Vauxhall Astra GSe 2025 review – a hybrid you'd live with rather than live for

It’s not the done thing to deliver a strong verdict within the opening sentence of a review, but you need to know that the new £41,800 Astra GSe is no more a hot hatch than a BAC Mono R is a sensible family car. A good car, but mildly warm (some might say tepid if they were being particularly cruel) would be a more honest and closer assessment of the first GSe since the Monza. A VXR for the twenty-twenties the Astra GSe most certainly isn’t.

It is a good car, the Astra GSe. Mark Adam and his design team have given the Peugeot 308 underpinnings a sharp set of body panels that eradicate Vauxhall's forgettable design dictated by GM’s stodgy strategy. The aerodynamic-style wheels don’t scream hot hatch and the Michelin Primacy 4 tyres that accompany them certainly wouldn’t be anyone’s choice for a car with a whiff of speed about it. But in this game every CO2 saving and additional mile of electric range counts more than a set of smart rims and sticky rubber. It’s a decision that ultimately undoes the GSe.

> Peugeot 308 2025 review – does the French hatchback finally outperform the VW Golf?

Inside the Astra is equally impressive as the outside, with a clear layout and screens that are easy to read and use, and demonstrate they don’t need to be the size of an iMax cinema. It even has physical controls for the likes of heater and a rotary knob to control the radio, very innovative. Of more relevance are the AGR certified seats that might lack aesthetic appeal but are an orthopaedic delight to sit in. 

The GSe is probably the most refined and substantial-feeling of its class today. Closing the door feels like locking yourself in a flotation tank, and there’s no hint of the road roar or fidgeting plastics you get in an equivelant Mercedes. Great on the world’s worst motorway, but possibly a bit too isolating for a hot hatch. That depressing thrddddddddd sound of front wheels scudding into understeer? Completely absent here, as so little gets through the structure and soundproofing.

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If you are familiar with Peugeot’s 308 GT you’ll recognise the GSe’s powertrain, which consists of a 178bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox (no, there is no manual) option. In addition there’s an 108bhp electric motor powered by a 12kWh battery, to provide a combined 222bhp and 265lb ft. It means a 7.5secs 0-62mph time, a 146mph maximum speed – or 83mph in pure electric mode – and an electric driving range of 40 miles placing it in the eight per cent BIK tax rate; at 39 miles the ST slips under the 40 mile EV threshold and therefore is liable to 12 per cent BIK

There are three driving modes – electric, hybrid and sport – with the transition between petrol and electric power in hybrid mode impressively seamless and better than a number of more expensive, premium brand cars with similar tech. It’s not, however, the punchiest in hybrid mode, the throttle response languid. Then again, it weighs 1703kg giving it a power-to-weight ratio – 132bhp/ton – on a par with a 2005 Fiesta ST. 

The engine is nearly silent, even when it takes over from the car’s electric running. The Astra actually has a decent turn of pace – and it’s ultra smooth working its way through the gears – but other than seeing things rushing by the windows you’d barely know it. Vauxhall provides gearchange paddles, but they might as well be for changing the mood lighting; there’s no tachometer, the engine is near-inaudible, and there’s so little engine braking that changing down into a corner has hardly any effect on your deceleration.

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Dynamically the GSe, which sits 10mm lower than a regular Astra, is fitted with a set of Koni dampers that use FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) technology that have a second valve in the oil filled dampers to better control the forces depending on the driving style. There’s no independent damper adjustment, and the springs are 11 per cent stiffer over a regular Astra. There’s also a nine per cent increase in steering response and the ESC stability control has been recalibrated to activate ‘slightly’ later but you can’t turn it off. 

It has good body control too, keeping its mass in check, although James noticed a bit of a diagonal shimmy if you hit a bump mid-corner. The secondary ride can be a touch pattery, a result of the large wheels and fairly firm set-up required of such a heavy car. The cabin’s less interesting but less self-consciously mad than that of a 308, and adds to the feeling that it’d be easy to live with.

The GSe steers nicely enough, if not in terms of feedback then at least precision. ‘The Astra has a little more turn-in bite, a little more roll resistance, and seems to grip a little bit better than the Peugeot 308,’ says John Barker after some time behind its wheel, and I’d agree – despite wearing low-rolling-resistance Primacy tyres the GSe actually finds decent grip even on a slick track, and more than enough to make easy progress on the road.

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Both the GSE’s big issues could be rectified. One the owner could do by not swapping the eco tyres for something with more purchase and better feedback, the other requires using Vauxhall’s 296bhp dual motor hybrid set-up that is offered in the equally new Grandland GSe SUV. Unfortunately Vauxhall isn’t looking to offer a more powerful Astra GSe anytime soon. Which is a shame, because a dual-motor 300+bhp full-fat Astra VXR would unlock the potential that the GSe keeps locked away. 

As a hot hatch, the GSe doesn’t so much miss the mark as tumble by unnoticed. Which is a disappointment, because the Astra is a good car on many levels. It’s smart looking, the interior works well with a blend of screens and physical buttons, and the AGR seats are an ergonomic delight. However, at £41,800 it’s also not cheap (that money buys you a good, used BMW M340i xDrive Touring if you don’t need a new car). 

Vauxhall Astra GSe specs