This is the new Vauxhall Astra GSe, and it’s the first of a range of new Vauxhall models that will wear the company’s new GSe badge. But what does that badge mean?
Well, it’s a modern-day reimagining of the GSE badge briefly worn by a high-performance version of the Monza coupe from back in the early 80s, and it also harks back to the GTE and GSi badges worn by various high-performance Vauxhalls of yesteryear. High performance is still very much the theme today, but the difference is that in the contemporary era, Vauxhall’s aim is to provide that high performance in a more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way. As such, the GSe moniker stands for Grand Sport Electric, and it’s Vauxhall’s new sub-brand that signifies ‘electrified performance’.
Not fully electric mind you, although a fully electric Astra is just around the corner. No, for now at least, the GSe badge will be worn by sporty models that are packing plug-in hybrid technology.
Styling and Interior
We’ll get into the specifics of that in a minute, but for now, let’s look at what else the GSe badge brings, the first of which is sportier styling. The makeover is subtle yet distinct, with a front bumper that’s been redesigned to give a darker, meaner feel, and a contrasting black roof. The most obvious visual touch, however, are the 18-inch GSe-specific alloy wheels, the design of which was inspired by the all-electric Manta GSe concept car.
Inside, you’ve got figure-hugging sports seats trimmed in Alcantara to communicate that sporty feeling to your bottom, as well as your eyes. Like with any Astra, the interior design is smart, and the quality of the materials is decent, although some panels are rather more lustrous than others.
Your central infotainment screen and your digital instruments are housed in a single unit that curves around you satisfyingly, and importantly, it comes with all the functionality you expect and it’s also pretty easy to use, largely thanks to a series of shortcut buttons that let you skip between functions easily. There are physical air-con controls, but not a complete set, so if you want to change the direction of the airflow, you have to delve into distracting on-screen menus.
Space and Practicality
Space in the rear seats in unchanged compared with the regular Astra. You’ll get a shade more headroom and legroom in a Skoda Octavia or Seat Leon, but there’s enough in the Astra for a couple of reasonably tall adults to sit comfortably.
With most plug-in hybrids that have a combustion-engined equivalent, you usually find that they lose a bit of boot space in comparison due to the extra space taken up by the additional batteries and motors, and so it is the case with the Astra. Lift the hatchback tailgate, and you’ll find 352 litres of space, down from the impressive 422 litres you get in the regular Astra. To be fair, that’s not all that much smaller than the 380 litres you get in the Volkswagen Golf, which is about the class average, but you do feel the difference because the boot feels quite shallow.
The GSe is also available in Astra Sports Tourer estate form, and again, there’s a capacity deficit, 516 litres down from 597 in the regular Astra estate, but the load area is still a good size and shape.
Whether you’re talking hatchback or estate, you get 60/40 split-folding rear seats to boost your cargo-carrying potential, and in both bodystyles, the rear seats drop to leave a flat and level load area. However, there’s not a lot of underfloor storage in either version, and it’s probably not enough to fit in your charging cables, so you’ll most likely have those kicking around the boot in some sort of bag.
Charging and Range
Talking of charging, let's consider the important numbers surrounding the PHEV aspect of this car. Plugging the car into a conventional three-pin domestic socket will deliver a full charge to the 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack in around five and a half hours, but a 7.4kW hookup – like you get with a wallbox home charger or public charger - will do the job in a shade under two hours, but only if you pay an extra £500 for the optional 7.4kW on-board charger. Otherwise, the standard 3.7kW on-board charger will take four hours to deliver the same charge.
That full charge can take you up to 40 miles on electric-only power according to official WLTP figures, and electric running can be achieved at speeds of up to 84mph, so even motorway journeys can be emission-free. Provisional WLTP fuel consumption figures suggest an average fuel economy of around 257mpg, although all the usual caveats and warnings about this theoretical laboratory figure being virtually impossible to replicate in the real world.
Whatever, fuel economy you end up getting, though, the low official CO2 emissions of 25g/km (26g/km for the Sports Tourer) will mean very low Benefit-in-Kind tax bills for company car drivers compared with sporty hatches without plug-in hybrid technology.
Power and Performance
So what about the sportiness of that drivetrain? Does it deliver on that score? Well, the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine and electric motor combine to deliver 225 metric horsepower and 360 newton metres of torque. 0-62mph is done and dusted in 7.5 seconds, and the top speed stands at 146mph.
And as those figures suggest, the acceleration you feel is brisk rather than barnstorming. In the scheme of sporty hatchbacks, 225 horsepower (that’s 222bhp in old money) isn’t a whole lot, and due to the inherent characteristics of a PHEV drivetrain, it feels like a rather strangled 225 horsepower at that. It doesn’t feel underpowered as such, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel anywhere quick enough for Vauxhall to be hanging a performance sub-brand off, however ecologically ethical that brand may aim to be. Basically, it all depends on your expectations. If the GSe badge has you conjuring up visions of beating Honda Civic Type Rs off the lights, then you’ll be very disappointed. But, if you accept the GSe for what it is – a bit of power with a bit of environmental responsibility – then it’ll be perky and responsive enough to keep you happy day-to-day.
When running in electric-only mode, things are pleasantly quiet and relaxing. The petrol engine can get quite shouty at times, but that only happens when you really get your clog down. When you’re driving in a more moderate manner, it’s perfectly civilised and the eight-speed automatic gearbox generally behaves itself and does what you want it to.
Ride and Handling
The GSe treatment is about more than just performance, though, it’s also about dialling up the Astra’s handling sharpness. To that end, the suspension has been fettled significantly. It’s 10mm lower in ride height than the regular Astra PHEV’s, the springs are 11 percent stiffer and it uses more sophisticated dampers as well. The steering has also been recalibrated for quicker responses and the stability control has been set to cut in slightly later. The question is, has all this worked?
Well, it does feel reasonably lively, with decent grip and not too much body roll. Whether it’s any pointier than the regular Astra PHEV is rather difficult to tell as we’ve only driven them in isolation, but we’d say that if it is, it’s marginal.
What the GSe definitely has in common with other Astra PHEVs, though, is that you can feel the extra weight of the batteries as the car turns and stops, which, is ultimately the thing that limits is the GSe’s handling abilities to a point where you question its credentials as a performance car. The limited pace certainly doesn’t help on that score, either. One thing that certainly has improved, however, is the steering. There’s still not a huge amount of feel and the self-centring action is rather too strong, but you can feel the extra responsiveness and it has a nice meaty weight.
And what about the ride comfort? After all, that’s a big highlight with the regular Astra, because it soaks up lumps and bumps really nicely. So, have all the changes to the suspension set-up undone all that good work?
As far as we can tell, no. We’ll caveat that by saying that the Spanish roads on which we drove the car were much smoother than those back home in the UK, so it’s still slightly unclear how the rejigged suspension will cope with the uniquely awful asphalt of the UK. But if what we’ve experienced in Spain bears out back in the UK, then like every other Astra, this will be one impressively smooth and comfortable car.
Equipment and Technology
Sitting at the top of the Astra range, the GSe is also generously equipped. Standard specification includes front- and rear parking sensors with a 360-degree camera, keyless entry and start, heated front seats and steering wheel, climate control, automatic wipers, wireless phone charging and an infotainment system that includes voice-activated navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There’s also a generous roster of safety kit provided as standard, which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane change assist with blind spot alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, rear cross traffic alert and high-beam assist.
Verdict
Like we said a bit earlier, what you think of the all-new Astra GSe is purely down to expectation. If you believe Vauxhall’s fanfare about its sportiness and consider it as a junior hot hatch, then you’ll be disappointed. It has neither the pace nor the handling deftness to convince on that score. And that makes the compromised practicality and so-so interior quality that bit harder to bear.
If, however, you’re less concerned with scalpel-sharp driving dynamics and you simply fancy the reduced running costs of a plug-in hybrid (provided you charge regularly, of course), but you’d prefer one with a slightly sporty attitude, then there’s a lot more to like about the GSe. And, if you’re a company car driver as well, then the tax benefits brought about by the GSe’s PHEV drivetrain start to become a lot more appealing.
Whatever the case, the hatchback is available to order now, first deliveries are expected in June, and it costs a shade over £40,000. Prices haven’t yet been announced on the Sports Tourer estate version because orders don’t open for another couple of months, and expect those to arrive in the UK sometime in the second half of the year.
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Fact File
Fuel type: Petrol-electric plug-in hybrid
Powertrain: 1.6-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol plus electric motor, front-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic gearbox
Power: 222bhp
Torque: 266lb ft
0-62mph: 7.5 seconds
MPG: 256.8mpg (WLTP)
Verdict: Unconvincing as a warm-hatch, but has merit as a stylish PHEV option for company car drivers.