Vauxhall Astra 1.2 Turbo 145 Elite Nav 2020 UK first drive

Long a staple of the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars list each month, and towards the sharp end at that, the Vauxhall Astra this year finds itself missing from the SMMT’s monthly rundown.

Even a facelift two thirds of the way through last year hasn’t helped prop the Astra’s sales up in what remains a family mainstream hatchback segment shrinking next to the rise of the SUVs, and also the affordability of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class that has taken the Astra’s place on the top 10 list.

Yet the Astra remains a car worth your consideration, as we’ll discover. Since driving it on the original launch, we’ve now spent a bit more time in the new 1.2-litre petrol version.

Astra sales are split greatly in favour of fleets (some 80/20, where the new 1.5-litre diesel and its RDE2 compliance makes it a tax friendly and fuel efficient choice) yet it's the new petrol triple, offered in 108bhp, 128bhp and 143bhp outputs each with the same impressive economy and CO2 outputs, that will find its way into the hands of more private buyers.

The three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine is new to the Astra, but don’t get it confused with the same-sized engine from new parent firm PSA. The all-alloy engine, along with the 1.5-litre diesel triple, were developed originally under Vauxhall/Opel’s previous owner General Motors, and the decision was taken to carry them through to production.

And the engine is an impressive one. It revs nicely, and spins freely across the rev range, giving the Astra a pleasing turn of pace. It’s not set your pants on fire performance - nor is trying to be - but rather the kind to allow you to best exploit and enjoy real-world everyday driving conditions, and gaps in the traffic. The six-speed manual gearbox, itself newly updated, is also a slick performer, and a nice match for the engine.

The good news continues with the economy. For once, here are some on-paper economy figures you can get near. This Astra will cruise near to 50mpg on a run, meaning Vauxhall has found that rarely-found combination of good real-world performance and economy from a downsized three-cylinder engine, which replaced the 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo.

The engine is approximately 10kg lighter than the old 1.4, and it does feel it in its front-end agility. This Astra turns in more keenly than you’d expect, the car towards the Ford Focus end of the class for driver involvement if still short of the Blue Oval’s exceptional standards here.