Progress thread : White Astra 2.0 Cdti Sri vx line

[marcus01]

So it’s been 7 months since I parted with the Astra and I’ve already covered 12k enjoyable miles in the Focus. It’s booked in for a service next week so thought it might be a good time to give it a bit of a writeup and dare I say compare it to my Astra 2.0 VX Line. (For those that are interested ? )
The Focus is a really good car to drive. There were a few things about the Astra that just didn’t sit well with me so I chose the Focus after having one as a hire car for 10 days during the snow of last March. My intention is not to slag the Astra VX line off but just to highlight a few things that annoyed me about it and where the Focus is better is these areas. ?  (No intention of being biased, I’ve owned 5 Astra’s and 2 Focus’s so have spent a lot of time with each)

So the things that annoyed me most about my Astra VX Line:-

1.      No Toys or Gadgets – Lets be honest, the VX line is pretty much poverty spec as far as specs go. Originally when I bought it, I think I must have been blinded by sight of the 19 inch alloys and the VX Line body kit so much so that I didn’t notice how few gadgets it actually came with. (i.e. No auto lights, no auto wipers, no rear electric windows, no folding mirrors, no climate control, crappy radio etc.) In comparison, the Focus Titanium X has a brilliant spec with ambient lighting, anti-dazzle rear view mirror, sync 2 head unit, integrated front/back reverse sensors with rear camera, clear screen defrost, auto wipers, heated part leather seats, excellent auto bi-xenon adaptive headlights, folding mirrors etc.  Very nice place to be.  Pity it doesn’t have Android auto (Sync 3 from 2016 onwards) but you can’t win them all. ?

2.      Fuel Consumption – I only averaged 44 mpg in the Astra whereas I get 53 mpg in the Focus for the same route/same driving style. (Yes Astra is a 2.0 vs Focus 1.5) In comparison my Astra H 1.6 petrol did 40 mpg and my Honda Civic 1.8 did 37 mpg so 44 from a diesel is a bit poor.

3.      The Gearbox – One thing in common with all my Astras I have owned, the gearbox has always been crap. The 2.0 cdti was no exception and probably one of the worst of the lot. i.e. Crunchy 2nd gear especially when cold, poor selection of gears, extremely long 6th gear etc.  In comparison the Focus gearbox is a delight to use. Very smooth.  I found that the 6th gear almost useable when commuting on the motorway in traffic between 50-60 mph. (Constantly changing between 5th and 6th, the focus has shorter gearing so much less gear changes required)

4.      Heavy Front End – The 2.0 diesel engine really is a heavy beast so much so that I found the car to be very front heavy when taking a bend at speed. (A few times I thought I would end up in the hedgerows on a B Road?)

5.      Tractor – My god, the engine in the Astra sound like a tractor at low speed but ok on the motorway. I really noticed this each time I got back to my car at the airport parking after having driven a rental for a few days.

Anyway, I had good service out of the Astra, bought it on 17k and sold it on 70k. Apart from the leaking inlet manifold gasket and DPF sensor giving problems, the rest was good. The ride was good even with 19 inch alloys. The new owner of the Astra really loves the car.  
I thought I might miss the 163hp/350nm of the Astra but the performance of the Focus is pretty close even though it’s a 1.5 tdci. i.e. Probably 150 kgs lighter than the Astra, shorter gearing so it goes just as well especially with a K&N, deres inlet pipe and Bluefin remap. (Extra 50nm at 2000prm ?)

Ciao. See you guys around.