You've got to smile. No, honestly, when you go outside to get into your Astra Sport Hatch, you really have got to smile. It can't be helped. It might be the understated sleek and sexy bodyshell that does it for you, it might be the fact that the couple next door are steaming with suppressed envy or, if you're like me, it'll be the carnal knowledge of what's waiting for you out on the open road.The Sport Hatch smoked out onto the market last month with an interesting take on the three-door hatchback. The concept is simple enough: take the basic Astra and give it some attitude by lowering the roof by a couple of inches, stretching the nose by a similar amount, and cutting down the amount of side glass to make the top more cockpit than canopy.It works. The final package is one that appeals to the heart and the head in that it's still big enough inside to comfortably take mum, dad and three kids away for the weekend, yet still kindle a fire down below when you've got a few hours to yourself.Sport Hatch comes with a choice of four petrol and three diesel engines, but the king of the heap, the one that does best justice to the image, is the two-litre petrol turbo. The blurb tells of 167bhp and 184lb/ft of torque. It says it'll take just under eight seconds from take-off to reach 60mph, then race on up to a top speed of 136mph. The figures are almost identical to those for the five-door with the same engine, but the difference with the Sport Hatch is it already looks like it's on its way before you've opened the door.tep in and it feels much smaller than it really is. There is actually plenty of headroom and kneeroom in the back seats but black leather seats, black trim, and those smaller-than-they-have-to-be side windows make it feel dark in there. But the Sport Hatch is a styling exercise and, when you're in the mood, the intimate interior helps conjure up that coupé feel.Hear that engine? No, me neither, but don't worry - it is working away quietly in there. Stomp on the go pedal, the turbocharger whistles like a distant dentist's drill and the Astra springs forward, staying level, pointing its nose at the horizon. Keeping the engine revs high, the power delivery is smooth and slotting up through the solid and secure-feeling short-shift, six-speed gearbox, there's no more torque steering effect than a feeling of slight tightness in the wheel.You can feel the road texture through the suspension, but it's not harsh. You can hear it a bit too as you up the pace - same with the wind rushing increasingly quickly past you.Push into a long open curve and you'll find the springs keep you reasonably level, but if there are a few undulations in the road the line starts to feel a little swimmy. Pull off the main road, though, and get out to where the ride is more up and down, left and right, and the suspension really shines. You can put this car exactly where you want on the road and the standard-fit Dunlop SP Sport 01s let you push out smartly where you can see it's clear ahead.One interesting piece of kit that's standard on the SRi is what's known as the "Sport Switch". Allegedly it sharpens up the response on the fly-by-wire throttle and tightens up on the steering. I'm not sure why you would ever want less than the sharpest accelerator or the most responsive steering available, so why it's a push-button option leaves me rather clueless. Besides, I couldn't see a difference big enough to warrant the two settings.There's no doubt this car will do much more than the law will allow in this country - indeed you'd probably have to break the law if you wanted to properly take the polish off that sixth cog - so without great restraint be in no doubt the Astra Sport Hatch could eat your licence and shorten your driving career considerably. Oh, and you'll need to exercise similar moderation if you want to get anywhere near the declared average fuel consumption of 31.4mpg.The bottom line is that here's a genuinely useful five-seat hatchback that's better-looking than most. The compromises imposed on practicality by the styling exercise are easy enough to live with. The boot is limited mostly by the narrow entrance, but the back seats split 60/40 to add flexibility. The visibility out the back is restricted by the relatively huge metal-to-glass ratio, but I found no problems reversing into narrow roadside parking slots.Its most obvious new competitor on the market is VW's Golf GTI. The Astra is a bit less powerful and a little slower off the mark, but it's more overtly sporting to look at and a full £2000 cheaper. If you're in the market you'd do well to try them both before deciding where to put your money. Engine 1998cc, 4 cylinders Power 167bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 31.4mpg / 216g/km Acceleration 0-60mph: 7.9 seconds Top speed 136mph Price £17,495 Details correct at publication date
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