New Vauxhall Astra GTC

2012 Vauxhall Astra GTC

The GTC is always a fan favorite for the Astra fan and the all new Vauxhall Astra GTC is no exception for the enthusiast who want a three-door hatchback that competes against the likes of the Volkswagen Scirocco and the Renault Megane Coupe.

The new Vauxhall Astra GTC has no relation to the current generation Vauxhall Astra and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer because this new model comes with an unique design that stays true to the 2010 GTC Paris concept. According to Mark Adams, Vice President of Vauxhall/Opel design, the Vauxhall Astra GTC wants to be the ultimate expression of Vauxhall's design philosophy but they didn't want emotion to slip past against functionality. With this, the new GTC features a dramatic styling that makes it more aggressive enough to feel what it means to be a three-door hatchback.

2012 Vauxhall Astra GTC interior

From the equally dramatic exterior, the same Astra interior comes into play. Customers who are with the Vauxhall Astra GTC Sport may get features like Active-safety front seat head restraints, CD 400 CD/MP3 CD player with stereo radio, Digital Audio Broadcast stereo receiver, and USB connection with iPod control. For the Astra GTC SRi, the flagship variant, they may get most of the features from the Sport variant but with added extras such as Sports front seats and Multi-function trip computer.

Most variants come with a standard 6-speed manual transmission, which is great for the the enthusiasts who love to drive cars with three pedals on it. Anyway, the GTC offers a choice of engines such as the 1.4i 16v VVT Turbo, 1.6i 16v Turbo, 1.7CDTi 16v, and 2.0CDTi 16v engine. Most variants, except the 1.6i 16v Turbo, come with the idling stop system that allows the engine to shut off automatically when stopped at the red light, making it essential to reduce emissions.

It comes with 9 exterior colors; Power Red, Summit White, Flaming Yellow, Seashell, Carbon Flash, Sovereign Silver, Technical Grey, Silver Lake, and Silky Shadow.

My comment:
This new Astra GTC looks great enough to enjoy some Saturday night in downtown London. With such dramatic styling cues, impressive performance, and stunning interior, this maybe a good alternative to the Volkswagen Scirocco and the Renault Megane Coupe.