Our Fleet Test Drive: Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer - 8th report
Date:
25 January 2012
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Author: Hugh Hunston
Bumper
Thanks to its swooping, sculpted 'blade' look, our Astra reflects a pledge made by Mark Adams, GM Europe's design vice president, to move away from the vans-with-windows styling.
However, maintaining the estate's aesthetic balance with an extra 279mm in length over the hatch counterpart is compromised by a colour mismatch. The wagon's additional rear overhang is accentuated by two contrasting shades of Power Red paint, where steel wings meet the plastic moulded bumper section. Small adjustments in the Ellesmere Port factory paint-spraying booths might provide a solution.
Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer 1.7 CDTi SRi | Mileage | 3014 | Claimed combined consumption | 62.8mpg | Our average consumption | 46.6mpg | Forecast CPM | 54.7p | Actual CPM | 55.8p | Why we’re running it | To see if the latest Astra wagon can shake off its predecessors’ stigma of being a utilitarian workhorse. | Positive | Cabin offers civilised working conditions
| Negative | Economy remains stubbornly average |
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