Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Vauxhall Astra Estate
The new Astra estate offers style and substance" is the proud proclamation at the head of the press pack that accompanied the launch of Vauxhall's new load-lugger. And while such boasts are normally reserved for cars exhibiting none of the claimed qualities, Vauxhall has a point in the case of the Astra, which is loaded with both.
Following hot on the heels of its fivedoor sibling, the Astra estate has just gone on sale in the UK with prices ranging from £13,045 for the 1.4 life to £18,695 for the 1.9CDTi in Design trim. Intermediate stages are Club, SXi and SRi, the latter two being the more sporting versions. Whether fleets want their young service engineers bombing around in sporty service vehicles remains to be seen. But where a degree of choice is offered, the young bucks may well appreciate the chance to stand out a little from the crowds of similar vehicles already on the road.
It's often said that the heart of any good car is its engine - more on this note later - but in the case of an estate then load volume is also critical. With a 90mm longer wheelbase than the five-door version and the old estate, the new model boasts a 470-litre load volume with the rear seats in place, and up to 1550 litres when loaded up to the roof with the rear seats folded. Available on the car rental fleet?
The stated payload is 525kg and with the rear seats folded the load space can swallow items up to 1819mm in length. Sill height is 591mm and there's a stainless steel strip on the rear lip to protect the car from damage when loading heavy items. Load lashing points are provided to help keep bulky items in place and there's additional out-of-sight storage under the luggage compartment floor and in the side of the load area.
Engine options are comprehensive, with four petrol units and four diesels. Petrol versions range from a 90bhp 1.4-litre unit through 105bhp 1.6-litre and 125bhp 1.8-litre to the muscular 170bhp 2.0-litre turbo. The latter produces 184lb.ft of torque between 1950-4000rpm and propels the car to 60mph in 8.3 seconds, going on to a top speed of 135mph. CO2 emissions of 218g/km might cause drivers to think twice, however, as the top performing diesel is only a whisker behind in terms of performance and considerably lower in terms of BIK tax liability. With 150bhp on tap and 236lb.ft of torque, the 1.9CDTi is decidedly brisk and that extra mid-range pull ensures that even when fully laden, the engine will not be straining to climb hills or accelerate past slower cars.
There are two 1.7-litre units with 80bhp and 100bhp respectively, alongside a 120bhp version of the 1.9. All four are Euro IV-compliant and CO2 emissions range from 132g/km and 135g/km in the 1.7s to 159g/km from the two 1.9-litre units.
The three smaller petrol engines and the 1.7-litre diesels are married to a five-speed manual transmission, while the 2.0-litre turbo and both 1.9 diesels have a six-speed gearbox. A four-speed automatic is available as an option on the 1.8-litre petrol, while the latest version of the Easytronic automated manual gearbox is available on the 1.6.
Spring and damper settings are the same as for the five-door version, hence ride and handling are virtually identical in the standard chassis. Several clever options are available, however, including the adaptive IDS chassis with electronic damping control, steering-linked Adaptive Forward Lighting that shines around corners and a Towing Pack that incorporates automatic load levelling, Hill Start Assist and a TrailerStability Programme, all for £350.
There's plenty of opportunity for customizing the Astra estate to meet individual drivers' needs, with a wide range of infotainment options offered alongside the chassis enhancements. Front, side and - in most models - front and rear curtain airbags are standard and all rear seatbelts have three fixed points. Mountings are in place for an ISOFIX child seat and there's an audible and visible warning for the front safety belts.
FWOVERVIEWNew Astra has already made a significant impact on the fleet market and the estate will follow in its footsteps. Sharp styling with excellent proportions combine with a classy interior, excellent ride and high level of standard specification. Throw in eight good engine options and you can't go far wrong.
VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.7 CDTI (80BHP)OTR price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£15,595Engine cyl/cc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/1,686ccMax power . . . . . . . . . . . . 80bhp @ 4,400rpmMax torque . . . . . . . . . . . 125lb.ft @ 1,800rpm0-62mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4 secsTop speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104mphCombined MPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.6mpgCO2 emissions . . . . . 132g/km (15% in 05/06)
Following hot on the heels of its fivedoor sibling, the Astra estate has just gone on sale in the UK with prices ranging from £13,045 for the 1.4 life to £18,695 for the 1.9CDTi in Design trim. Intermediate stages are Club, SXi and SRi, the latter two being the more sporting versions. Whether fleets want their young service engineers bombing around in sporty service vehicles remains to be seen. But where a degree of choice is offered, the young bucks may well appreciate the chance to stand out a little from the crowds of similar vehicles already on the road.
It's often said that the heart of any good car is its engine - more on this note later - but in the case of an estate then load volume is also critical. With a 90mm longer wheelbase than the five-door version and the old estate, the new model boasts a 470-litre load volume with the rear seats in place, and up to 1550 litres when loaded up to the roof with the rear seats folded. Available on the car rental fleet?
The stated payload is 525kg and with the rear seats folded the load space can swallow items up to 1819mm in length. Sill height is 591mm and there's a stainless steel strip on the rear lip to protect the car from damage when loading heavy items. Load lashing points are provided to help keep bulky items in place and there's additional out-of-sight storage under the luggage compartment floor and in the side of the load area.
Engine options are comprehensive, with four petrol units and four diesels. Petrol versions range from a 90bhp 1.4-litre unit through 105bhp 1.6-litre and 125bhp 1.8-litre to the muscular 170bhp 2.0-litre turbo. The latter produces 184lb.ft of torque between 1950-4000rpm and propels the car to 60mph in 8.3 seconds, going on to a top speed of 135mph. CO2 emissions of 218g/km might cause drivers to think twice, however, as the top performing diesel is only a whisker behind in terms of performance and considerably lower in terms of BIK tax liability. With 150bhp on tap and 236lb.ft of torque, the 1.9CDTi is decidedly brisk and that extra mid-range pull ensures that even when fully laden, the engine will not be straining to climb hills or accelerate past slower cars.
There are two 1.7-litre units with 80bhp and 100bhp respectively, alongside a 120bhp version of the 1.9. All four are Euro IV-compliant and CO2 emissions range from 132g/km and 135g/km in the 1.7s to 159g/km from the two 1.9-litre units.
The three smaller petrol engines and the 1.7-litre diesels are married to a five-speed manual transmission, while the 2.0-litre turbo and both 1.9 diesels have a six-speed gearbox. A four-speed automatic is available as an option on the 1.8-litre petrol, while the latest version of the Easytronic automated manual gearbox is available on the 1.6.
Spring and damper settings are the same as for the five-door version, hence ride and handling are virtually identical in the standard chassis. Several clever options are available, however, including the adaptive IDS chassis with electronic damping control, steering-linked Adaptive Forward Lighting that shines around corners and a Towing Pack that incorporates automatic load levelling, Hill Start Assist and a TrailerStability Programme, all for £350.
There's plenty of opportunity for customizing the Astra estate to meet individual drivers' needs, with a wide range of infotainment options offered alongside the chassis enhancements. Front, side and - in most models - front and rear curtain airbags are standard and all rear seatbelts have three fixed points. Mountings are in place for an ISOFIX child seat and there's an audible and visible warning for the front safety belts.
FWOVERVIEWNew Astra has already made a significant impact on the fleet market and the estate will follow in its footsteps. Sharp styling with excellent proportions combine with a classy interior, excellent ride and high level of standard specification. Throw in eight good engine options and you can't go far wrong.
VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.7 CDTI (80BHP)OTR price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£15,595Engine cyl/cc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/1,686ccMax power . . . . . . . . . . . . 80bhp @ 4,400rpmMax torque . . . . . . . . . . . 125lb.ft @ 1,800rpm0-62mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4 secsTop speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104mphCombined MPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.6mpgCO2 emissions . . . . . 132g/km (15% in 05/06)
# posted by Liz Laurie @ 10:29 AM 
