Power from the 2-litre ECOTEC unit is up 10bhp to 197bhp, making it a stronger rival for the similarly priced Focus ST170, Civic Type-R, SEAT Leon Cupra R et al. Mind you, when we tried the old SRi (evo 043) we found that straight-line thrust wasn't something it lacked. The GSi doesn't claim to be any quicker - 0 to 60mph in 7sec - but even from the other side of the car park it looks more purposeful.

It's much more the carefully groomed fast hatch, with deep, tougher-looking, square-edged front and rear aprons, projector spotlamps and those signature GSi six-spoke 17in alloys. There's still a hint of the standard Astra's frumpiness but the overall effect is crisp and pleasing. The inside gets a lift too, with excellent Recaro front seats, so already the GSi is looking better value.

What the Astra really needed, however, was a dynamic make-over and it does get a mild tweaking; changes include a 20mm lower front ride height and stiffer springs all round. Switchable traction control is also part of the package.

Settle into the supportive driver's seat, fire up the 2-litre turbo and it settles to an appealing, mildly rumbly idle. So far so good. Then you grasp the aluminium ball atop the gearlever, slot first, and a little black cloud scuds across your sunny outlook - the 'box has a sticky, vague action, as if the connection between the lever and the cogs is flexing.

The engine picks up cleanly and with decent urge before the turbo spools up, and once it has there's no doubt that this is a near-200bhp engine. There's strong mid-range torque that has the front wheels tugging gently at the tarmac in the lower gears, and it revs through to the redline with sustained vigour. We had no trouble matching Vauxhall's 0-60 time and you'd fancy your chances against a Civic Type-R or Cooper S in a straight line.

That gearshift blights the experience, though, and it's not the only tactile detail that takes the shine off things. The three-spoke wheel's spars feel too fat beneath your palms and the steering itself is woolly about the straight-ahead. The GSi's ride feels a little stiffer than the SRi's, which gives it fine composure over large bumps but it's a little fidgety over coarse or broken asphalt.

The traction control isn't as busy as you might expect given the engine's lusty mid-range urge, and when called into action it quells potential wheelspin smoothly before it gets a chance to interfere with the Astra's line. Not much does. Mid-corner, the steering doesn't feel as direct as you'd hope but there's no shortage of grip and the GSi's poise is utterly unflappable. Back off sharply, even in the damp, and the tail won't budge, which makes it reassuringly safe but also quite inert.

The GSi is a more appealing car than the SRi - better looking, better to be in, a bit more powerful and better value, too. However, ranged against ever-stronger opposition it feels like a blunt instrument; undeniably rapid but lacking involvement and that fine tactility that makes a good hatch great.