Despite having admired it in pictures for months, this was my first “live” encounter with the car, and my first impression was of how big it is. Inside and out, it is a lot of car for a three door hatchback, and the great looking 19 inch alloys fill the wheel arches quite nicely.
After topping-up with petrol I took to the motorway and the GTC got into it's stride. I was worried the 1.4 Litre engine might be a little underpowered, but with the Turbo, and 6 forward gears, the car doesn't hang around on it's way to a comfortable 70mph. With both Cruise Control and Speed Limiter available, keeping within the limits of the law shouldn't be a problem, but the car doesn't feel in any way stretched at these speeds. It's quiet and comfortable, and has very good all round visibility.
First Test Run
The following few days have seen the Astra GTC take to a variety of roads. This car seems quite eager to move so care has to be taken to rein it in a little through town, but out of town is where she really starts to come alive.
It is taking a while for me to get used to the gearing, as 6th gear is still an innovation to me. There's a little green light which appears at certain speeds or revs, to suggest the most economical time to change up, and that is helping me adjust to the unfamiliar gearing, but I expect that might become a bit annoying once I get more used to the car. Time will tell.
To get in some practice, before my journey begins, I took the GTC cross-country to Edinburgh, via the back roads from Coatbridge to Linlithgow. If you ever get lost out that way, you'll discover some unbelievably great roads, linking together a jumble of near-identical villages, but one wrong move, even at low speeds, and you could easily find yourself buried in a hedge, or torpedoing into a loch. The Astra GTC, however, held the road superbly, and as far as the handling is concerned, I simply couldn't fault it on that run.
So from now on it's the real thing. The Ultimate Journey. The road ahead is about 2000 miles, and crosses the 4 nations, taking on some legendary routes along the way. If first impressions are anything to go by, the Astra GTC will be more capable of rising to the challenge.
