Vauxhall Astra SRi

My last experience of Vauxhall’s venerable Astra was driving my father’s MK V diesel estate. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Needless to say, I have since discounted any Astra of being any good to own or drive. I’ve noticed the MK VI has been a good seller, but then so was the MK V so I wasn’t going to assume that high sales made it a good car. I have been happy with this blind assumption, but when I was given the keys to an Astra MK VI I figured it was time to put them to the test.

The letters on the door said SRi. In days gone by SXi, SRi, et al. meant the car was a sporting model but nowadays Vauxhall seem to stick them on any old model. Aside from a chrome exhaust tip and fancy alloys it looked anything but sporty, particularly in the dark grey colour which seems so common on MK VI’s. Inside, there were some marginally sporty seats and, erm... This was not a sporty car by any stretch of the imagination. Things didn’t improve when I turned the key. Despite the dials indicating the engine had started, any sign of engine noise was notably missing.

Eye pleasing but not sporty

I familiarised myself with the stereo and comprehensive steering wheel controls for which Vauxhall are one of the best. In an effort to portray a modern machine, Vauxhall has littered the centre console with a wide array of buttons. Unfortunately, it looks cheap and nasty to me, but I do like the emotive red lighting around the gearstick. It would be pretty slick if it changed colour to reflect your driving style, but even without, it’s a nice touch. The inclusion of a button on the dash and wheel indicating Bluetooth connectivity despite not being fitted to this car was a poor show in the name of standardisation.

Nothing much to report from behind the wheel. It starts, stops and goes pretty much how you would anticipate any other car to. Comfortable, but dull. Satisfied that my assumptions had been right all along I resigned myself to an unremarkable journey home. But in the name of fair journalism I thought it only right to press the right pedal a little firmer.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the car began to make very good progress. The revs started to shoot round and the engine became audible for all the right reasons. This can’t be right! Retrospective research reveals that the car was equipped with a 1.6 turbo engine available in either 120 or 160bhp states of tune. I don’t know which it had but I do know that it was able to make good progress with minimal effort. This was more like it. Cruise control enabled, the motorway miles melted away effortlessly with an impressive lack of wind noise.

Well equipped, but some buttons are empty promises

As I pulled off the motorway I was looking forward to really tuning in the SRi’s sporting soul and exploiting that willing engine. Unfortunately, the whole car never quite synced. The first problem was the driving position, as mentioned with the Peugeot 207, the A-pillars are set too far forward and give a restrictive view of the road ahead in relation to your position on the tarmac. A combination of numb steering and too soft suspension created an uninspiring car through the twisty bits and whilst the engine performed well, it didn’t possess enough to encourage holding each gear between corners.

Not for the first time, I reassessed what I was expecting from the Astra. Turning it down a notch revealed a car that was capable of covering ground briskly; sacrificing some speed and urgency in the name of a fluid driving experience.

The Astra SRi then; slow to start, before incessantly flirty but with no promise of a kiss.