DESPITE gloomy financial reports of its American parent company GM, that great British name Vauxhall was the number one selling brand in the UK in February.
And this was for the second time in three months, underlining the fact that Britain loves the Griffon badge. One of the mainstays of the marque is the Astra, a name that has been around since 1979 and has been a hot choice for the British family and business driver ever since.
The latest Astra maintains all the core values of the original but is bang up to date with the latest Vauxhall family style and engineering.
The current range fields an impressive range of engines but one of the most popular choices is the 1.7 diesel which I tried in a CDTi Sxi model.
This car comes towards the top of the Astra tree and weighs in at £17,590. Somewhat pricey and even more so when options including a seat comfort pack, an impressive CD70 stereo and sat nav and cruise control racked the price up to a hefty £19,195.
There are much cheaper Astras but this one was a showcase of what Vauxhall has managed to achieve with a constantly developing model range and leap-frogging technology.
But what Vauxhall has not forgotten is its heritage and the current Astra is packed with many styling reminders of Vauxhalls past.
This philosophy is one of the marque's mainstays because brand loyalty is a major factor in today's hotly contested marketplace.
The Astra is one of the most enjoyable cars among the current crop of mid-size hatchbacks.
It features steering that is extremely responsive and handling qualities provide supple ride and nimble cornering.
On all surfaces road noise is low and the diesel is kept muted by some impressive soundproofing.
I was impressed by the Astra's build quality - a credit not only to its designers but its Ellesmere Port manufacturing team. There is also plenty of evidence of higher quality trim materials than some competitors.
Visibility for the driver is excellent in this five door model and the only thing I raise a question about are the particular type of self cancelling indicators that often did not self cancel and proved irritating.
There is more than enough interior space and headroom is good, as is the boot space.
Every Astra has electric front windows, remote central locking and electronic power steering. SXi models have lowered sports suspension and sportier trim details.
This current model is due to be replaced by a new Astra next year. If it is as good as this one then the future has to bright for Vauxhall.
FAST FACTS
Vauxhall Astra SXi 1.7 CDTi 5dr
Price: £17,590
Mechanical: 100PS, 1,686cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 11.5 seconds
Combined mpg: 55.4
Insurance group: 6
CO2 emissions: 138g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles