At least with the two Focus' i've had the use of I didn't get out and wonder where the warning to look out for falling trim was. It may not be class leading but at least they put most of it together in a semi permanent manner.
Who owns a new shape Astra?
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At least with the two Focus' i've had the use of I didn't get out and wonder where the warning to look out for falling trim was. It may not be class leading but at least they put most of it together in a semi permanent manner.
Soldato
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I have a 1.6 3 door.
The interior is good imo as are the outside looks. best looking hatch by far, I can't compare the performance as I have not driven many cars but it is obviously a lot better than my old 1.4 Escort.
The interior is good imo as are the outside looks. best looking hatch by far, I can't compare the performance as I have not driven many cars but it is obviously a lot better than my old 1.4 Escort.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
3 door looks ok, its starting to look dated now, the freshened Focus looks much better, none of em are pretty tho.
Associate
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You say this everytime there is a post about Vauxhalls...it simply isnt true.
....
The build quality is similar as others in the astra segment, its a lot better than the old shape.
I don't need 'mainstream reviews' to know that the interior of the Astra is a bit grim and tacky looking. I have eyes. And things called hands that can touch the materials.
To be fair, the dash/interior is 'passable' but only in the sense that you don't mind hard slabby grey plastic, fake looking silver painted plastic inserts that don't even look like aluminum, glossy fake piano black finished plastic (that doesn't even match or complement the rest of the dash), and a trip computer which looks like something from a 1970s computer.
And its a complete fail compared to the elegance of any Audi or non-wood trim BMW of the last 10 years. The Golf interior IS nicer (not least in terms of cohesive design) and even the Golf IV had quite stunning blue lit dials with red needles compared to the hum drum dials on the Astra. The Alfa 147 dash/interior is a work of art in comparison to the Astra:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/alfa-romeo/147/03-large/05-int.jpg
Astra interior = FAIL.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/editorial_images/non_imported/astra_interior.jpg
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Soldato
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[TW]Fox;12627047 said:
I have not driven many cars, I have seen the interior of them though.
don't twist my words.
Theres also a lad here who has sat in 1000's of cars
Incidentally wheres he gone now
And all of the above apart from possibly the Golf are in a completely different price bracket. Not really a fair comparison is it.
I'm not twisting your words merely pointing out that if all you've driven is a 1.4 Escort then you could jump into a Ssangyong Rexton and think it was amazing.
That's still all in your opinion, and finding one naff looking badly coloured schemed example doesn't really help your case..
Parkers say this..
"the quality of the finish is impressive and the dash-top plastics, well damped switches and solid doors all help to create an air of quality."
Whatcar say this..
"They’re also among the best-built small family cars, with excellent fit and finish. The materials are almost as good as those in the highly rated Volkswagen Golf."
Autoexpress, long term review:
"Still, I'm impressed with the solid build quality of the interior,"
Don't get me wrong, I don't think its the 'best', just 'par for the course', the style and design a bit drab, I agree, but it's not always as bad as you make out..
Not the best, but more then acceptable..
And as I keep saying the siler plastic centre console is actually of a reasonably sturdy quality, it doesn't mark, or show grubby fingerprints etc, it's made to keep looking clean, and it works really well in my Zafira, and while I agree that the basic display is a bit 'old skool', quite a few have the higher res display (still mono-colour) that shows quite a bit of info etc, and is more then passable..
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Oh, you agree with me then!
Those magazine extracts talk about 'solid build quality' and 'impressive finish' of the plastic dash. But compared to what? The old Astra? They're certainly not comparing it to the best interiors in the class.
The inside of a Golf, 147, A3 are all better places to spend time in terms of the design, looks, finish and the quality of the interior. So the doors of the Astra feel quite 'thick'. But so what? It is all about the sum of the parts, and in the case of the Golf, 147, A3 they are all better than the Astra by a significant margin. Seriously, spend a week in each (I have) and I defy you to say that the Astra doesn't finish bottom.
SUPER EDIT - Didnt see he tried to compare to a BMW (O_o)
Demon you did well to dodge my post. I DID back it up with facts, and how else is a good product represented by other than sales figures? Considering how much more GM paid for Astra marketing than Ford and VW, how can you explain the lesser sales?
There was no 'dodging'... I just saw some numbers that have no context to them and just thought you'd completely missed the point, which is..
If vauxhalls where any where near as bad as people make out on here, their sales figues would be 'terrible' in comparison to their peers (which in this case is Ford/VW) As long as they are 'up there' with the competition (even if they are slightly behind ford/volkswagon), then clearly enough people think they are fine.
What I think you've done is misrepresent the statistics by not putting any context to them.
For instance, a quick google reveals the UKs 10 best sellers this year.. http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/Top_ten_article.aspx?cp-documentid=9651130
This shows that in the UK, the Astra is selling very well, it's 3rd in that chart, focus is 1st, corsa second, and golf 5th..
This shows me that Vx are 'competitive' in the market place, and are producing products that people are buying in similar numbers to the competition (Ford/VW), that is all..
So what are your figures showing, the Corsa/Meriva are outselling the Ford equivalent, the Astra isn't too far behind? how on earth does this provide facts that Vx are 'rubbish'...
And as for marketing costs etc, I've no idea how much any of them spend? if you have info (not that it really matters), then please share!
If you look at how many rental companies buy Vauxhall cars, it's not a surprise they are so popular.
I rented one from national and 90% of the cars in their car park were Vauxhall.
Context? Percentage market share not clear enough?
OK, clearly I should have padded it out like a story book. These figures are across Europe, I should have said. The UK is not a good base for sales figures as it is none of the euro 3's largest market for the vehicles they produce. What I was getting at is that the Vectra is nowhere to be seen, Astra is bottom of big 3 hatchbacks, Corsa is only selling marginally better than a 2 year old car. Meriva is top of a segment which sells very little. Get the picture? What you said about sales is totally not true, EVERY B, C and CD vehicle that Ford or VW make is top or near top of their segment in consumer sales. Vauxhall, despite making cars which compete directly, show up very little. In essence, no, they are not 'right up there' with their competitors. I'm not totally bashing vauxhall, I like some of their cars, but because you said that about sales I had to pick up on it and point out that not everything you say is true.
I'm not saying that VX are absolutely terrible, I dont share many of the opinions of people on here, and this forum certainly isnt a 'normal' for the public, the fact is VX are having trouble against their competitors, and it isnt as level a playing field as you make it out to be, therefore gives an impression that their cars AREN'T what you crack them up to be. The comment about marketing was to make the point that VX have tried to market their vehicles, moreso than some of their competitors, and STILL manage to be in the position they are in.
I hope that clears things up. I'm just telling you why I believe that VX are behind, and not trying to be an arse
It sold extremely well in the UK, not as well across Europe.