Vauxhall Astra Ultimate - Owner's First Impressions

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kzaruz
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:14 pm

Post by kzaruz »

Hi guys,

Picked up my Vauxhall Astra Ultimate edition Automatic, on Saturday morning.

Here's just some initials thoughts: happy to answer any questions as I had loads, or if you've got something you're curious about, let me know.

1. Gearbox is EXTREMELY smooth on the automatic. It's so smooth at transitioning between the gears and really pleasant to drive.

2. Alcantara seats are incredible. Great comfort & they look amazing in the car. Suits it really well & ties together very nicely with the dash.

3. Touch screen / sat nav are fast & responsive. The touch screen feels really smooth just like a phone and I notice no lag. One thing I'd mention is it took a little while responding to the voice commands for SatNav, but unsure if that was just low signal. Wireless android auto works great & as soon as you get in car it pops up with a notification to switch to it if you choose.

4. Lots of customization in the touchscreen - easy to change the touch screen menus, lighting, disable features & change the head-up display / cockpit view.

5. The "coin holder" (not sure if this is on all models or just ultimate) does not fit £1 coins. I can only presume it has not been changed from the euro coins...

6. Adapative cruise control / lane positioning assistant is fantastic on motorways / dual carriageways. Even on some rural roads that are straight and not too complicated it will do absolutely fine with, but obviously doesn't take into account parked cars. It works really well. When it detects a new speed limit you can press 'OK' and it will change the speed for you on cruise control. Also, extremely easy to take over from the lane positioning assistant - just a little pull when you want to drive away, then when you're back in lane and the system detects it is OK, it re-triggers the lane assist without you pressing anything.

7. Boot space & rear passenger space is great. The space between driver and passenger is fantastic. My partner and I always touched arms on my previous Corsa and now we both can use arm rest without touching. You may struggle with headroom with the panoramic sunroof if you're quite tall, but plenty of adjustment in the seat to lower yourself quite a bit, but I'm sure if you've ordered car you've taken this into account.

8. At present, the LED matrix lights seem really good. I've not had quite enough time at night to test them properly but they seem to work well so far.

9. Wireless charger works brilliant as expected - LED lights up to show charging status. I have a Pixel 6 Pro which is 6.45" long and it fits in with probably an inch left over (not 100%) so if you've got a phone bigger than that, it will not fit.

10. Interior lighting overall is great - two lights for rear passengers, driver and passenger lights, lights in the door pockets on both sides at front, there is also a light in the front part where the wireless charger is. Then of course the ambient lighting at the side doors is also very nice. There is lighting in the footwell of both front seats too.

11. Car has absolutely no issue with speed / pulling away. Feels good for your average driver. Can't say I noticed any difference with the ECO/SPORT/NORMAL driving modes in regards to driving performance. I would say that there is sometimes a very slight delay from when you press the accellerator to when you pull off, so can catch you off at roundabouts - just a learning curve really, nothing major.

12. No option for spare wheel unless you've got it installed as a factory option. The false boot floor however is great and provides a lot of useful storage outside of view under the boot. Tiny compartments of storage underneath this but not much.

13. Alarm works fine and as intended. (If you want to test your own, simply have someone lock yourself inside the car & try to open door) - Doesn't seem to trigger based on the car being shaked etc.

14. Keyless entry & start works fantastic. The range at which it triggers is very close to the car but you're never at the door waiting for it to be unlocked. Extremely fast and easy. The lights flash when you have walked away with a sound tirgger to let you know it's locked. I will test at one point to see if the alarm triggers even if you walk away - the manual is confusing regarding this.

15. 360 degree camera is amazing. The cameras are so clear & great to have come up. When you've been in reverse, the front camera stays on with the 360 view also while moving forward and turns off at a certain speed. Cannot find a way to manually toggle cameras though apart from the car being in reverse then putting into drive. Will try to have a look around.

16. There are some lights under the mirrors which I didn't realise! Helps light up the car at night.
Overall extremely happy with the car so far & don't regret my choice one bit! I hope you guys don't have too much of a wait!

For reference: ordered end of Feb 2022, delivery August 2022. (Originally quoted start of June 2022 delivery, then told September 2022)

Will get some more interior photos at some point - again if you want a pic of anything or just have a question regarding a feature, let me know.

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Last edited by kzaruz on Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

thenickofit
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun May 01, 2022 3:39 pm

Post by thenickofit »

Thanks for sharing. I ordered mine in March, like you I was told June and then September so hopefully not too long to wait!
kzaruz
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:14 pm

Post by kzaruz »

thenickofit wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:08 pm Thanks for sharing. I ordered mine in March, like you I was told June and then September so hopefully not too long to wait!
Hopefully not too much longer for you! My dealer sounded really confident for September and it came early, so hopefully you'll be the same :)
kzaruz
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:14 pm

Post by kzaruz »

Some more interior night photos

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thenickofit
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun May 01, 2022 3:39 pm

Post by thenickofit »

Thanks also for clarifying wireless android auto. The chap from Vauxhall who gave me a tour of the car when I test drove insisted I'd have to plug my phone in even despite me referencing the brochure!
User avatar
Kwozzii
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2022 8:42 pm

Post by Kwozzii »

Excellent review and pics. - really appreciated the depth you've gone on to. The 'anticipated collection date' for my GS Line Sports tourer 19th September - but not really heard much from the dealer but we'll see I suppose.
Hope you're having fun with yours though.
thenickofit
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun May 01, 2022 3:39 pm

Post by thenickofit »

Hey, how are you finding it after a few weeks of ownership? I spoke to my dealer this morning and mine is still due to arrive in the country around the 23rd
slartybardfast
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:40 pm

Post by slartybardfast »

Hi, how are you finding the reversing camera ,and the wireless phone connection and the wireless charger ,in my ultimate they seem a bit rubbish ,phone gets hot doesn't charge much ,when wet reversing camera is useless and when dry,camera was clearer but when reversing slowly towards a car there was no visible or audio noise change that you had actually touched it ,and phone connection ,when you hit a phone dead spot it disconnects from the car too which is very annoying,i picked it up yesterday ,ordered in Jun 22..
Ronnie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2023 7:45 pm

Post by Ronnie »

Nice review and pictures. I have had my ultimate now since November last year. I have the stunning blue. The car is definitely a head turner, however, I have been plagued with dash rattles, alarm issues, vehicle locking/unlocking whenever the car feels like it. Returning to find the vehicle open with valuables inside. Matrix headlamps are the best of all shared PSA vehicles. Unbelievable range at night and motorway driving. Just to end, I do love the look of the new Astra but had enough of the rattles and am waiting on delivery of a Grandland.
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