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Road Test

Vauxhall Astra (04-) VXR 3dr Sport Hatch

Test date 30 August 2005  Price as tested £19,575

It’s a good time to be a hot hatchback fan. The Volkswagen Golf GTi is back to its thin-Elvis best, Renault’s Clio 182/Cup/Trophy is excellent and the arrival of Ford’s five-pot Focus ST is just around the corner. But Vauxhall reckons that the market can handle even more excitement, so has launched a 237bhp Astra that’s so dramatic-looking it could’ve just rolled off a motorshow stand. Better still – at £18,995 it’s a full £1000 less than the Golf GTi.

All of which is good news for the enthusiast. For the more superficial, the Astra’s rakish looks – virtually unchanged from the Astra HPC concept unveiled at the Paris motor show last year – will be convincing enough. But for keener drivers, the way it goes down the road will determine whether or not it’s worthy of a place in their driveway.

We were certainly impressed when we first drove the Astra VXR, pitching it against its Golf and Megane rivals in Germany last month (Autocar 19 July). We reckoned that the Astra blew ‘cars as sensible and complete as the new Golf GTi into the weeds’. Yes, we had to concede that the Golf was the best package overall, but the Astra’s wild-child enthusiasm won us over.

Question is, does our enthusiasm for the Astra VXR’s talents relate to everyday, real-world UK driving? Is its dynamic excellence enough compensation for living with its shortcomings day in and day out?

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