2002 Vauxhall Astra LS from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nigglely squeaks from the dash

Engine hunts on occasions when in at idle, also the rev counter raises, this being expected, but what is surprising is the speedometer jumps to 20 miles per hour and dances between this and 30 miles per hour, all whilst stationary.

Brakes are lacking when used hard.

It is very very uncomfortable.

Personally I am not to bothered about how it looks, but I do think that the Astra hatch, and the estate that I have are very smart looking cars, much nicer than the earlier models.

It is far from quickest diesel I have driven though, and if you need to pull away quickley from an island or junction then you had better switch off the air conditioning as this makes a noticeable difference on initial pickup on acceleration.

470 miles from full to the flashing of the fuel light is fine by me too.

BUT... The driving position is horrid. Its fine for short trips, but try doing high mileage in them, a few other people I have spoken too feel the same too, I suffered initially numbness in my left toes within 4 days of taking delivery of the vehicle, it then progressed to hip pains and lower back pains, none of which I have a history of until 7 months ago when I recieved the Astra. I have traveled a distance of 25,000 miles so far. The seating position places the weight of you body on the left side of your bottom and your legs point slightly diagonally outwards towards the front of the car, the top half of the body points slightly into the middle of the car so you are twisted at the waist. I have tried getting out after 45 minutes to an hour of driving, but to no avail. I certainly would not recommend the Astra to high mileage users and my questioning of other users has been from those tall and short of stature.

The little points are neglegible, but the seating point is dissapointing as if it was comfortable the astra could be a really nice vehicle.

Thank goodness I am not the only one to find these cars uncomfortable. This is my first Vauxhall, and to be honest I love it, except for the fact that it is quite literally the most uncomfortable car I have even driven. I had hoped to hang on to it for a few years, but if I still have it this time next year it will be a miracle.

Obviously some people don't know how to adjust the seats to suit themselves. My Astra is the most comfortable car I've driven, and I've driven a few - 106, Laguna, Rover 400, Clio. I'm 6'2" and the Astra has 3 or 4 notches on the seat left, which is better than the Laguna.

The only vehicle I've driven that's more comfortable for long trips is a Ford Transit. Drive a Transit and be amazed at how long you can go in total comfort.

I hope that I can find a comfortable position for my driving seat soon. I love the handling of my second-hand W Reg Astra Club, but my back is killing me!! The cushion is fine, but the back is as hard as a plank of wood: gets me just below my shoulder blade. I have never had this problem before.

See my review on this page 'Does its job well'. I agree that the Astra's seats are terrible, but I'm slowly getting used to them and am now finding that on my regular 125 mile trips, my back is merely stiff when I get out of the car as opposed to being really painful. Had it 20 months now and have done 46k miles. Runs brilliantly, totally reliable, but I've just taken the bulk of the depreciation so despite the uncomfortable seats, I am likely to keep it for probably another 16 months for it to make financial sense, then it's back to a Mondeo!