Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch (05-10) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 17 April 2009
The Astra Sport Hatch is very different from its dull five-door sibling and Vauxhall has done a great job in producing a sporty and distinctive design. The model is a fairly common site on the roads so it's easy to forget how attractive and neatly styled it is with a low, purposeful stance. It's entertaining to drive too thanks to a lower ride height than the five-door, although the steering still feels a little remote. The cabin is disappointing - it's a dull design and the switches on the centre console are fiddly to use while the boot is awkward to access due to a narrow opening and high lip. If you can forgive these shortcomings however the Astra Sport Hatch makes a chic three-door and comes with a good choice of engines including some hot hatch rivalling turbocharged units.
3.5 out of 5

Other Vauxhall reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

Insurance costs have been reduced by making parts damaged in a low-speed collision easier to remove and cheaper to replace while service intervals are long (especially in the diesels). Fuel economy is good in the majority of models although the turbocharged 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre units are thirsty, however depreciation will be the biggest cost over the long term.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,334 - £2,046 *

Diesel

£1,034 - £1,602 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Petrol every 20,000 miles. Diesel every 30,000 miles

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£30.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
    119
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    221
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Sport Hatch scores fairly well on the eco front, with an average of 172g/km CO2 across the range. Eco-conscious buyers should consider the 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX which is one of the greenest models in the range, emitting 119g/km of CO2 and returning 63mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2