Vauxhall has announced specifications for the all-new, eighth-generation Astra hatch, which is now available to order priced from £23,275.
Available in ‘Design’, ‘GS Line’ and ‘Ultimate’ trims, first deliveries of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus rival are scheduled to take place in the first quarter of next year.
‘Design’ variants come with 16-inch alloys, LED headlights and rear lights and a matching body-coloured roof. Inside, all models use Vauxhall’s ‘Pure Panel Navigation’.
This system combines a 10-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch colour touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Automatic emergency braking, as well as lane departure warning and rear parking sensors are among the stock safety aids.
Moving up to ‘GS Line’ introduces sportier elements, with all models getting 17-inch black alloy wheels, a black Griffin badge on the front grille, a two-tone roof and rear privacy glass.
Upgrades to the cabin see the driver’s seat replaced with a heated AGR-certified chair for improved comfort and support, claims Vauxhall, while automatic models come with shift paddles. Included in the £26,170 starting price is active cruise control, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera.
Top-rung ‘Ultimate’ Astra cars wear 18-inch diamond cut alloys and get a panoramic glass sunroof. On these models 168 individual LEDs are crammed into each headlight for improved night time visibility. A head-up display, heated front windscreen and Alcantara covered seats come with the £29,285 asking price.
Rear cross traffic alert and semi-autonomous lane change, as well as curve speed adaptation that adjusts the vehicle’s speed when cornering with the semi-autonomous drive mode switched on, are also exclusive to ‘Ultimate’.
The same applies to wireless smartphone charging and ‘Intelli-Air’ connectivity – a set-up that allows users to control various in-car features through their smartphone.
Petrol and diesel powertrains are being joined right at the outset by a plug-in hybrid variant, with a full flat battery model called ‘Astra-e’ being readied for launch in 2023.
The PHEV car combines Vauxhall’s 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 12.4 kWh battery for a combined power output of 178bhp. A more powerful 222bhp variant has been confirmed for next year and both are said to have an electric-only range of 35-miles. A full charge can be performed in less than two hours thanks to the 7.4kW on-board charger.
Non-electrified versions are powered either by a 1.2-litre petrol turbo triple with either 108bhp or 128bhp, or a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel with 128bhp. As standard, they get a 6-speed manual although the same 8-speed automatic used on the PHEV is an option.
In terms of the car’s appearance, which centres on the bold ‘Vizor’ front end, Vauxhall says the Astra is “ready to define a new era” for the brand and the C-segment as a whole. Despite the EMP2 platform that underpins it being 13mm longer, the Mk8 Astra is just 4mm longer than the outgoing version.
