Vauxhall has given details on pricing and specifications for its upgraded Astra hatchback and estate, with order books opening imminently.
Revealed in July, the updated Vauxhall Astra gets a host of styling tweaks, a raft of engines from French owners PSA Group — including a new 1.2-litre petrol engine available with various power outputs — and more modern technology.
The updates will be needed if the Astra is to claw back ground to its major rivals, the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. As well as falling out of the UK’s ten best-selling cars, the current Astra lags behind the class leaders in terms of media reviews. The Car Expert’s unique Expert Rating system gathers together car reviews from 15 of the UK’s top motoring websites, and the Astra’s current rating of 74% is currently well below the VW Golf (82%), Ford Focus (81%), Mazda 3 (80%), Honda Civic (78%) and more.
Six trim levels starting at £19K
The Vauxhall Astra starting price of £18,885 on-road secures an SE model, which benefits from 16-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth and DAB radio, cruise control and rear privacy glass. Moving up to the £19,585 Business Edition Nav builds on this with satellite navigation, a leather steering wheel and an adjustable driver-side armrest.
Next is the £21,895 SRi trim, adding 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome-effect window trim, a front camera system, sports front seats, LED headlamps and an alarm system — though this does without satellite navigation. That returns with the £22,595 SRi Nav grade, however.
Following that, SRi VX Line adds 18-inch bi-colour alloy wheels, gloss black window trim and gloss black foglamp surrounds. This is available from £24,195.
Elite Nav cuts back to 17-inch alloys and chrome trim but does upgrade the touchscreen to an eight-inch display, while also adding electronic climate control plus heating elements in the leather seats and steering wheel. Pricing kicks off at £26,775.
Finally, the £28,195 Ultimate Nav brings back the 18-inch wheels and builds on Elite Nav with IntelliLux LED headlights and taillights, a Bose sound system, a heated windscreen, wireless charging and Vauxhall’s Parking Pack.
Order books for the new Vauxhall Astra will open on August 1.
