2023 Vauxhall Astra 1.5 Turbo D GS Line 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

The Vauxhall Astra. It's long been the staple of the company car park and back in 2021, this eighth generation version aimed to combine this model line's traditional no-nonsense appeal with a bit of extra flair, courtesy of French-derived underpinnings which also brought the option of electrification.

History

This L-series design was a very different kind of Vauxhall Astra. This, the eighth generation version, was the first not to be built in the UK and the first that could be electric. Just as significantly, it was also the first that didn't depend almost entirely on fleet sales, so it was just as well that this was the first model in the line with a truly arresting bit of showroom presence. It's a pretty long line that goes all the way back to 1980 and a first generation model that replaced the old Vauxhall Viva. Like the Viva - and like just about every Vauxhall model in living memory - that was a platform-shared design (a badge-engineered Opel Kadett), but a very significant one, the first compact Vauxhall with front wheel drive and the first of the brand's models to be offered with a choice of both petrol and diesel engines. Opel also adopted the Astra name shortly afterwards and six further model generations followed over the next four decades all, like the original, rolling off the Griffin brand's Ellesmere Port production line near Liverpool. Those old Astras were created during Vauxhall's era of ownership by US conglomerate General Motors. The French PSA Group took over the Griffin brand in 2017, just before it in turn became part of the sprawling Stellantis Group, which aimed to reduce production costs with shared engineering based around differing brand identities. Which is what brought us the eighth generation Astra we look at here, essentially a re-skinned Peugeot 308, but with a rather different look and feel that went beyond just the retro-style looks. That approach allowed big steps to be taken here in engineering - there were both Plug-in Hybrid and full-Electric variants. And in technology, safety and connectivity - though from new there was a price to pay for that. The Sports Tourer estate version was launched in 2022. The Astra Electric and the GSe hot hatch Plug-in Hybrid arrived in 2023. And the non-plug-in e-DCT6 1.2 Hybrid variant arrived in 2024. This L-Series Astra was facelifted in early 2026. It's the earlier 2021-2025-era versions of it though, that we look at here.

What You Get

Did you ever think a Vauxhall Astra would look like this MK8 model? The brand called this a 'design statement' - and it was certainly that, whether you choose the hatch or the alternative Sports Tourer estate. If you like it though, you'll really like it. This is an Astra dynamic as never before, with sheer, taut surfaces, detoxed of superfluous elements. And proudly sporting the brand's most notable modern-era styling feature, the so-called 'Vauxhall Vizor', this narrow black grille plate that flows across into equally narrow ultra-slim LED headlamps. It's a bit less distinctive from the side, where the tape measure reveals this MK8 model to be fractionally longer than its predecessor, while sitting 15mm lower, the profile view marked by the pronounced forward rake of the C-pillar. The rear tries to emulate the pavement presence at the front - with some success. The designers switched to using a state-of-the-art composite material from which to fashion the tailgate, which allowed for the precise execution of styling details like these super-thin LED rear lamps, which emphasise the body shell's 51mm of extra width. Inside, the job of differentiation was much more difficult. Vauxhall called the front-of-cabin experience 'a leap forward in time' and, whatever your view on the rather slab-sided 'Pure Panel' twin screen layout, it's difficult to disagree. As well as analogue dials being dispensed with, there's no conventional hooded instrument binnacle and, on the automatic model, no recognisable gearstick either. You're going to need to be a fan of shiny dark piano black plastic to like the futuristic cabin vibe and we're not completely convinced by some elements of material quality. But it was all very well screwed together by the German Russelsheim factory and the dual 10-inch displays do a pretty good job of telling you what you need to know, the instrument screen configurable via the end of the left hand indicator stalk. You sit lower down than in the previous generation model and we particularly like the seats; above base trim, the driver's chair posture was designed for certification approval from the German 'Aktion Gesunder Rucken e.V' organisation, who campaign across Europe for aids to healthier backs. There's plenty of cabin storage too. In the rear, that extra body length isn't very evident. Yes, you get, 680mm of leg space, 10mm more than in the equivalent Peugeot 308, but that's 20mm less than in the boxier previous K-generation Astra and it certainly feels a touch more cramped than the class norm. That increase in body width makes it a fraction easier to take a third central passenger should the need arise but, as with most cars in this class, it'd be a bit of a squash. You raise the rear hatch by pressing on the central Griffin emblem. Switching to a composite material for this tailgate didn't make it much lighter - there's no powered option - but once everything's raised, you find yourself surveying a decently-sized 422-litre boot, the size of which beats most class rivals. Well it does in the conventionally-engined model anyway; with the Plug-in Hybrid version, that capacity falls to 352-litres because if the battery below the cargo area floor. With the Sports Tourer estate, conventionally-engined models have a 608-litre boot (it's 548-litres with the Plug-in Hybrid version) and there's 600mm of load height and a luggage tie-down net too.

What to Look For

We've heard of various issues with this L-Series '21-plate-onwards MK8 Astra. Most commonly wet timing belt degradation with the 1.2-litre petrol unit, camshaft chain wear for the 1.5 diesel and various electronic and infotainment issues. We've heard of jerky shifts and delayed start-up response from the 8-speed auto gearbox, so look out for that on the test drive. And make sure all the driver assistance ADAS features work as there have been some reported problems with those. The 12V battery in the PHEV can discharge if the car runs on EV power without the petrol engine turning on, leading to spurious dashboard error codes. There was a recall for door handles failing to latch or lock. We've heard of moisture in the tail lamps. Check the boot area for scuffs and scratches. Make sure that all the connectivity works properly - Bluetooth-linking and so on. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on an Astra 1.6 Plug-in Hybrid - 2022) Air filters are around £10-£16. Oil filters are around £8-£12. Front brake pads are around £20-£65 - it's £15-£50 for a set of rear pads. A pair of front brake discs cost in the £65-£110 bracket. A pair of rear brake discs are typically in the £50-£95 bracket. A pair of wiper blades are around £20-£30. A headlight is in the £275-£333 bracket.

On the Road

It's refreshing to find when you set off down the road in this Vauxhall that an eighth generation Astra feels significantly different to the Peugeot 308 it's almost entirely based upon. From launch, we were hoping it might and had quite high expectations for just how good this eighth generation model might be to drive given that its predecessor was severely under-rated in this regard. True, there's not the rewarding depth of handling prowess that you'd get in this class from this era in a Ford Focus or a Mazda3, but we reckon this Astra still qualifies as best of the rest if you like your driving, mating the fluid gait you get with its Peugeot cousin with a slightly sharper feel. That's partly down to a bit more steering feedback; and partly down to fractionally firmer damping, though this Vauxhall rumbles a little over poorer surfaces as a result. It doesn't feel as troubled by them as the previous K-series model did though, partly because of the 14% improvement in torsional stiffness this time round. As for powertrains, well almost all sales were of the 1.2-litre petrol unit, available with either 110PS or, more usually, with 130PS, both engines delivering 52.3mpg on the combined cycle and 123g/km of CO2. Significantly, both were available with the manual gearbox you couldn't have in an equivalent Peugeot 308. That car restricted you to 8-speed auto transmission, which was an option with the 130PS petrol Astra and mandatory for those who ordered this Vauxhall with the other mainstream engine available, a 130PS 1.5-litre Turbo D diesel. Otherwise, buyers had to choose between the various levels of electrification that the switch to the EMP2 Stellantis Group platform made possible here, all of course auto-only. There are two Plug-in Hybrid options based around a 1.6-litre petrol unit which combines with a 110hp electric motor powered by a 12.4kWh battery that can deliver an EAER-rated EV driving range of up to 42 miles. The standard PHEV system output is 180PS, but Vauxhall also offered a performance-orientated GSe variant which boosted that total to 225PS. Your other option is the full-EV Astra Electric, which has a 154hp motor powered by a 400-volt 54 kWh battery with a driving range of around 250 miles.

Overall

This eighth generation Astra didn't sell in the kinds of numbers we saw with earlier models, but that was to be expected. Profitability, not volume was the watchword for Vauxhall by this century's third decade, which meant this car had to sell purely on its merits - and to some extent it did just that. It's better screwed together than a Golf, it drives better than Korean rivals and, perhaps most significantly, will make a satisfyingly avant garde statement outside the school gates or the gym. That styling will of course divide opinion. And we're not completely convinced by the quality of some of the cabin materials. Nor are we sure that in the real world, the price premium required for the Plug-in Hybrid variants really adds up on the balance sheet. We also can't quite shake the feeling that this was less an all-new Astra and more merely a differently-flavoured Peugeot 308. But that's the sort of thing we're all going to have to get used to in this new era of even greater platform sharing. Vauxhall and Opel actually went further than we expected in differentiating this car from its Peugeot cousin and the result was a car that, like its predecessor, actually ended up being extremely under-rated. It certainly delivers quite a few reasons to add an Astra to your used car family hatch shopping list once more. And maybe even to put in asterix next to it.