Vauxhall Astra boot space, practicality and safety

• Average passenger room
• Excellent boot space
  
• Lots of storage space in the front

How much space is there?

The Vauxhall Astra should work well for smaller families and empty nesters who don’t carry too many people or luggage in the course of their daily business. Front seats have bags of adjustment, and oodles of legroom. Our six-foot tester had no trouble at all getting comfortable, without resorting to sitting with the seat in its lowest position.

The rear room is more disappointing, though. Kneeroom is tight behind a six-footer in the front, and headroom is adequate rather than generous. Here, the Ford Focus has the Astra licked, although it’s competitive with other rivals such as the Toyota Corolla or Kia Ceed.

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Boot space and storage

The boot space is rated at 422 litres with the rear seats up, and 1,389 folded, making it roomier for your luggage than a Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Kia Ceed, but smaller than a Honda Civic. This reduces to 352 and 1,368 for the plug-in hybrid version. If you need more room, an estate badged Astra Sport Tourer has been revealed and will be on sale later in 2022.

There are loads of useful cubbies, pockets and trays to empty your pockets into as well. In other words, it’s as inviting as it is practical. We’re particularly impressed by the size of the mobile phone holder and integrated induction charger, in the centre console.

Is it easy to park?

The Astra is a classically-sized European hatchback and feels agreeably compact on the road. Forward visibility is good, although the rear view is limited thanks to a shallow screen and bulky C-pillars. Front and rear parking sensors are standard on all versions, while a rear-view camera is available on most.

However, if you want the useful 360-degree parking camera, you’re going to have to plump for a mid-range GS Line model. And if you want rear cross-traffic alert system, it’s only standard on the range-topping Ultimate version.

View dimensions in the Vauxhall Astra specs pages

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Safety

• Class-leading levels of safety kit available
• Some of the best features optional
• Not yet tested by EuroNCAP

The Astra’s yet to be tested by EuroNCAP, but by the time first UK deliveries take place later in 2022, you can expect the results to be out by then. Engineers we spoke to on the launch are expecting a full five-star score, though.

A range of safety and driver assistance features such as Driver Drowsiness Alert, automated emergency braking with a pedestrian detection function and cruise control with intelligent speed adaption.

Vauxhall’s IntelliLux matrix LED headlights are an option, and driver assistance technologies can be specified, too – something Vauxhall calls IntelliDrive. This combines adaptive cruise control with active lane centring and will semi-autonomous lane changing, too. 

We’ve sampled these systems in their latest form both briefly on the Astra’s European launch and in more detail in the UK on the technical similar Peugeot 308, and they work very well. It doesn’t quite offer Tesla levels of driver assistance, but it should help make long journeys a little less tiring.