SRi (in addition to SXi)

- Alloy wheels (17 inch)
- ESP Plus
- SportSwitch
- Remote control security alarm
- Driver Information Centre incorp. trip computer
- Rear spoiler


New Vauxhall Astra gets early residual value boost

As an early fillip for both private and fleet buyers, Vauxhall Astra is set to benefit from significant residual value premiums over its predecessor. CAP Motor Research says that the new Astra will see an improvement of up to UKP 900 per vehicle over the previous  car.

The whole life cost outlook will undoubtedly be boosted by the flexible and extended service intervals of the new car, with the first  service for petrol engined vehicles coming at two years/20,000 miles and for diesel models at two years/ 30,000 miles.

As an example, the existing Astra LS 1.6i 16v currently commands a residual value after three years/60,000 miles of UKP 3,350 or  26% of list price new, according to CAP in its latest figures. However the new Astra Club 1.6i 16v is forecast to have a residual value of UKP 4,250 or 31.5% after three years/60,000 miles - a massive improvement, and a mark of how highly the residual value experts  rate the new car.

"New Astra's vastly improved residual values are thoroughly deserved. It has stunning good looks which will no doubt make it the  benchmark for style, cost efficiency and driver reward, " said Jeff Knight, editor of CAP's New Car Monitor Guide to Future Residual  Values. "Astra has long set the benchmark for whole life costs in the mid-size segment of the fleet market, and it now looks set to  improve still further on what has been an outstanding whole life cost performance to date. "


Vauxhall Astra 5 Door Market - New Astra To Stay At Top Of Market Segment

Vauxhall's influence on the compact class has been enormous ever since the launch of the first Astra in the UK back in 1980. The company has enjoyed a prolonged and dominant presence in the segment for nearly 25 years, with 2004 marking the launch of the fifth-generation of Vauxhall's best seller.

Ever popular with both private and company car buyers, in the UK alone Vauxhall has sold nearly 2,000,000 Astras. As recently as 2002, over 102,000 Astra variants hit the UK roads in that year alone.

With each new model generation Vauxhall has set out to break new ground within the class for technology and styling. On these  criteria alone, the all new Astra is another milestone in a segment which, with annual sales of around four million units, accounts for 22 per cent of the total Western European car market.

The five-door hatchback version of the new model goes on sale in the UK on May 1. A practical estate with an extended wheelbase follows in the autumn and the stunning three-door hatch - first seen as the GTC Concept at the Geneva Motor show last year - makes its debut in spring 2005.

Vauxhall Astra has been among the absolute leaders in Europe since production of the third-generation model started in August 1991. Since then, eight million Astras have left the production lines at the Vauxhall and Opel factories in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, Antwerp in Belgium, Bochum and Eisenach in Germany and Gliwice, Poland.

previous page | go to page 19