IT'S the car with the Brit built factor and the latest Astra is flying the flag for Vauxhall - the nation's oldest surviving vehicle manufacturer.

To mark the launch of the seventh generation model the company assembled 128 cars in red, white and blue to create a giant Union Flag at the Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire which has been home to the Astra from day one, 36 years ago.

The Astra is a huge British success story with some three million being built in the UK since 1979.

It has been so popular that Vauxhall estimates one in every four British motorists has driven one.

The latest version not only continues the stylish vein of the previous model it also introduces some clever technology and some very refined engines.

Moreover it's priced to compete with the likes of the Ford Focus and the VW Golf with the range kicking off from £15,295 and some models are up to £2,000 cheaper than before.

And to bolster its value for money appeal Vauxhall is introducing a class leading 1.6-litre diesel eco version which according to official tests is capable of 91.2mpg with emissions as low as 82g/km.

That particular ecoFlex model will not be available until next year but to get the ball rolling Vauxhall is releasing the new Astra with a choice of five petrol and four other diesel engines.

On the petrol front that includes a new 1.4-litre turbo as well as the company's impressive three cylinder 1.0-litre engine already fitted to the Corsa and Adam which despite its size does not feel out of place in a five-seat hatchback.

Where the new Astra comes into its own is with its high tech gadgets which see it become the first car to come with Vauxhall's OnStar assistance system and the option of sophisticated LED matrix headlights.

At the moment no other car in this league comes with such a lighting array which uses a computerised camera system to control the ultra-bright LED lamps so that maximum illumination is possible without dazzling other road users.

Although a £1,560 extra it works fantastically well and produces a beam that stretches up to 50 metres beyond the range of conventional xenon lamps and adjusts automatically to traffic and street lighting.

The real benefit is that it gives drivers more time to react at night time - up to 1.5 seconds according to Vauxhall - and the system is smart enough to work when passing traffic on a dual carriageway without causing glare.

OnStar comes as standard on higher grade Astras and at the push of a button connects the car to a call centre operator at Vauxhall's Luton HQ. It also works automatically in the event of an emergency sending out vital data about the car's circumstances and location.

The call centre service can be used for a variety of purposes including getting route information which can be transmitted back to the car's sat nav without the driver having to reprogramme any settings.

The new Astra is also fitted with Apple's CarPlay which allows all smartphone functions to be configured on the car's touchscreen. Android compatability will be introduced early next year.

It all adds up to make the Astra one of the smartest cars around and those features alone are going to win it a lot of fans.

On the road the handling has been improved with upgrades to the suspension and steering as well as torque vectoring to ensure optimum grip.

There's no fidgetiness when cornering and the ride is nicely communicative with the new 1.4-litre turbo engine delivering genuinely sporty performance.

The engine can be had in two states of boost - 125 and 150ps - with the lower powered version available in the base level Astra from £16,045. The higher powered engine comes in SRi and Elite grades and is priced from £18,895.

The top of the range Astra Elite Nav we put through its paces cost £21,875 and included features such as an electronic parking brake, leather trim and sports seats as well as the matrix lighting system and an assistance pack which added traffic sign recognition, lane departure and blind spot warnings as well as a system which alerts the driver should the car stray too close to the vehicle in front.

As such it is a well rounded package with above average driving manners.

Not only does the 1.4T perform well it is good on economy and while Vauxhall claims 51.4mpg with emissions of 128g/km we notched up a decent average of 45.4mpg during a good run through the countryside.

While the new Astra retains its sleek lines it is actually smaller than before which has helped save weight - important on the eco front.

The new car is some two inches shorter and an inch lower but thanks to clever design features such as more pronounced side cuts and a tailgate notch below the rear window it has kept its proportions. It also has a blacked rear pillar section which enhances its coupe-like lines.

Despite the change in dimensions there is actually more room inside - rear legroom is increased by more than an inch - and the Astra is roomy enough front and back. Boot space remains at 370 litres extending to 1,210 litres with the rear seats folded - bigger than a Focus and on par with the Golf.

All round the new Astra is set to flourish in the same way as its predecessors and with the latest engines and technology on board it's a very contemporary and modern motor.