First drive in the new £40k Vauxhall Astra Electric hatchback

As I stepped into the new Vauxhall Astra Electric hatchback for its global launch in Berlin this week, the Royal Air Force’s official Latin motto seemed apt.

Under the circumstances I would be the first – and so far only – British journalist to drive it.

‘Per Ardua ad Astra’ – through adversity to the stars – pretty much summed up my experience and that of the Vauxhall team who launched the car in the German capital, together with their partners in Germany, where it was built and labeled as a Opel.

Both brands are part of the gigantic Stellantis conglomerate that includes Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat and DS, among others.

However, the storm surge of thunder and lightning in the UK that accompanied the heat wave on Monday – along with a major NATO exercise in which the RAF also took part and which closed off critical airspace – caused many flights to be suddenly canceled and thousands of flight plans to be canceled. passengers were thrown. to chaos.

And that included the British Airways flight that brought nearly 30 of the UK’s leading motoring journalists to Berlin for the maiden drive of the new all-electric, zero-emissions Astra. I should have been with them.

But by a stroke of luck I was already in Berlin, having stayed in Germany last Thursday after Porsche’s 75th anniversary in Stuttgart.

So it was left to me alone to fly the British flag and drive Vauxhall’s latest new car, which starts at a fraction of less than £40,000, as order books open today, ahead of the first deliveries in August.

This compares to an entry-level price of £26,810 for the current Vauxhall Astra petrol version – meaning the electric version carries a 49 per cent premium.

Ray’s verdict: Astra is a star

The new battery-powered Astra Electric is really a star.

And along with petrol, plug-in hybrid variants (diesels are not available in the UK), it’s the eighth generation of the Astra with more than 3.1 million units sold in the UK since its launch in 1980.

For starters, it’ll look really good in your driveway thanks to its sharp, sleek and eye-catching styling with razor-sharp LED headlights from Briton Mark Adams, who was with me at the launch.

The interior is sharp and sensible and well laid out. You don’t need a master’s degree in touchscreen dynamics to figure out how to turn on the air conditioning or change radio stations.

I pressed the button to start the front-wheel drive electric motor and off I went.

The drive setup will be familiar to owners of modern Peugeots and Citroens (fellow Stellantis siblings share technology), consisting of a simple switch in the center console to choose drive, park, reverse and so on.

You can also set your driving mode. While I tried ECO fleetingly and had a brief stint in Normal during a short traffic jam, I mostly enjoyed being in the more engaging Sport mode.

It’s smooth, quiet and with just a tiny bit of electric hum to remind your senses you’re in a car.

You can’t fault its urban street references either. I drove a lot through the busy center of Berlin, visiting many major tourist attractions such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag parliament building, Alexanderplatz and also some rough and rugged parts of the city that I had never seen before had encountered, where cobblestones replaced the asphalt.

In this regard, the new improved and improved sat nav was brilliant and never put a foot wrong (and the one it replaces was pretty good too).

Together with the accompanying voice commands, it was also easy to follow, even navigating the most complex intersections, road layouts, roadworks and turns, both in the city and on the highway, when the wrong decisions were made in a fraction of a second. can lead to long detours.

So very suitable for people like London, Birmingham, Glasgow or Cardiff.

The gentle, slow “plip-plop” of the turn signals was especially soothing.

I’d highly recommend paying extra for the optional head-up display (which was fitted to my car), which shows you not only the turning directions, but also the current speed limit in your field of vision.

It’s not just good around town – it’s a great cruise hatchback for family vacations.

To test this out I went to the more relaxed areas outside of Berlin, to Lake Wannsee, and over the infamous spy exchange Glienicke Bridge (as seen in Tom’s real-life Cold War spy film ‘Bridge of Spies’). Hanks) and to regal Potsdam with its verdant parks, palaces and glorious properties (and even its own Hollywood-style German film district in Babelsberg).

Riding on 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, the Astra Electric has some speed too.

From a standstill it accelerates from a standstill to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds, although this is misleading as it feels much quicker as it’s the early acceleration that gives you the edge.

Top speed is limited to 106mph, which is more than required on UK roads – although I pushed it to the limit on a clear stretch of German Autobahn, where I must stress this is perfectly legal, I can tell you it’s confident and feels stable, together and planted.

Power from the next generation 54kWh battery gives it a decent 400km range and you can improve your energy efficiency by driving more sensibly, more environmentally friendly.

Charging takes only 30 minutes with a DC fast charger (100kW); 5 hours and 45 minutes from a public AC charger (11kW); and 8 hours from a home AC wall box (7kW).

Top-of-the-range Ultimate models like mine come with a handy head-up display as standard, and there’s voice control too.

Ultimate models also have a panoramic roof.

The main thing I didn’t notice until I’d spent a full day on the road with it was how effortless it was to ride and how relatively refreshed I still felt. It was very intuitive.

A place for everything, and everything in its place. I didn’t have to spend stressful moments searching for well-hidden controls or scrolling through complicated digital menus.

That was also helped by the comfortable, electrically adjustable driver’s seat that was endorsed by the German AGR campaign for a healthier back.

For technology and infotainment enthusiasts there is Apple Car Play and Android Auto smartphone replication. There’s also the now mandatory ‘MyVauxhall’ app that helps you find charging stations, provide weather forecasts, prepare your car and give advice.

And there are plenty of practical compartments and cup holders.

I also managed to be incredibly efficient, given that I was riding in the energy-guzzling Sport mode most of the time. I did hit the ‘B’ button to increase brake regeneration and allow me to barely touch the brakes.

Acoustic glass and additional door and trunk seals help keep outside noise to a minimum in an already quiet car, where it is more noticeable. And you can change the mood with mood lighting.

Safety aids include advanced intelligent speed adaptation, semi-automatic lane change assistance, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, speed sign recognition, driver drowsiness and blind spot alert, and adaptive cruise control.

Prices in the UK start from £39,995 on the road for the GS trim and £43,110 for the higher spec Ultimate trim.

For those looking to spread the cost over time, Vauxhall is also offering a three-year 0 per cent PCP deal based on a minimum 30 per cent down payment (which equates to £12,000 on the entry-level model) and £259 per month for 36 months, with a limit of 10,000 miles.

A Sports Tourer (break) version will follow later this year.

And at some point expect a sporty Astra Electric with four-wheel drive and a self-charging hybrid.

Vauxhall says its entire line-up of cars will be fully electric from 2028 – seven years ahead of the government’s deadline.

An electrified variant will be offered for each model from 2024.