Climb from an old Astra into a new one and you’ll think that you’ve skipped a generation, for it seems hardly credible that such a plain Jane interior can have been transformed into one so classy in a single bound. But it has. Just as it did with the Insignia, Vauxhall has reserved its greatest efforts for the areas that will have the greatest impact on the day-to-day lives of those who drive it and, under the circumstances, it’s hard to question the wisdom of that decision.
In particular, the dashboard looks like it comes from at least a class above. Partly through the elegance of its design and partly thanks to some clever touches (such as the chrome rings around the dials and major switches) it now matches the best in this class, the Volkswagen Golf, for premium feel.
There’s more good news because there’s quantity to accompany all the perceived quality. Vauxhall has put the substantial dimensions of the Astra to good use and created a cabin with space not only to rival the best in its class but also to challenge cars from the class above. Strange though it may seem to read it, the rear seat package differs in no great way from an Insignia’s. It makes good use of that space too, particularly in the way your feet can slide right under the seat in front. If that makes you question the wisdom of spending extra on the larger car, with its likely faster depreciation, that makes two of us.
But the cabin still falls a long way short of perfection. The dashboard might look great, but it doesn’t work anything like as well as that of, say, a Golf. With the optional navigation panel in the test car, the resulting scattered switches are more difficult to identify and use than they should be. The instruments are not the easiest in the class to read, either. And even though the Astra is the largest car in its class, that fastback roofline means that it has one of the smaller boots.
Nevertheless, the cabin of the Astra is conspicuously well supplied with storage areas, with three lidded bins in the centre console alone. The door bins are generous, too, and the glovebox is more than adequate.
It is too early to say whether the Astra’s leap upmarket will have a commensurately beneficial effect on its historically less-than-brilliant long-term residuals, but we certainly can’t see it doing any harm.
In the meantime, owners and keepers will enjoy a car that’s much more frugal than the one it replaces (we managed a respectable 31.5mpg over 400 hard-driven miles) and comes with an exceptionally low 139g/km CO2 figure. The fuel tank is slightly small compared with the class average, but we would expect its contents to be used more slowly too, and reckon that a 400-mile range will be perfectly feasible for most drivers in most conditions.
It’s also a quiet and comfortable car, offering a peaceful and relaxing way to let the miles flow past regardless of which seat you happen to occupy. Low levels of engine noise, helped by that high gearing and effective sealing of all apertures, reduce cabin disturbances to a minimum.
The SRi also comes with a reasonable level of standard equipment, including these smart 17in alloys, a leather wheel, sports seats, front foglights and an electric parking brake we could happily live without. That said, we were surprised to spot wind-up rear windows in a brand new car with a price close to £19,000.
