All new Vauxhall Astra on the way

General Guides  New Launches 

Forty years and eight generations suggest the Vauxhall Astra is a pretty successful car, largely thanks to its ability to keep up with the times and offer people what they want. Some people may prefer a Ford or a VW, but personal taste is probably the only good reason you could find not to lease the brand-new Vauxhall Astra.

After the Mokka, Crossland and Grandland SUVs, the new Astra is Vauxhall's first hatchback to meet the brand's bold new design philosophy. The Vauxhall Vizor (that's the name of the new face of the brand first seen on the Mokka) follows the Vauxhall Compass (we're not making this up) where the vertical and horizontal lines (the sharp crease in the hood and the wing shaped graphic of the daylight running lamps) meet with the Vauxhall Griffin emblem in the middle of the grille. The Vizor also enhances the sense of width as it stretches across the front of the car, as well as housing the new, ultra-slim Intelli-Lux LED headlamps and the front camera of the Intelli-Vision system.

Translated into English that means it's quite sporty and a bit aggressive with a very distinctive look. The same applies throughout the interior too.

Pure Panel digital cockpit

The new Astra offers the next generation of the Pure Panel digital cockpit, first introduced in the Mokka. It features two 10-inch displays, together with the driver's side air vent in a horizontal setup across the dashboard. It wraps around the driver's seat to give you a feeling of being a central component of the car, and thanks to a clever layer in the glass that prevents upward reflections onto the windscreen, Vauxhall has managed to get rid of the hood over the displays which really opens up the dashboard.

With the physical controls reduced to the minimum, the Pure Panel offers a balance between digitisation and intuitive operation. No irritating visual gimmicks, no need for sub-menus, you don't even need cables, with all models featuring fully wireless Apple and Android connectivity. You can operate the new Astra via the extra-wide touchscreens, while the driver receives all the necessary information and useful operating options without being inundated with unnecessary distractions.

You also get state-of-the-art assistance systems ranging from the Intelli-HuD head-up display to the semi-automated Intelli-Drive assistance system and the Intelli-Vision 360-degree camera. And in a nostalgic nod to the past, and to keep customers over the age of 25 happy, traditional features like the heater can still be operated with actual switches and buttons.

There are big changes under the bonnet too

For the first time the new Astra will be available as a plug-in hybrid. In addition, there are efficient petrol and diesel engined versions featuring six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions.

The latest Astra will be available from launch with a powerful plug-in hybrid electric version joining the petrol and diesel engines. Power ranges from around 110bhp to 130bhp from the petrol and diesel variants, and up to a highly respectable 225bhp with the plug-in hybrid variants. The six-speed gearbox is standard on the petrol and diesel power units, with the eight-speed automatic transmission (electrified on the plug-in hybrids) optional on the more powerful engines.

Vauxhall won't actually open the order books for the new Astra until this autumn, so we'll all have to wait for more details closer to the time.

We do know the people who get their names in the list first will take delivery of their cars early next year, so if that timing works for your next lease you just need to let us know what colour and specification you would like for your new Vauxhall Astra.

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