Vauxhall's Astra Ecoflex proves greens don't always make you stronger

LIKE the wait for a bus, the wait for a stylish, economical hatchback ended up with the arrival of two.

Vauxhall’s new Astra Ecoflex ticks many of the same boxes as Volkswagen’s Golf Bluemotion, competing head-to-head on price in the Exclusiv spec tested here.

At £18,005 the Astra comes loaded with much of the same kit, adding cruise control and an electronic parking brake but inexplicably going without alloy wheels, instead coming with 16 inch steel items.

Coupe stance with five-door practicality

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Vauxhall’s offering only comes in a more practical five-door format.

It’s a stylish car, with a chunky, coupe-like stance and a pebble smooth silhouette.

But its shape comes with practical drawbacks in the form of crippling blind-spots.

The rear three-quarter view is obscured by vast D-pillars and the view up the road scuppered by similarly broad A-pillars.

Simple answers to economy question

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Taking a slightly different tack to Volkswagen’s eco friendly Golf, the Astra Ecoflex employs a small capacity 1.3-litre CDTi diesel engine along with longer gear ratios and active aerodynamics—a panel which closes the front grille at higher speeds—and a gear-shift indicator, but there’s no stop-start system and no regenerative braking.

The upshot is 68.9mpg but 109g/km CO2 emissions mean you’ll still be paying for road tax, albeit just £20 a year.

While that little 1.3-litre engine sounds like a mismatch for the Astra, 94bhp and 140lb.ft. of torque sees the Golf matched on power, if not outright grunt.

Astra offers comfort and agility...if not speed

Smooth, refined progress follows a degree of cold start-up grumbling, and the Astra’s ride proves both supple and controlled, losing little in the way of directness to the Golf.

The Ecoflex proves adept on country road or motorway.

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Vauxhall claim a 13.8 second sprint to 62mph and 109mph top speed, so it lags behind the Golf...but the deficit never feels that pronounced.

It’s a surprisingly close call with the interiors too.

Golf v Astra? It's a close call

The Astra offers a similarly excellent driving position, while a broad centre gives the impression of being in a bigger, premium saloon. An array of small buttons looks a little fussy, however, and their function isn’t as straightforward as it could be.

Those thick-set rear haunches also make for a fairly gloomy rear quarters.

Overall, I have to hand a points victory to the Golf. Its technology and more practical design just gives it the edge.