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OUR VIEW
Page 47
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has the last word They say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Fortunately, with the Astra car as a starting point, Vauxhall didn't have to. In almost every respect, including drivelines, chassis, load space and accommodation, the new version would almost certainly be the best in its sector, even if it wasn't the only contender in it.
The new Astravan is such a great improvement over its predecessor, itself no mean machine, that we almost feel guilty at highlighting its ongoing fairings. Many of its potential operators won't care about, or even be aware of, its axle loading limitations.
The noise ingress from the rear, though (assuming all versions suffer equally), is a disappointing counterpoint to the impressive refinement of the rest of the van.