Not quite ready for an electric car but keen to embrace electrified motoring? Here’s our guide to every new hybrid and plug-in hybrid you can buy
FIRST DRIVE Vauxhall Astra GSe
Sporty flagship plug-in hybrid family hatch turns its attention towards driver appeal On sale Now Price from £40,550
VARIOUS THREE-LETTER BADGES have been used to signify sporty Vauxhalls over the years, but GSe – for Grand Sport Electric – is the first to highlight electrically assisted performance.
One of the first GSe models is this Astra variant, which, along with revised suspension for better handling, can call on 222bhp when its 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor join forces.
The result? A 0-62mph time of 7.5sec, which is just 0.2sec quicker than the regular 178bhp plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Astra but a match for the Peugeot 308 225 PHEV. It combines that with the ability to go up to 40 miles officially without firing up the engine. That’s longer than the electric-only ranges of the 308 and the Seat Leon e-Hybrid, but three miles less than the regular Astra PHEV can manage.
The Leon feels quicker when you put your foot down, but while the GSe isn’t exactly in the realm of a hot hatch, it has more than enough power when you need to overtake or get up to speed on a motorway slip road. However, the automatic gearbox is a bit slow to react when you need a burst of acceleration, and can jerk a bit if you encounter a hill and it needs to switch down a few gears.
On a twisty road, the GSe is rather more fun than the regular Astra PHEV, with hardly any body lean and loads of grip. That’s down to the lowered suspension, with stiffer springs and input from specialist Koni. The only letdown is the steering. It feels numb, so you never have a clear sense of what the front wheels are up to.
Better news is that the GSe’s ride remains generally comfy, despite the firmer set-up. The suspension soaks up bumps well and is forgiving enough at low speeds to cushion you over speed bumps. At higher speeds and over undulations, the tighter body control means it never wallows around.
Inside, you get Alcantara-trimmed, electrically adjustable sports seats that provide the same brilliant driving position as in the regular Astra but offer plenty more support from larger side bolsters. Even six-footers will find plenty of leg and head room up front, but they’ll feel cramped in the back. There’s less leg room or foot space under the front seats than the Leon offers, and that rival has more head room too. The boot is a useful but not generous 352 litres.
As a range-topping model, it has lots of standar
