Vauxhall Astra GSe on sale soon
Vauxhall's first sporty GSe models will be a plug-in hybrid Astra and Astra Sports Tourer
A couple of weeks back, we reported on a happy news story from Vauxhall, which hasn’t had much genuine enthusiast stuff to crow about in recent years. It was the return of performance models under the GS brand. It’ll be GSe rather than the more familiar GSi badge that was stuck on back of the Luton’s enticing models, like the Astra and Cavalier, back in the ‘90s, with the ‘e’ standing for ‘explosive’. Okay, that bit’s not true; it stands for electric.
The new sub-brand is going to appear first on the new Astra and Astra Sports Tourer, which feature plug-in hybrid powertrains. So for a little while, at least, there will still be petrol engines at the heart of GSe products, before the all-electric models begin filtering in and Vauxhall goes 100 per cent electric by 2028.
James Taylor, Acting Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: “Available with Plug-in Hybrid powertrains from launch, the All-New Astra GSe and All-New Astra Sports Tourer GSe are the ideal cars for launching our dynamic new sub-brand, offering sporty styling, enhanced driving performance and all the benefits of an electrified powertrain. As we work towards becoming an all-electric brand by 2028, our range-topping GSe models will showcase that electrified performance and driving pleasure can go hand-in-hand.”
The core credentials for the Grand Sport Electric models is a happily familiar one, then. Differentiated looks promising a bit more aggression, plus a driver-focused chassis set-up to match the performance potential of an hybrid powertrain. Oh yes, and better efficiency and zero-emissions running, blah, blah, blah.
We’ve got some meat on the bones, too. The Astra GSe with have a combined 225hp and 266lb ft of torque, allied with up to 256.8mpg and 26g/km of CO2. That should make this a company car favourite, although there's no indication of the all-important EV range yet. In terms of pace, you'll get performance that ‘will match the best in their respective classes for launch from a standstill, acceleration and maximum speed.’
The Astra will also have a bespoke chassis set-up. It’s 10mm lower than the standard models, with ‘unique’ (presumably stiffer) springs and Koni Frequency Selective Damping. The steering has also been ‘calibrated for a sportier feel’ and the ESP is set to be less nannying.
It’ll also come with a set of 18-inch light-alloy wheels that have styling cues taken from the all-electric Manta GSe concept, plus a restyled front end and GSe badges at the rear. Inside, there are front sports seats trimmed in Alcantara. For now that’s all we know, but with the GSe models due to go on sale by the end of the year and deliveries beginning in early 2023, watch this space.
https://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Technology/ACTIVE_...
They've kept it pegged back to compete with the Cupra Leon, Golf GTE and the other hybrid 'hot' hatches.
Maybe the full EV version will go hunting forwards to the 300bhp+ barrier in the upcoming hot iD3 GTX or whatever its called and MG4 Mullen and co.
Being a cog in Stellantis' machine isn't too bad at the moment, as for once, they actually have some decent tech and platforms, and Vauxhall are using them well.
The Corsa isn't as good looking as the 208, but it's better looking than the old model, and they have some sensible touches inside, like physical buttons, which makes them easier to use than a 208.
The Mokka is miles better looking than the old model.
The Astra is better looking than the 308 and again there are more physical buttons to make life easier.
Being a cog in Stellantis' machine isn't too bad at the moment, as for once, they actually have some decent tech and platforms, and Vauxhall are using them well.
The Corsa isn't as good looking as the 208, but it's better looking than the old model, and they have some sensible touches inside, like physical buttons, which makes them easier to use than a 208.
The Mokka is miles better looking than the old model.
The Astra is better looking than the 308 and again there are more physical buttons to make life easier.
The idea with Vauxhall was that it was a bigger and more loved brand in the UK than the PSA brands. They see it as a UK specific thing, and it's true to an extent. There are more Vauxhall dealers, they are more straightforward to use, they are more of a known quantity. Most people think of Citroen as weird or at best quirky and who in the UK things the DS brand has any value?
Yes it's true that they sell to the fleets and car-hire companies, but that is a market that needs a supply.
I also don't know what you mean by cheaper, more utilitarian brands from round the world? The only other brands that they have are Chrysler and RAM, and those won't work in the UK. There is a joint venture in China. Do you mean those? They are set up specifically for the Chinese market and again won't work here.
There are individual models such as the 408 that doesn't come here. Is that what you mean?
The idea with Vauxhall was that it was a bigger and more loved brand in the UK than the PSA brands. They see it as a UK specific thing, and it's true to an extent. There are more Vauxhall dealers, they are more straightforward to use, they are more of a known quantity. Most people think of Citroen as weird or at best quirky and who in the UK things the DS brand has any value?
Yes it's true that they sell to the fleets and car-hire companies, but that is a market that needs a supply.
I also don't know what you mean by cheaper, more utilitarian brands from round the world? The only other brands that they have are Chrysler and RAM, and those won't work in the UK. There is a joint venture in China. Do you mean those? They are set up specifically for the Chinese market and again won't work here.
There are individual models such as the 408 that doesn't come here. Is that what you mean?
The Vauxhall look was boring. The Corsa had been out a long time and was just a facelift of the previous one, that had been out a long time. The Astra looked very similar to the previous model. The Mokka was so boring, they even sold it in the USA with the same looks.
The reinvented look is much more interesting and distinctive. The Mokka for example has gone from dull to really interesting, looks wise.
The Crossland and Grandland were Peugeots with a Vauxhall front end and interior, and they looked so boring compared with the original Peugeots. At least Vauxhallising the cars now makes them look good.
Peugeot don't have any Dacia models to sell. They basically only have the brands and cars that you know of. The Chrysler models that don't come here wouldn't be a Dacia rival, and wouldn't sell. The cars from the Chinese joint venture are not designed for the UK and wouldn't sell either.
They would have to develop a model from scratch, and that just isn't their business model. They have been there in the past. Remember those Citroen Picassos that they used to sell on a "pile 'em high, sell it cheap" model. They were always £9,999, whatever the starting price said.
Prior to merger, PSA had the highest profit margin of any mainstream car manufacturer. That is their business model.
And don't forget that the Koreans don't sell cheap cars any more either. They have moved on for the same reason.
I am glad they have bothered as its a good looking base car, but that high tech koni suspension seems a bit wasted on the company car brigade. If it sells more than that Cupra still born, or those ID GTX things than fair play Vauxhall
Anyone know the likely electric range/battery size on this thing? I assume it might have the same running gear as a Peugeot 508 PHEV, so that would be an 11.8 kWh battery with a ~40 mile range.
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