► CAR lives with a Vauxhall Astra GSe
► New electrified sub-brand on test
► Read month 1 here
‘Do you know of a way to make the right pedal do more to make the car move?’ editor Ben Miller asks me after a brief drive in my Vauxhall Astra GSe. I smirk and point out the fact there’s a Sport mode, but have to acknowledge it doesn’t seem to change much.
‘Not very quick, is it?’ asks deputy editor Piers Ward after he borrows the Astra. It seems there’s a snag to the performance version of the Astra: no performance.
Yes, it has 40bhp more than the regular hybrid Astra. But it hasn’t gained any extra excitement, anything that feels like more performance.
The way it delivers its power, to the front wheels via an eight-speed auto, is more annoying than exciting. The automatic transmission is far too slow. PHEVs are often a little more compromised when it comes to having a gear ready at the right time, true, but the Astra’s EAT8 system takes that to extremes. When the GSe has a burst of extra e-power to offer, it seems to confuse the gearbox even more than ever.
I floored it on one occasion to take advantage of a gap when overtaking, but I was able to count to three between right foot hitting the deck and the correct gear being engaged, meaning I lost my chance.
And coming to a standstill can be frustratingly lurchy as the car seems to have trouble deciding whether the engine is on or off and wonders whether to disengage the gears or not.
One thing that has been done to make the GSe stand out: there’s a sports sound mode in the menus that adds a bit of video-gamey noise in Sport mode. But there seems to be a glitch. After I dig through the car’s menus to turn it on, it turns itself back off whenever the car is turned off. It’s three menus deep – who can be bothered to switch it on every time? I certainly can’t.
The distinctly average powertrain, dim-witted automatic gearbox and a sport sound mode that’s desperate to remain off? Hmm, it’s almost as if the GSe actively doesn’t want to be a performance car.
There are many actual hot hatches you can get for similar (or even less) money. If you’re not bothered by performance, there are much better plug-in hybrids on offer, too. So, what exactly is the GSe for? My search for answers (and power) continues.
Read month 1
Read month 2
Logbook: Vauxhall Astra GSe
Price: £43,250 (£43,750 as tested)
Performance: 12.4kWh battery plus 1598cc four-cylinder, PHEV, 222bhp, 7.7sec 0-62mph, 146mph
Efficiency: 256.0mpg (official), 39.6mpg (tested), 25g/km CO2
Energy cost: 18.5p per mile
Miles this month: 850
Total miles: 6375