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My local dealer invited me to another loyalty event to showcase the new Astra L. Another glitzy envelope and razamataz invite plus executive name tags for two. I decided to take them up and see what they could do to match my asperations. To do them a favour, I decided to give them a heads up on what I like as follows:
"What to replace my manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer?
I do not want many of the features being offered by many brands - things like: key-less car entry (security issues here), emergency brake assist, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, push button starting, boot with fixed rear seats, 18 to 20 inch tyres - done that, electronic handbrake (various roll away and other issues here), run flat tyres, self parking, cold leather seats - done that, engines that remember how you drive, ridiculous double pull door opening on BMWs, dowdy colours like VW and Audi's, high servicing costs of Premium brands - done that, non opening panoramic sun roof, fiddly screen controlled secondary services - A/C etc., handbooks only available online like Volvo's, screens instead of proper instruments, excessive safety aids, cars that have looked the same for ages, excessively downsized engines, a long bonnet, tricky to get into rear seats like a Jaguar XE, cars that bash your head as you get into the driver's seat, cramped cars like a small or medium Lexus, engines that shut down cylinders or do other things when they feel like it.
Having had a great Sports Estate. I want the space and pace of an 4.5 to 4.7 metre Sports SUV/Estate for ~£25k. Height 1.55 to 1.65 metres.
I do want a light interior, plenty of external brightwork and good bright colour options, an electric opening sunroof, wheel locks, mudflaps, car mats all round, good forward and rear sightlines, no rear threequarters sightline issues, front wheel drive or front biased four wheel drive, chunky tyres, good mileage (45 to 50 mpg), fast acceleration (0-60mph in 7 to 7.5 secs), slippery shape (0.23 to 0.24 Cd), composed quiet ride, good handling, incisive steering, light weight (<1275 kg), cab forward design, heated steering wheel and front seats, AGR front seats (both with height adjustment), manual airconditioning, no stop start or easily disabled, no particulate filter, petrol engine/hybrid (5kWhr battery).
As well, I do want a car with a petrol turbo SIDI engine (fewer pollutants)/hybrid 180 to 256 HP, hatchback, true automatic with Torque converter - not DCT car, a zippy engine with loads of torque - which doesn't make a fuss on acceleration - and just delivers, an opening sunroof, a built in SatNav, an actual spare wheel, a manual pull up handbrake, heated seats and steering wheel, fog lights, mud flaps, a decent colour selection, tinted rear windows, a fresh design, all round parking sensors, a Tax band around £165, a low insurance group - Group 21 and I also fancy a local dealer so I can walk home from leaving it for servicing rather than servicing being a whole day event.
I am aware of Opel's newly developed for PSA SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection ) Petrol Turbo engines. Is this available for the Astra L? Update: Answer was don't know.
In 2016 I ordered the manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer - to give me 0-60 in 7.2 sec pace, 35 to 40 mpg (actually 44.5 mpg oveerall from new), 146 g/km, £145 annual car tax - and which, with my options, gave me all of what I was looking for less than the price I had paid for my petrol Mazda CX 7 nine years earlier. The bargain of the century, with well presented and selectable driving aids - resulting in a group 19 Insurance for a 146 mph car doing 50 mpg at 63-75mph on the motorway - it even included the on board WiFi router and OnStar remote diagnostics and instant Personal support that was new to me! Better still Vauxhall were fourth in the latest UK car reliability survey by J D Power behind Skoda, Kia and Suzuki and the Astra Sports Tourer is built in the UK at Ellesmere Port. Surprisingly my Astra K Sports Tourer, seats down. carrying capacity is more than 100 litres larger than that of the £37k, Volvo V90 estate which is 200 mm longer!"
The net result from the Sales manager was that they no longer do opening sunrooves across the range or can meet anywhere near my composite criteria. Vx seem to have given up on the enthusiastic, performance SRI type customers. All UK Vx cars are to be electric only by 2026. Also, the government grant for electic scars was totally abandonned the other week.
I do hope that government dictat does not put UK car manufacturers like Vx out of business. I do suppose they still support the 2 million strong motability fleet however so perhaps VX are chasing that market, not private customers.
"What to replace my manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer?
I do not want many of the features being offered by many brands - things like: key-less car entry (security issues here), emergency brake assist, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, push button starting, boot with fixed rear seats, 18 to 20 inch tyres - done that, electronic handbrake (various roll away and other issues here), run flat tyres, self parking, cold leather seats - done that, engines that remember how you drive, ridiculous double pull door opening on BMWs, dowdy colours like VW and Audi's, high servicing costs of Premium brands - done that, non opening panoramic sun roof, fiddly screen controlled secondary services - A/C etc., handbooks only available online like Volvo's, screens instead of proper instruments, excessive safety aids, cars that have looked the same for ages, excessively downsized engines, a long bonnet, tricky to get into rear seats like a Jaguar XE, cars that bash your head as you get into the driver's seat, cramped cars like a small or medium Lexus, engines that shut down cylinders or do other things when they feel like it.
Having had a great Sports Estate. I want the space and pace of an 4.5 to 4.7 metre Sports SUV/Estate for ~£25k. Height 1.55 to 1.65 metres.
I do want a light interior, plenty of external brightwork and good bright colour options, an electric opening sunroof, wheel locks, mudflaps, car mats all round, good forward and rear sightlines, no rear threequarters sightline issues, front wheel drive or front biased four wheel drive, chunky tyres, good mileage (45 to 50 mpg), fast acceleration (0-60mph in 7 to 7.5 secs), slippery shape (0.23 to 0.24 Cd), composed quiet ride, good handling, incisive steering, light weight (<1275 kg), cab forward design, heated steering wheel and front seats, AGR front seats (both with height adjustment), manual airconditioning, no stop start or easily disabled, no particulate filter, petrol engine/hybrid (5kWhr battery).
As well, I do want a car with a petrol turbo SIDI engine (fewer pollutants)/hybrid 180 to 256 HP, hatchback, true automatic with Torque converter - not DCT car, a zippy engine with loads of torque - which doesn't make a fuss on acceleration - and just delivers, an opening sunroof, a built in SatNav, an actual spare wheel, a manual pull up handbrake, heated seats and steering wheel, fog lights, mud flaps, a decent colour selection, tinted rear windows, a fresh design, all round parking sensors, a Tax band around £165, a low insurance group - Group 21 and I also fancy a local dealer so I can walk home from leaving it for servicing rather than servicing being a whole day event.
I am aware of Opel's newly developed for PSA SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection ) Petrol Turbo engines. Is this available for the Astra L? Update: Answer was don't know.
In 2016 I ordered the manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer - to give me 0-60 in 7.2 sec pace, 35 to 40 mpg (actually 44.5 mpg oveerall from new), 146 g/km, £145 annual car tax - and which, with my options, gave me all of what I was looking for less than the price I had paid for my petrol Mazda CX 7 nine years earlier. The bargain of the century, with well presented and selectable driving aids - resulting in a group 19 Insurance for a 146 mph car doing 50 mpg at 63-75mph on the motorway - it even included the on board WiFi router and OnStar remote diagnostics and instant Personal support that was new to me! Better still Vauxhall were fourth in the latest UK car reliability survey by J D Power behind Skoda, Kia and Suzuki and the Astra Sports Tourer is built in the UK at Ellesmere Port. Surprisingly my Astra K Sports Tourer, seats down. carrying capacity is more than 100 litres larger than that of the £37k, Volvo V90 estate which is 200 mm longer!"
The net result from the Sales manager was that they no longer do opening sunrooves across the range or can meet anywhere near my composite criteria. Vx seem to have given up on the enthusiastic, performance SRI type customers. All UK Vx cars are to be electric only by 2026. Also, the government grant for electic scars was totally abandonned the other week.
I do hope that government dictat does not put UK car manufacturers like Vx out of business. I do suppose they still support the 2 million strong motability fleet however so perhaps VX are chasing that market, not private customers.
