Model tested: Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Turbo SRi
Price: £19,255
Date tested: March 2010
Road tester: Richard Dredge

For over three decades, Vauxhall has tried to steal sales from arch-rival Ford, and while it has always secured a big slice of the UK market, it's never captured the imagination like the Blue Oval. Always seen as something of an underdog, there's a lot riding on the new Astra.

First impressions are good; the Astra looks modern, sleek, well-proportioned and none too bland. It's a surprisingly large car too, ensuring the interior offers ample space for four, or even five. In some ways Vauxhall has shot itself in the foot, as it makes its more expensive big brother the Insignia seem rather pointless.

It's not just the size that impresses; the modern design and high-quality materials are streets ahead of the previous generation. There's now mood lighting and a swoopy dash that envelops the two front occupants, while the switchgear is generally flush-fitting so it's far more modern than before.

The new Astra should also be cheaper to run than its predecessor. In a bid to cut fuel costs, there are small-capacity turbocharged engines instead of normally aspirated larger-displacement units. The result is a range of engines more powerful, more economical yet with lower CO2 emissions.

For example, the 1.4T engine replaces the 1.8-litre unit in the previous Astra. Whereas the old engine generated 172g/km of CO2, the new one drops this to 139g/km and averages 47.9mpg - the old model managed 39.2mpg. Despite the greater economy of the new engine, it still develops 138bhp, just like the old unit.

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Because the new Astra is so much bigger than the car it replaces, it needs this extra power if it isn't to feel slow, and while the car is fast enough for the cut and thrust of everyday driving, it's not perfect. A 0-60mph time of nine seconds and a 126mph top speed sound impressive enough, but they don't tell the whole story.

The key frustration is a six-speed manual gearbox with fifth and sixth gear ratios which are too high. Vauxhall has done it to ensure the engine revs are kept down at speed, to reduce fuel consumption, but in practice it means you have to change down an extra gear or two when you need a sudden burst of power, such as when you're overtaking.

This gearing means the Astra is great on the motorway, where refinement is excellent - even at speed, road, wind and engine noise are very well muted. So if you're after an accomplished motorway cruiser, the Astra is bound to appeal - and especially if you can strike a good deal with your Vauxhall dealer. It's also a great family car, easily able to swallow people and their luggage with room to spare. What it won't do is offer a thrilling drive, but if you spend your driving life stuck on motorways or in urban streets, you're hardly likely to care very much.