All-round winners
Vauxhall Astra vs Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf (Issue 1,090)
The arrival of one of the most important new cars of the year called for a special test. The Astra 1.4 Turbo put in a solid showing against the Golf and Focus on its debut outing (Issue 1,085), but the 1.7 CDTI in SRI trim is expected to account for the majority of the new hatchback’s sales.
So, we put it through a series of trials to gauge everything from dynamic prowess to its practicality in a new Auto Express road test format. Our class champion defended its crown in crushing style as the VW Golf took the win. A joint-fifth finish for the Astra doesn’t really do the Vauxhall justice, but it was simply too expensive to beat the Mazda, Honda or Skoda.
