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Poor build quality

m4in

Go Kart Newbie
In the UK, VW used to have a reputation for very good build quality - better than that of its mainstream competitors. Sadly, I think VW’s ‘legendary German build quality’ - if it ever was a thing - is very much thing of the past.

Comparing the build quality of my VW with my brother’s car (a Vauxhall; Vauxhall were previously owned by GM, now owned by Stellantis Group), I‘d say that the build quality of his car is better than mine; more uniform shut lines and panel gaps, doors shut with a more solid sounding ‘clunk’, interior trim looks and feels better quality, complete absence of creaks and rattles and it was 100% fault free when he took delivery - something I can’t say for my VW. Vauxhall‘s cars often get slated on other VW / VAG forums. That might have been justified 20-25 years ago, but not now IMHO. Their direct competitor for the Golf is the Astra, and the current generation of that car is a fine looking vehicle IMHO.

The Astra demonstrator we drove when we made our mind up was creaking and squaking like mad, with less than 1000 miles on the clock.

I agree that VW lost a bit of its touch, but i very much disagree with the sentiment that an Astra is built better. Incidentally, despite being built by germans. The platform of the Astra is good, and the build quality in the new 308 is absolutely stunning (test drove that one too, just too much other stuff that annoyed me in that one for me to love it) on the same platform, but the Astra is decent at best.

And as a sidenote, Vauxhall gets slagged because they still build stinkers like the Grandland and Mokka. That doesn't automatically mean that the Astra is bad, it's not. It's just clearly not better than a Golf or in fact a 308, which in terms of build and interior quality i'd actually rate highly over the Golf. If it wasn't for the absolutely stupid steering wheel that prevents me either from seeing the dials/screen or rub against my knees, the fact that in 2022 they still don't offer an auto-hold/auto-e brake function, and the fact that i don't want a torque converter automatic anymore, we'd have taken it over the GTE as the 225 Hybrid.

We didn't even have a conversation about the Astra after the test drive, just got out of it and said "nah" to each other. Granted, we test drove the 308 and Golf prior, so maybe there's a little confirmation bias in there, but while the Astra wasn't offensive (although we did laugh about the rattles etc, whereas the 12000 mile old demonstrator for the GTE didn't make a single noise, neither did the 308 but that was less than 300 miles), it's just not as good to drive as a Golf, and nowhere near a 308 in anything. I also have a severe dislike of shiny plastic (piano black), which the Astra is crammed full of. Not a happy panda when they announced that bollocks in the Golf either.
 
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