THE Vauxhall Astra was always a big hitter in the family hatchback sector and the latest version is a real knockout.
Things were never easy for the Astra since its original launch in 1979 when it rode into battle against the Ford Escort.
But the Astra always did things its own way and the new model, launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show is in dealer showrooms in October with a new lightweight design and some impressive technological features.
And that is not to mention the car's handling which is exceptional. At the car's launch, some fellow motoring hacks who have driven everything everywhere seemed mightily impressed over the car's on-road qualities in a car priced from £15,295.
Always one of the UK's top-selling and best-loved cars, Astra is a household name in Britain with almost three million sold over the last 36 years, including 50,000 in the last 12 months.
It is amazing to think that more than 25 per cent of British motorists have either owned or driven an Astra.
Home of the Astra is the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port which began life in 1964 when the first Viva saloons rolled off the line.
The Astra is the natural successor to the Viva in the family car market. I drove one of the first Vivas from Ellesmere Port and now having driven the new Astra the vast development that has turned a cheap boxy little car into a pocket premium hatchseems mind-boggling.
The beauty of Astra is that it has a highly diverse customer profile and refining it to the extent that is obvious at first drive may start to carve a worrying slice of sales from the likes of Ford and VW.
I firmly believe that Astra's 12 per cent of family hatchback sales could see a significant rise once word gets about.
Depending on the model and trim level it is up to 200kg lighter than its predecessor. The completely new vehicle architecture plays a major role in the weight reduction.
It is significant that chassis development took place on UK roads. Early prototype ‘mules' were taken to the max on the most demanding mix of English and Welsh roads in 2014, more than a year ahead of production.
During this process, Astra was benchmarked against its key rivals, including the Ford Focus, which also majors on handling, to ensure that steering, ride, grip and control were fully optimised.
The engine range includes a selection of petrol and diesel models including a three-cylinder petrol 1.0-litre and a 1.6 diesels with a stated mpg of 91 mpg.
One of the models I drove on the launch was a new 1.4-litre, 150ps, ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo. This is a four-cylinder unit that delivers maximum torque of up to 245Nm, with maximum power available between 1,800rpm and 4,000rpm.
The aluminium engine block weighs 10kg less than the cast-iron block of the previous 1.4-litre Turbo and for maximum efficiency it is designed to be as light as possible with a hollow cast crankshaft, low friction pump that works at two pressure levels.
Other technological features include glare-free IntelliLux LED Matrix headlights.
Bringing premium technology to the mainstream, these new LED headlights provide outstanding night time performance enhancing safety for the driver and other road users.
Consisting of 16 LED segments (eight on each side of the vehicle) the LED matrix system automatically and constantly adapts the length and distribution of the light beam to every traffic situation.
It works in conjunction with the front camera system which detects the presence of other vehicles and then switches off the individual LED segments, preventing other road users from being dazzled.
As soon as the vehicle exits urban areas, the high-beam lighting is automatically switched on and it always remains on. This leads to a considerable increase in safety, as confirmed in a study conducted by the Technical University of Darmstadt and the European LightSightSafety Initiative.
The study showed that at driving speeds of 50mph, drivers detect objects at the side of the road around 30m to 40m sooner than with conventional halogen or xenon dipped-beam lighting. This gives them around 1.5 seconds more time to react, for example when an animal walks into the vehicle's path.
When the camera detects light sources from oncoming or preceding traffic, individual LEDs in the relevant zone are deactivated, simply "cutting out" the area around the vehicles. The rest of the road and its surroundings remain brightly illuminated.
There is little doubt that Vauxhall has a winner on its hands with the latest Astra. I am sure the company is clearing space in its hall of fame for the flood of awards and accolades that will follow.