Vauxhall's Astravan is a bit lonely. It's stuck between the two types of light van, being bigger than the supermini-derived examples such as Vauxhall's own Corsavan or the Renault Clio van, but not offering the carrying capacity of something like the Vauxhall Combo or Ford Transit Connect. There's nothing else on the market quite like the Astravan, and company insiders admit that, starting from scratch, there may not be the business case for the vehicle. But the previous generations have built up something of a following, and Vauxhall reckons it will shift 10,000 units in 2007, and has already built up an order bank of around 300 despite the launch date being more than six weeks away.

The new Astravan is built in the UK, unlike the Polish-built previous generation, at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port facility on Merseyside that also builds the five-door Astra, and that move reflects the fact that Britain is the only country that takes any significant volume of a vehicle that's also been developed and engineered in the UK.

Instead of the old model's sole engine choice of a 1.7-litre diesel, this generation has three diesels to choose from, of which Vauxhall reckons the 90PS 1.3-litre will be the biggest-seller, provided it can persuade people to drive it before making the choice. There's a worry that drivers won't believe the 1.3 is powerful enough for a van of this size, hence the entry model not being badged 1.3, just CDTi. The rest of the volume will be split mainly between the 100PS 1.7 and the 120PS 1.9, though in time the 1.7 may be dropped from the range as bosses expect most buyers to go for either the cheaper, more economical 1.3 or the top-end 1.9. There's also a 1.4-litre petrol, aimed almost exclusively at the diminishing LPG market.