. Did you find out the reason for this draining battery? My email address is tataruk@mail.ru. Regards - Ray Perkins from Stirlingshire

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch cdti 2005

Cramped, brake failure, constant water leaks

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 2001

Brilliant car, bought second hand but what a great buy, never had a problem with it, great on fuel and so easy to drive.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 1998

I’ve only recently purchased this vehicle so haven’t done many miles, however, so far I find it a very good drive!

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 SXI 2006

Since the car was purchased (1yr old) from Monorep (Hayes, Middx) we have had non stop issues with it. 1st the horn was working intermittently and the Vauxhall dealer could not find a fault, until it completly stopped working! Then the emissions light came on and they replaced the temperature sensor. The car has been to the workshop about 5 times since we have had it. The emissions light has again come on and I have checked the fault code which is again pointing to the temperature sensor and now the dealer is saying that they want to charge us to run diagnostics and the repair / parts will be chargeable? I was also told that the work that is carried out has no warranty after the 3 year warranty has lapsed, meaning if work is done a day before the warranty has lapsed you have no come back if the fault re-occurs a day after. The irony is that when I spoke to the workshop manager said that he felt that the car coming back 5 times was not bad considering other Vauxhall’s that have had problems have come back a lot more. This is not very reasuring as a customer!

Responses to this review

PLEASE READ THIS ITS LONG BUT TRUE. You want a reason never to buy a Vauxhall Astra I can give you 10 here we go read carefully its not a joke ready :- 1) The horn had an intermittent fault it would work then it wouldnt, and when it didnt the stereo volume would go up. The horn wiring harness and stereo harness had to be replaced. 2) The sim of the electronics system was faulty and had to be replaced, the dealership where I got if from didnt hold the car code so that had to be got from vauxhall. 3) The inside of the car smelt of petrol fumes the petrol cap was faulty and had to be replaced. 4) This was not the end of the problem the petrol cap was un-screwing itself and more petrol fumes in the car, the fuel filler cap and the fuel filler neck were replaced. 5) Again this was not the end My wife had a vauxhall and she part exchanged it, so I took her fuel filler cap off and put it on my astra now the problem has gone. 6) The gearshift knob was un-tightening itself, this had to be replaced. 7) The seat frame was rocking and shifting ( im not a huge person) they found out that there were several broken rivets, that frame had to be replaced. 8) The crafty apparent vauxhall dealership gave me a broken key with the central locking unit, this was in the sales pack the spare key was given didnt realise until I got home. The key pass code had to be got from vauxhall direct. 9) And to top that all off the car is 1 month past its warranty and the sport light has just come on the dashboard, my local vauxhall garage has told me that the ABS senor switch and the ABS hydraulic valve is faulty and needs replacing this will cost over £1600 (LOOK AGAIN AT THE COST). 10 ) Vauxhall will only pay 50% of the labour and the actual replacement unit, this still means that i need to find over £800 for a car thats just over 3 years old. Some might say be thankful they are paying 50% but for a car with this much trouble and the cost of taking time off work, the petrol cost to me and my wife this takes the P*SS . So there you are people 10 good enough reasons why not to buy a Vauxhall Astra it will cost you more than the car is worth to repair, it is a shame because the previous Astra I owned was amazing and my wife’s Zafira is brilliant so far :-( - Nick Bolton from Ceredigion

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.3 CDTi 2008

A suprisingly good car, the 1.3 diesel engine with 6 speed gearbox is excellent and not at all under powered as reported by some owners of earlier Vauxhalls using this engine. Probably not the best (nor expected) motorway transport but a good value for money all-rounder.

Responses to this review

Hi. Only recently purchased 2008 Astra hatch cdti. Nice to drive on motorway and get good mpg. Gears changes (6) take a little time to get used to. I did have an old 5 gear Fiesta prior to this one, so that is a consideration. But the gear changes are not very smooth and the car is a little more loud than I would have liked. It should be said; I have never owned a diesel, never mind diesel turbo, so that could explain differing engine sounds? I took it back to the dealer a couple times. The first time was the funny air sucking kind of noise, when changing gear, whilst at speeds of 30/40mpg. I was informed by mechanic that it was normal in turbo diesel cars and was to do with these kinds of engines needing to expel air from its system. Will get second opinion on that! Second thing was noise coming from driver’s window when travelling at speed. I presumed it was window seal needing replacement. I have had this done, by them, but noise (like wind getting through tiny gap in window) is still there and very irritating! Could this be something more sinister? I would very much appreciate any feedback! The car’s performance is good and 1.3 engine is doing all it should be and more. Although on pulling off in first to second gear, it is a little sluggish and not as smooth as one might wish - Joe Kelly from England

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 16v v.v.t club 2008

I had a 2001 Astra for 5 years - a club 1.6 8 valve. I’ve just got myself a 2008 club 1.6 16v . v.v.t. with more bhp and torque. But I find in 1st and 2nd gears it’s no faster than my previous car... a bit dissapointing really. But once you get the revs up it really shifts. I think it might be because of the low ratio gearbox. Anway, a smoother and tighter drive allround, better quality build in the cabin but not much storage room and a smaller boot than my earlier Astra. Overall a nice motor.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Design 1.8i 2007

Great for fun driving. Handles beautifully and is very fast. I had 1.8i auto that flew like the wind, especially when hitting the sports button. Heavy on the fuel though, only 25mpg and that’s without touching the sports button!!! They lose value very rapidly. Mine was only 10months old when I bought it and I paid only 8k (list price around 16k!!) Didn’t keep it long as it had electrical problems. Took it to Vauxhall 3 times and every time they promised it was sorted but never was. On one occasion I allowed the dealer to keep the car over night and still they couldn’t fix it so I got rid. Even though I loved driving the car I would never buy a Vauxhall again because if dealers don’t know how to fix their own cars how can any other mechanic be expected to know. I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch SXI 1.4 Twin Port 2007

This is my 4th Astra and they keep getting better. Bought ex-fleet at 9 months old for £7k. The drive on this model is a little harder but the handling is very good. My last was a 1.6 CD which I sold with 104K miles on, but this model is livlier although lacking power a little on hills. Engine is quiet but road and wind noise seems to be worse than earlier models. I would like to see a water temperature gauge fitted as was on previous models, though this seems to be more and more common on modern cars. A recent journey of 275 motorway non-stop miles returned 42 mpg (driver onlyon board). Road tax of £120 instead of previous £170 and better mpg means that my running costs should be lower. One big moan is the lack of front storage space, no drop down drawer as on my previous model, I believe to make space for more airbags which seem to be everywhere. Rear seats map storage is a plus as are brighter interior lights. Stereo is adequate but not a quality sound like Sony. Plus point is MP3 CD play and jack for MP3 player. Just as well as there is nowhere to store disks. I’m not keen on the ’plastic chrome trim’ to front and back of the car, already showing signs of pitting which is hard to correct. All in all a great car for the money which is why I give it 5 star rating.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch Standard 1998

The Astra is the best car i have owned No trouble for 9 years...I service it every July the parts costs about £25 and that’s it for another year I’m 68 years and have been driving since I was 14 years old........

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 3000 2002

i tnk tht car is fi9

Responses to this review

I think you need to go back to school........way, way back too! - Peter Proper from London

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch 1.6 Club

I’ve driven Astras for 15 years. My 2007 model 1.6 Club is the best yet. . Fabulous drive, refinement & quality.

Vauxhall Astra 5-Door Hatch

The Vauxhall Astra 1.9 CDTI is well equipped, economical, fast and has a good standard specification. As an all round package it is hard to beat.