Battery size: 54kWh
Max charge rate: 100kW
Range: 256 miles
Efficiency rating: A+
Real world miles per kWh: 4.1
It’s been seriously cold, so I’ve been appreciating some of the Astra’s assets. It has a heated windscreen to melt the ice - although it is oddly a separate switch to the general demister blow setting. It also has heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
In the winter the back of the car gets filthy, but the rear camera has its own little washer jet. I also love the powered tailgate, as there’s no need to get your hands dirty.
The Astra also feels sure-footed in the slippery stuff, which is more than can be said for some front-wheel-drive rivals. That could just be a result of the Vauxhall’s limited power, of course, but it doesn’t really feel slow.
Then there are the headlamps. Vauxhall has a bit of a thing for good lighting, and the Astra's automatic beams do the clever thing where they mask other cars to stop them being dazzled while still illuminating road signs and critters lurking in the verge. They make driving at night much easier.
On the downside, I had to use the Astra’s cable to charge away from home, and it’s like Pandora’s box. Once you have released it from the cubby under the floor there is no way it’s going back neatly unless you have a lot of patience and some skill. It’s going to rattle around in the boot for ever more, I suspect.
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