Astra 1.6 auto. Not recommended...
I've just done over 800 miles in this and am so glad to be giving it back tomorrow... I really didn't get on with this one. My main issue with it was the slow and dim witted auto gearbox which was infuriating due to its incessant and random gear changes. I took this up a lovely flowing twisty A road I know very well and progress was frankly shambolic as a result of the gearbox's lunatic shifting. In comparison I had an auto (previous shape) Focus last week which was much better on the same piece of road. The Astra was also slow (God it was slow...), which was accentuated by the lengthy gaps between depressing the accelerator and the gearbox shifting down, having taken about ten minutes to decide which gear it should be in.
Contrast this with the previous current shape Astra I drove (manual 1.4 SRi) and it felt like a totally different car. The SRi was sporty and responsive in nature whereas the auto was asthmatic and unwilling.
Gearbox issues aside, it was also keen to tell me at regular intervals exactly which systems were about to fail or drop off. 'Low Coolant warning' was a constant favourite (despite topping up initially), as was 'Check n/s headlamp alignment' (in fairness, not the car's fault - close inspection revealed it had probably had a light front end shunt at some point). 'Rear door open' (it was shut) was an unexpected bonus on the way back this evening too.
There were also an impressive array of dents and the inside of the fuel filler was still masked, complete with overspray from when it had obviously received new paint to the rear 3/4 panel. Quite impressive for a two year old car.
At least, being an Elite, it had a decent (leather) interior with heated seats...
Astra 1.6 auto. Not recommended...
I've just done over 800 miles in this and am so glad to be giving it back tomorrow... I really didn't get on with this one. My main issue with it was the slow and dim witted auto gearbox which was infuriating due to its incessant and random gear changes. I took this up a lovely flowing twisty A road I know very well and progress was frankly shambolic as a result of the gearbox's lunatic shifting. In comparison I had an auto (previous shape) Focus last week which was much better on the same piece of road. The Astra was also slow (God it was slow...), which was accentuated by the lengthy gaps between depressing the accelerator and the gearbox shifting down, having taken about ten minutes to decide which gear it should be in.
Contrast this with the previous current shape Astra I drove (manual 1.4 SRi) and it felt like a totally different car. The SRi was sporty and responsive in nature whereas the auto was asthmatic and unwilling.
Gearbox issues aside, it was also keen to tell me at regular intervals exactly which systems were about to fail or drop off. 'Low Coolant warning' was a constant favourite (despite topping up initially), as was 'Check n/s headlamp alignment' (in fairness, not the car's fault - close inspection revealed it had probably had a light front end shunt at some point). 'Rear door open' (it was shut) was an unexpected bonus on the way back this evening too.
There were also an impressive array of dents and the inside of the fuel filler was still masked, complete with overspray from when it had obviously received new paint to the rear 3/4 panel. Quite impressive for a two year old car.
At least, being an Elite, it had a decent (leather) interior with heated seats...