On Friday saw a new Astra in the flesh for the first time. Quite a good looking vehicle, specially for a Vauxhall. I get the feeling it may date rather badly tho.
However the whole effect was ruined by the rear number plate. The dork who had prepared this vehicle for the road had screwed the rear number plate on crooked. Not a smidgeon, one side must have been 1.5 inches lower than the other. Wasnt a temporary plate either, the screws were visible.
really really shoddy.
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It makes you wonder how. Surely nobody can be that daft, so do they care that little ? I saw a BMW with a similar problem a few weeks ago.
Just goes to show how important the choice of dealer is.
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Even more vital when you consider:
Its brand new, image counts a lot during this time
Dealer is identified on the plate and in stickers in the window.
As I say, nice looking car, proportions just right, perhaps a little fussy in detail, but a marked improvement on recent Vauxhall (read GM/Opel) efforts.
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But will it be eclipsed by the new Focus next year just like the outgoing model was?
P.S I agree the wonky number plate is shocking, fancy handing over 10k plus and then seeing that! The owner must have been too scared to complain (or fobbed off!)
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My first car had both a wonky FIAT badge and a wonky UNO badge... I thought it gave it character, but I definitely wouldn't accept a car with a wonky numberplate. Pity the poor stupid person who signed for and accepted that Astra.
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Or even with the correct registration number-my Audi dealer had to come to my home address and put the correct rear number plate on my new Audi a couple of years ago. Bless 'em.
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.....and certainly much better looking than the hideously ugly Renault Megane. Only joking. It is all a matter of personal opinion. You like your Renaults or Miller likes Fords I assume. I think Vauxhall can do no wrong and have thought so for the last 25 years. The new Astra must be excellent as even Top Gear magazine thought it was good.
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Crooked numberplate or not, they still dropped the ball with their cramped interior. I sat in one at the local dealer on friday and you would think that if their main competition was Golf and Focus that the Astra would at the very least *equal* their driver's accomodation, but sadly the car is very lacking.
My wife has an older shape Astra and I was hoping the new one would be an improvement on driver room as her car is too uncomfortable for me to drive and we decided that its replacement would be...so no sale Vauxhall.
Can't deny it looks good and looking at them is about as close as I will be get.
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Interior space is a recent issue I brought up in a earlier thread on Mondeo/Vectra class cars. Rear passenger head and legroom seems to have gone out of the window in recent introductions. The new Vectra is very cramped in the back, as is the Laguna.
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I actually find the Mondeo quite roomy, in the front anyway as I have never sat in the back. I do agree with you about the new Vectra and Laguna being rather cramped, again, I have only tried the front seats of those cars.
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I was only referring to the Mondeo class of cars as an indicator. Yes the Mondeo is quite roomy but several in the class are very cramped in the back. How it can be considered acceptable to have your head hitting the roof I don't know. This is a staggering lack of basic design requirements, for the sake of a low roof line for cosmetic reasons.
There is no possible chance of being comfortable in that case, with no chance of using the headrests. It makes me wonder what would happen in the event of an accident, with ones head wedged against the roof, acting as a fulcrum point.
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It's a pleasant looking car, but not, I think, going to change the Astra's reputation as anonymous eurobox transport. Saw a new dark navy one the other day, first I'd seen, and it was already blending invisibly into the traffic. The higher powered turbo versions might be more interesting.
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