Vauxhall Astra Mk5 Review (2004-2010)
Vauxhall Astra cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Very affordable to buy
Low running costs
Comfortable and enjoyable to drive
Cons
Not the best small family car in any one area
Problems with the 1.9-litre diesel
Watch out for trouble with the electrics
The CarGurus verdict
The Vauxhall Astra is a solid all-rounder. True, there aren’t many areas in which it leads its major rivals, but it is competitive in all of them. It’s comfortable and good to drive, it’s practical enough for a small family, and it’s well built. There’s a wide range of engines, the later ones being the more compelling choices, with stronger performance and better fuel economy. Choose a mid-range version or above, and you’ll get plenty of luxury and safety equipment.
Critical for many buyers, though, is that a used Vauxhall Astra represents a lot of car for not a lot of cash. Yes, if you want the sportiest car in the class, you’ll go for the Ford Focus, and if you want the poshest, you’ll have the Volkswagen Golf. Even against such talented rivals, though, the Astra makes a strong case for itself.
What is the Vauxhall Astra?
The British car-buying public loves a family hatchback. They’re still immensely popular today, but before SUVs came along, family hatches were consistently the best-selling cars in the country and – along with its old foes, the Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Golf – the Vauxhall Astra is one of the most popular examples of the breed.
This fifth-generation version, sold between 2004 and 2010, was one of the most popular Astras ever, so there are absolutely loads of them on the used car market. It was succeeded by the sixth-generation Astra in 2010.
How practical is it?
There’s an Astra to suit every taste, and the most common body style by far is the five-door hatchback, which provides decent space for four adults and a reasonably large 350-litre boot, although the unconventional design of the opening and the large load lip means that accessing the luggage space isn’t all that easy.
Things were no better in the three-door coupe-like Sport Hatch model, either, and getting in and out of the back was trickier, although there’s a reasonable amount of space once you’re in there. Its boot was smaller, too, at 312 litres.
By contrast, the five-door estate, known as the Astra Sports Tourer, has a huge, easy-to-access, 540-litre boot, which makes it one of the best small estates going and the most practical Astra by a long way. Then there’s the TwinTop, a four-seat (although the rear seats were considerably tighter than in other Astras) convertible with a three-piece folding hard top.
What's it like to drive?
The Astra’s popularity is no accident, because this generation was among the best cars in its class to drive at the time. Rivals such as the Golf are more comfortable, but the Astra is still cosseting enough to keep you and your passengers happy.
The handling is good, too, with sharp body control, strong grip, and responsive, weighty steering.
The Astra was first launched with five petrol and three diesel engines, ranging in size between 1.4 and 2.0 litres, and between 79bhp and 168bhp in output. Various engines came and went during the car’s lifetime, due to regular upgrades and replacements.
Most of the petrols impressed with their smoothness and refinement and, while the diesels are quite a bit noisier, they’re also really economical.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
The interior hasn’t aged particularly well, and the ergonomics are also a bit iffy, with lots of small, fiddly buttons covering the dashboard. When it was new, the Astra scored the full five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test of the day, but that test has become a lot stricter over time, and things don’t look quite so rosy by more modern standards: the entry-level models don’t come with curtain airbags, for example.
Still, a decent amount of luxury kit was provided, and the cabin is really sturdily, with reasonably tactile materials. When you consider how affordable these cars are on the used market, they start to look like something of a bargain.
When it was first launched, there were seven trim levels available, known as Expression, Life, Club, Design, Elite, SXi and SRi. In truth, the most basic ones were a little too basic, while the top ones came with all sorts of luxuries including leather upholstery and automatic climate control.
Vauxhall Astra running costs
The most efficient Astra is the Ecoflex diesel with its official 62mpg. You’ll have to drive very gently to get anywhere close to replicating that in the real world, but you should be able to better 50mpg with little bother.
If you’re dead set on maximising your fuel economy, make doubly sure that your car has the word ‘Ecoflex’ in the name. There are other versions available with the same 1.7-litre diesel engine, but they’re less efficient, because they lack the extra fuel-saving measures, such as improved aerodynamics and an optimised engine-management system. Even so, all the other diesels will better 50mpg, according to official figures.
The official figures also suggest that the petrol engines will return between 30mpg and 46mpg. Our favourite of those, the 113bhp 1.6, is said to return 43mpg, which is part of the reason we like it so much.
Insurance groups start at seven at the bottom of the range and rise to 34 out of 50 for the VXR (group one being the cheapest group and group 50 being the most expensive). However, most Astras sit in the early- to mid-teens, and only a handful are above group 20. All in all, the Astra should be a very affordable car to buy and run.
Vauxhall Astra reliability
Astras of this vintage generally performed well in reliability surveys. However, these cars are now quite old, so insist on a full and thorough service history to make sure that it has been well maintained.
There are one or two things to look out for, including reasonably common electrical problems, particularly where electric windows and central locking are concerned. Faults also occur around the steering column, and the switches for the headlights and wipers can fail. Talking of wipers, the linkage that drives them can wear quickly, causing the blades to bang into the edges of the screen. It’s well worth checking this because it can be surprisingly expensive to fix.
The front suspension can be another source of issues. The bushes can wear prematurely and various other parts are known to suffer from excessive corrosion. Water can also get trapped at the top of the suspension turret, creating more corrosion there.
We’d avoid the 1.9-litre diesel engines in later cars. They were decent to drive but known to be problematic. The most severe is a water pump failure, which can, in turn, damage the timing belt and completely wreck the engine. If you do buy one, make sure both have been replaced every 50,000 miles.
- Shortly after the Astra’s launch, a super-sporty VXR model was introduced. Its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine delivered 235bhp, making it good for 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds, and it also had lower, stiffer suspension and aggressive styling. The driving experience wasn’t as polished as it was in hot hatch rivals of the day, such as the Ford Focus ST or the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and because it was only available in three-door Sport Hatch form, it was also less practical than its competitors.
- The range was facelifted in 2007, although you’d be hard pressed to notice. There were new front and rear light lenses front, a new front bumper and chrome elements on the bodywork, but those additions were subtle enough to fall largely under the radar. The bigger transformation took place inside the car, with smarter, glossier finishes for the dashboard. However, the real reason you’ll want a post-facelift example is that new engines were introduced at that time, which were considerably better than the ones they replaced.
- For most people, we reckon mid-range Club trim level provides the best balance of kit and cost. It comes with essentials such as air-conditioning, electric door mirrors, curtain airbags, and audio controls on the steering wheel, so keep an eye out for one of those.
- The best all-rounder: We reckon the 113bhp 1.6 petrol engine is the pick of the bunch. It doesn’t make of am especially fast Astra quick, but the engine is pretty flexible, making your progress pretty relaxed, but where it really impresses is with how smooth and quiet it is. Bear in mind, though, that this is one of the engines that was introduced during the 2007 facelift, so you’ll need to fork out for a newer car. That said, it still shouldn’t break the bank by this point.
- The most economical: Go for the Ecoflex diesel. With 108bhp from its 1.7-litre CDTi engine, it delivers very decent performance, but with an official fuel economy figure of more than 62mpg, it’s streets ahead of the rest in terms of efficiency. Again, though, having been introduced to the range in 2008, this engine is only available in later cars.
- The fastest: You’ll want the VXR. Its storming turbocharged engine delivers properly searing pace, and it makes a great noise, while the sporty body kit and centrally mounted exhaust mean it looks every inch the hardcore hot hatch.
- Fast, but not necessarily hot hatch fast: The 1.6 Turbo version is a fine substitute. It has 178bhp of easy-to-access urge, so performance is sprightly. It makes a great noise, stays wonderfully smooth as you pile the revs on, and it’s neither as pricey nor as thirsty as the VXR.
