Vauxhall Astra Estate 2004 - Present

The most recent incarnation of the Vauxhall Astra Estate makes the most sense yet of the small family estate. As a class they have the thankless task of trying to fill the shoes of a big car but without really being a big car. The new Astra pulls of this veritable magic trick.

The Astra Estate is actually slightly bigger than the hatchback and the rear passengers are the first beneficiaries of this extra room. The estate has more rear leg and headroom ,and the interior quality ensures that the Astra estate passengers will feel like they are being well looked after. The boot space is very well laid out, and while not the largest in the sector is among the most useful. Taking advantage of the Vectra's FlexOrganiser system the boot space features an array of systems to enable the driver to secure any load within the boot.

There are an array of engines available. The 1.4 petrol engine kicks off the range, but is adequate and little more. The 1.7 CDTi engines are a little coarse with excessive noise and vibration but higher up the range the engines are more refined. The 2.0 turbo is probably the pick of the petrol engines, offering great performance although paying for it somewhat with economy figures of 31 mpg. The 1.9 turbodiesel is slightly off it's pace with 0-60 of 8.3 seconds (as opposed to 7.7 for the petrol turbo), but returning economy figures of 50 mpg. If you're paying for your own fuel that will appeal and if your employer is I'm sure those numbers will appeal to them.

The handling of the Astra Estate is one of the biggest surprises that the little big car offers. It handles really well and offers a great drive. The suspension is even and copes extremely well with the demands put on it by both the road surface and the need to keep the cargo and passengers riding in comfort. Cornering manners are more that of a hatchback than the workman estate car. This is in part because of the slightly longer wheelbase and slightly heavier car and in part some clever electronics that manage the cars road holding performance. The result is a competent performer that drives with a confidence that belies it's size.

The Astra estate gives it's driver the chance to carry reasonably large amounts in the boot without losing the fun of driving a small family car. It's not the coolest car on the road but is enough fun to drive that it's drivers will have the last laugh.

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