As you might expect, Vauxhall has manipulated the Astra GTC’s pricing to ensure that the entry-level car offers buyers a saving over the cheapest Scirocco.
Thus, the Sport model with the lower-powered 118bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine starts at £18,495, compared with £19,845 for VW’s 120bhp Scirocco 1.4 TSI. That’s a meaningful chunk of change, but it’s worth noting that the Megane coupé and Hyundai’s Veloster are both available for less in base-spec form.
Ascend into the mid-range (which a significant proportion of customers can be expected to do) and it’s much closer to call. The better-trimmed SRi model with the 1.6-litre petrol motor is only separated from the 158bhp Scirocco 1.4 TSI by pocket change, and the VW claims marginally better fuel consumption (42.8mpg versus 39.2mpg) and lower CO2 emissions (154g/km against 168g/km).
In its most frugal 108bhp 1.7 CDTi form, the Astra GTC dips below the important 120g/km CO2 emissions threshold. As well as boasting 119g/km CO2 emissions, it also offers combined economy of 62.9mpg. The most potent 163bhp 2.0 CDTi model is also impressively frugal given its performance, with a CO2 emissions figure of 127g/km and combined economy of 58.9mpg.
Insurance-wise, the Astra GTC sits in group 13 in its entry-level 1.4 petrol form. The range-topping 1.6-litre turbo petrol sits in group 25.
Mainly thanks to its Vauxhall badge, deprecation on the Astra GTC is tipped to be fairly sharp. The GTC 1.6T SRi is estimated to be worth just over £6000 in four years' time; the equivalent VW Scirocco 1.4 TSI 160 is likely to be worth just over £9000 after the same period.
