Ford Focus vs Skoda Octavia vs Vauxhall Astra Triple test OUR VERDICT STATS, SPECS AND RATINGS Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi 136 Tech Line List price £18,880 Britain’s biggest and best car buyer’s guide Reprinted from What Car? Measurements November and December 2015 Internal figures in bold are best in test Dimensions in cm 1 Space 370-1210 litres 199 Vauxhall Astra 97 93 78 1.6 CDTi 136 Tech Line 108 70 266 NEW ASTRA 103 For Strong performance; good 59-83 156 149 to drive; lots of infotainment kit; smart cabin; practical by class 71 standards 204 SHINES IN Against Engine refinement; ‘The Astra is easily the best Turning overly light steering; no lumbar circle(m) 139 136 support car Vauxhall has produced 11.1 in the past decade’ 437 Verdict At this price point, diesel hatchbacks don’t get any better Economy HATCHBACK True MPG 55.1mpg Average (Govt) 76.3mpg Tank 56 litres Skoda Octavia Ford Focus Emissions 99g/km, Euro 6 2 1.6 TDI 110 SE Business 3 1.5 TDCi 120 Zetec Safety Euro NCAP crash rating Not tested TRIPLE TEST Engine and performance The Astra is easily the best car Vauxhall Size 1598cc, 4cyl diesel Peak power 134bhp@3500rpm Peak torque 236Ib ft@2000rpm has produced in the past decade 0-60mph Top speed 8.7 127 sec mph Performance figures Acceleration 30-70mph through the gears Weather conditions Dry For Class-leading space; lots of kit; For Great to drive; most refined; 8.8sec high-quality cabin big discounts 30–50mph in 3rd/4th/5th/6th (sec) Against Performance; contract hire rates; Against Cramped, cheap-feeling interior; 3 3.5 4 4.8 5 9.0 6 10.2 gearshift not much kit 50–70mph in 3rd/4th/5th/6th (sec) 3 5.2 4 5.3 5 6.3 6 8.3 Not the best Octavia, but still a Not rounded enough to challenge Braking 30–0mph/70–0mph Verdict Verdict 8.2m 44.9m fine choice here Buying Website www.vauxhall.co.uk Car pictured Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi 136 SRi Nav in THE NEW ASTRA is hugely the Astra has more work ahead in last place. It’s undeniably Power Red paint with optional Intellilux LED Matrix important for Vauxhall and of it before it can be considered a very fine thing to drive, headlights (£995); parking pack (£595); and happily it doesn’t disappoint. the overall class leader. balancing fun handling against electronic climate control (£395) It’s easily the best car the However, at this price point, a comfortable ride better than OVERALL VERDICT company has produced in the and among diesel hatchbacks, any of its rivals here. It’s also Performance past decade, and it deservedly the Vauxhall is without equal, relatively refined and, if you’re Ride & handling (if only narrowly) beats the and only a few fixable flaws (a buying privately, is available Behind the wheel Skoda Octavia in this match-up. slightly firm ride, overly light with some very attractive Infotainment systems True, it isn’t as big as its Czech steering and the absence of rear discounts. Quality & reliability rival nor as classy inside, but it parking sensors and adjustable Sadly, the Ford is badly Equipment still impresses on both fronts lumbar support from the let down by its cramped rear Safety & security while being faster, more fun equipment list) stand between seats, comparatively pokey Refinement to drive and cheaper to run as it and our hallowed five-star boot and low-rent interior. Space & practicality a company car – particularly if rating. We hope we can recom- It’s also the least generously Buying & owning you’re leasing. mend the rest of the Astra range equipped, and the only one of It must be said that there are as highly as we can this model. the three that doesn’t come with To find out more about the Vauxhall Astra better versions of the Octavia, so The Focus is left languishing sat-nav as standard. visit www.vauxhall.co.uk whatcar.com Reprinted from What Car? December 2015 Triple test Ford Focus vs Skoda Octavia vs Vauxhall Astra THE CONTENDERS Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi 120 Zetec List price £19,795 The Focus is traditionally the one to choose for driver appeal, and it’s a tough car to beat on price. Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI 110 SE Business List price £19,650 The Octavia is the class leader for interior space, and it’s the most well-equipped, too. NEW Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi 136 Tech Line List price £18,880 The new Astra is lighter and more efficient than the old model, and offers more interior space. WITH A SEEMINGLY endless stream of small SUVs hogging the limelight, it’d be easy to overlook the traditional family hatchback. In fact, cars like the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, together with their peers, still account for a quarter of all new cars sold in Britain. These less adventurous-looking models might not stand out as boldly in the office car park, but they’re often better to drive and Return of the cheaper to buy than their more fashionable equivalents. The latter is especially true of the all-new Astra, which undercuts its key rivals on price and promises a much more entertaining drive than its predecessor. That’s on top of improved practicality and lots more high-tech gadgetry. Can it see off the fun-driving Ford Focus and the uber-practical Thehatch SUV might be on the rise, but the traditional hatchback Skoda Octavia, though? We’ve rounded up tax-friendly 1.6-litre has plenty of life left in it. We try three tempting alternatives diesel versions of all three cars to find out. >> whatcar.com whatcar.com Reprinted from What Car? December 2015 Triple test Ford Focus vs Skoda Octavia vs Vauxhall Astra What are they like to drive? FORD FOCUS BEST HANDLING INFOTAINMENT What are they like inside? The Astra is the most powerful, and Ford Focus Even tall drivers won’t struggle for the fastest to accelerate up to speed. The Focus’s 8.0in screen is bright, space in any of these hatchbacks; That’s true no matter whether but it’s let down by some on-screen all offer generous leg- and head you’re working the engine hard or icons that are too small to hit room in the front, and plenty of using its low-rev pulling power to confidently while driving, along adjustment in the seat and steering build speed in the higher gears. with unintuitive menus. A DAB radio, wheel. The Focus’s seat holds you The other two are sluggish by Bluetooth and a USB socket all come in position best through corners, comparison. The Skoda’s engine Ford’s boot is the smallest here, as standard but, disappointingly, sat- but the Octavia’s benefits from a starts to pull from lower revs than but it has the flattest surface with nav costs an extra £300. There’s no slightly more supportive base. the Ford’s, but because the Octavia its rear seats down. Rear cabin is option to add further smartphone The Astra’s driver’s seat is has only five gears (its rivals have cramped, though integration, such as the Apple comfortable enough, but it’s six) there’s a relatively big jump CarPlay or Android Auto, either. disappointing you have to pay between each one. Around town, (£250) extra for adjustable lumbar you often find yourself trundling support, especially when Ford and along at a speed where neither Skoda include this feature as second nor third gear feels right. standard. On the plus side, paying It’s a pity the Astra’s engine £250 also gets you adjustable thigh doesn’t marry its strong perform- support for the seat base, which ance with impressive refinement. The Ford’s cabin doesn’t feel Plenty of wheel and seat neither rival offers. You feel some vibration through as appealing as the others, adjustment, and adjustable The Octavia sets the benchmark the controls when you put your Focus is the best to drive, combining tidy handling with a comfy ride mainly due to its hard plastics lumbar support is standard for interior quality, with its dense, foot down, and a typical diesel dirge soft-touch dashboard and solid, fills the cabin when you accelerate well-damped switchgear. However, hard. Mind you, the Skoda’s engine SKODA OCTAVIA BEST BOOT BEST DRIVING POSITION Skoda Octavia the new Astra isn’t far behind for has an annoying resonance at low SE Business versions of the outright quality and the layout of revs, and, while the Ford’s engine is Octavia get a relatively tiny 5.8in its dashboard, while not quite as quietest, it still isn’t as hushed as touchscreen. It works in much the user-friendly as the Skoda’s, is you might hope. However, the same way as the larger (optional) logical and easy to get the hang of. Focus does stand out in other ways. system, meaning the menus By contrast, the Ford’s interior It’s the most entertaining of the are easy to navigate. However, feels a little cheap. The main three, turning in to corners without the graphics aren’t particularly surface of the dashboard is soft to too much body lean. Its steering Nothing can touch the Skoda’s sharp and the screen is often the touch, but there are too many has too strong a self-centering boot in this class.