2005 Vauxhall Astra Life review from UK and Ireland

Creaky driver's door. Easily fixed with a drop of oil.

Automatic transmission is very smooth, offering Winter, Economy and Sport modes.

The car almost has a split personality...

Sport mode gives you gear changes at the point you'd expect to change with a manual gearbox when driving fast, although without the double de-clutch, and it seems to do something to the engine as well as the gearbox. It's almost like the car is wanting you to enjoy the responsive, yet smooth engine.

Economy mode is generally very smooth, remaining in as higher gear as possible, although rapidly down-changing as and when required.

Road holding is very good, and there is plenty of grip available. Feedback through the wheel is good.

Seats are fairly comfortable once you've got them in the right position, although haven't driven any long motorway journeys yet. Steering wheel is adjustable for height and reach, which is a nice feature and allows you to find the best seat position and worry about where the wheel is afterwards.

There isn't a tremendous amount of rear legroom, but it's not uncomfortable. The Astra isn't a large car, so room is about what I would expect.

Boot space is pretty good for the size of the car.

It feels like a higher spec'd car, thanks to the silver coloured centre console and gearbox surround.

The air conditioning system cools the car quickly.

The CD player is pretty good for a standard system, with 6 speakers.

Build quality feels very good, and I don't anticipate any problems.