Skip advert
Advertisement

2016 Vauxhall Astra review – new Astra is best yet, but can it excite? - Interior and tech

With an excellent engine and an outstanding ride the new Astra has some great attributes, but sadly it isn’t a drivers’ car

Evo rating
RRP
from £15,295
  • Great engine, unexpectedly fast and feels well built
  • Overall, just not very exciting

Interior and tech 

The Astra’s interior seems light and airy. The dash is littered with touches of chrome that nicely breaks-up the amount of black. The plastics used do feel luxurious and pleasant to touch. However you do find these plastics where you’d expect to find leather or metal, the gear knob in particular. Overall though, it feels very durable and well built.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The seating position is good, if a little bit too high. Find me a car that doesn’t feel like that, though. The steering wheel has a decent amount of adjustment, so getting comfortable isn’t difficult.

The main satnav screen seems to be angled upwards towards the roof of the car. It’s not difficult to see because of this, but you don’t expect the main source of the infotainment to be pointing in a different direction to the occupants. However, with DAB, satnav, Bluetooth it adds to the Astra’s pleasant environment.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

This secret British sports car is a £5m gamble, inspired by Lotus and with Ferrari looks
Wells Vertige
Features

This secret British sports car is a £5m gamble, inspired by Lotus and with Ferrari looks

Robin Wells fancied a new sports car so decided to build his own. The result is the Wells Vertige, and now you can have one too
28 Apr 2026
Volvo XC90 review – still the king of the school run or past its best?
Volvo XC90 front
Reviews

Volvo XC90 review – still the king of the school run or past its best?

Volvo’s star flagship family car has been renewed with more hybrid power, sharper tech and looks and competitive pricing
30 Apr 2026
Toyota GR Corolla review - why the GR Yaris’s big brother will be worth the wait
Toyota GR Corolla
Reviews

Toyota GR Corolla review - why the GR Yaris’s big brother will be worth the wait

It's been on sale for three years and until now only in select markets, but now it's built in Britain it's coming to the UK. We're just waiting for To…
1 May 2026