Opel’s (and Vauxhall's) Astra has been a love-hate affair for myself; see I quite fancy the more recent OPC/VXRtwins of recent years due to their rapid performance and uber-slick styling.
Yet back in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, it was a nameplate adorned with mediocrity; especially its comer-inducing styling that sat in stark contrast to the radical Ford Focusof its era.
Fortunately, GM’s European subsidiary is not in the business of repeating those earlier mistakes and has been putting the finishing touches on its next-generation small hatch - illustrated exclusively here in spicy GSI hot-hatch guise.