UK Edition
Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer - long-term test
The estate version of the 2016 European Car of the Year should be just the thing for a hard life of long journeys and dog-carrying duties. Andrew English reports
Our car: Elite Nav 1.6 CDTi 136PS Stop & Start List price when new: £23,490 Price as tested: £25,910 Official fuel economy: 72.4mpg (EU Combined)
October 18th, 2016
Fuel economy this week: 60.3mpg
It's perhaps the best test of a car, that after getting back from a new-car launch you breathe a sigh of relief as you settle behind the wheel to drive home. The Astra Sports Tourer has more than filled that requirement in the six months, consistently and unfailingly. Its combination of ride and handling, the 'whisper' 1.6 turbodiesel and the snappy six-speed manual transmission have conspired to make an almost unbeatable combination.
On a long journey and there have been many, it's a formidable contender. So much so, in fact, that when it came time to choose this year's best cars for the Telegraph Cars Awards, the Astra scored first in the estate category.
Not that it was utterly perfect. We warmed slightly to the electronic handbrake over the year, but it still demanded such a jerk on the clutch to move the car in reverse that you feared for the longevity of the driveline. The parking proximity sensors were too sensitive and so were the brakes, but these are minor criticisms compared with the Astra's economical mile-munching capabilities.
Overall, the fuel consumption was 60.3mpg over 21,000 miles, which includes running the car in. Economy plateaued after six months and 9,000 miles, but stayed consistently around the 60mpg mark.
When Vauxhall took the car back the other day and I felt genuinely sad. There's an Astra-shaped hole in our lives. I wonder what will fill it?
August 22nd, 2016
Fuel economy this week: 59mpg
Long runs to and from the West Country where the family house is having a new roof mean the Vauxhall has been putting on the miles lately. That has two positive effects. First, the economy just keeps getting better and we're getting tantalisingly close to 60mpg. In fact, if you zero the trip when the engine is warm you'll see the magic 60, perhaps more, it's cold starts that drag it back down.
Second is an appreciation of what a good job Michael Harder, Vauxhall Opel’s manager of advanced vehicle dynamics and his boss, Horst Bormann director of vehicle development, did with this car. Frankly you'd struggle to find a better combination of ride and refinement in the class, although others might handle that tiny bit better, this is (almost) as good as it gets.
My only criticism at present concerns the brakes. The pedal feels slightly inconsistent and grabby at times, particularly when it hasn't been used for a time. Classic example is exiting a motorway on the slip road after a long brake-less run, where the first touch sends the nose dipping down and passengers' heads nodding. The other brake bug bear is that damn electronic handbrake, which requires such a clutch bump to disengage (particularly in reverse), I fear for clutch longevity.
July 12, 2016
Fuel economy this week: 51mpg
"Well, you'll not be doing that again," is the almost universal response to my latest saga with the Vauxhall.
Mitigating factors? An 81-hour week, four countries including two long-haul flights, a hose with an almost-black advertisement on the handle and a family friend gabbling 19 to the dozen at me while standing in front of the pump...
By now you'll most likely have guessed that I've misfuelled it, pouring in 36 litres of finest unleaded instead of its preferred diesel.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Our friend even followed me into the kiosk chattering happily away while I paid and then out again to the car, so that it was only once I'd said a slightly relieved cheerio, climbed in and driven away that I realised.
For those of you who have chortled away about press stories of the costs of misfuelling in the Metropolitan Police, I can absolutely assure you that it is surprisingly easy - and, what's more, Vauxhall's 1.6-litre "whisper" diesel runs surprisingly effectively on 95 Ron unleaded. Well, for at least for a mile it does.
"Oh I'd never do something as stupid as that," I hear you saying, though I'd be very careful with that thought and perhaps consider replacing it with, "There but for the grace of God go I".
The most widely quoted figure on UK misfuelling is the AA's estimate of at least 150,000 cases per year, or one every three and a half minutes. Almost 95 per cent of these incidents involved petrol mistakenly put into diesel cars. That figure, incidentally, which is still true today, was calculated in 2010. So that's six years of misfuelling, in spite of widespread calls for better labelling of pumps, the adoption of smart fuelling systems and so on.
I'd also go a step further and ban advertisements on pump handles - and maybe talking to drivers, distracting them as they try to find the right hose.
May 31, 2016
Fuel economy this week: 55.2mpg
With almost 3,000 miles on the clock, the Astra's fuel economy is settling down to more than 55mpg, with almost 60mpg on a long run at the speed limit.
I'm really liking the refinement and long-legged quality of the estate. The seats are comfortable and the ride is plush, but not at the cost of handling, which feels sharp. It'll be interesting to see how this holds up as the tyres wear.
One thing that is becoming annoying is the tendency for the brakes to grab inconsistently when they've not been used and are cooled by high-speed running. Motorway junctions are favourite for this trait - as you gently slow for a roundabout, press the brakes for the first time for five minutes and the passengers all nod together.
It's possible that the brakes were "cooked" by extreme use during the official press launch. Since the dashboard display tells me that the oil has just over 50 per cent off its life left at such a low mileage, it indicates that the car has been driven pretty hard so far.
Perhaps I'll ask the garage to have a look at the pads when the Astra Sports Tourer has its first service.
May 24, 2016
Fuel economy this week: 51.1mpg
"It's very blue," said Mrs English about my new long-term test car, a diesel-engined Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer.
"Certainly is, although it's actually Flip-Chip Silver," I replied.
"Oh, really?"
It's a classy sort of blue, but it doesn't half show the dirt. Straight off the launch press fleet, our new long-term Astra estate has about 2,500 miles on the clock, so the "whisper" diesel is only partially run-in and we're expecting a bit better than the 51mpg we're getting at the moment.
Early impressions are of the fine ride comfort, effortless cruising and refinement at speed. The seats are comfortable, the boot is huge, but some of the family (mainly the dog) are missing the "magic" seats of my previous Honda Jazz, which fold up and allow canine access to the floor area under the rear seats.
The engine develops 134bhp at 3,500rpm, with a useful 236lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm. That gives a top speed of 127mph and 0-62mph in 9.5sec. With CO2 emissions of 104g/km, it's in Band B for VED purposes - worth knowing, as this is a potentially excellent business car.
We'll let you know how it shapes up.
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