CAR (UK)

Couch to 5k

Vauxhall says it can make a sharp and fun-to-drive hot hatch out of (mostly) ordinary components. We’re putting that claim to the test. By Jake Groves

|t’s lowered by 10mm and fitted with properly sophistica­ted Koni dampers for better body control

Can the new GSe sub-brand build as much of a fan following as GSi or VXR did back in the day? Does it have the magic something extra needed to create cult appeal? That’s what I’ll be finding out over the next few months as I live with the dramatical­ly Stormtroop­er-styled new arrival on the CAR fleet.

GSe (which stands for ‘Grand Sport electric’) is essentiall­y Vauxhall’s electrifie­d performanc­e brand, much like Peugeot’s Sport Engineered cars. Vauxhall MD James Taylor says GSe models ‘will showcase that electrifie­d performanc­e and driving pleasure can go hand in hand.’ Everything with a GSe badge will either be a plug-in hybrid or pure EV.

So, to push that performanc­e edge, my GSe benefits from a slightly more aggressive exterior bodykit than a regular (already quite handsome) Astra, and features some of the sweetest looking alloy wheels you can currently get your hands on. Sporty GSe-bespoke alcantara seats hug you as you get in.

My previous long-term test car was a DS 4 E-Tense, and it’s no secret that, both being products of the Stellantis group, the Astra shares a lot with it. Vauxhall boasts about the Astra GSe having more power than a normal plug-in hybrid Astra, but the entire plug-in hybrid powertrain is the same as that found in the DS 4.

Where’s the difference, then? Vauxhall points to a sharper steering rack that provides more alert responses on turnin, plus a synthetic engine sound for some more snarls and growls, and Stellantis software engineers have applied a more relaxed stability control program. Most crucially, though, GSe cars are lowered by 10mm and fitted with properly sophistica­ted Koni dampers for better body control.

Naturally, then, I’m going to treat it like a hot hatch. While I wafted in comfort and silence in the dearly departed DS 4, I’m going to spend a little more of my time hooning the Astra around in Sport mode and

pushing its dynamic envelope than I did in the squishy and laid-back Frenchie.

The logic I applied to the DS in terms of charging and plugging it in will apply here, too. I’m in the CAR oce quite a lot these days, affording me the chance to plug in that I don’t get at home. While I get those charges for free, I’m going to apply a nominal rate for each kW of electricit­y that goes in (34p, according to the UK average at the time of writing) and use that in the running-cost calculatio­ns, which should help make them relevant.

Otherwise, I’ll be looking for as many chances as I can to exploit the GSe’s performanc­e tweaks to see just how significan­t the difference­s are. So, if you see a streak of black and white blitz past you, it may well be me.