It’s not just a rebodied version of the five-door hatch. It’s much, much more than that.

The bad bits – the b-pillar is very, very far back. So far back that little people like me have to do a full body twist to reach the seat belt. 

The diesel engines aren’t really suited to its handling. But they are rather ‘eco-tastic’, which is good in some circles. 

It has an electric handbrake. These things are worse than shaking Satan’s hand. A lever will do and, when its engaged, you KNOW it’s on. With the ‘leccy option engaged it’s not so assured. 

The good bits – It actually rides well on 19-inch wheels. Really, it does. 

Looks wise, the GTC is pretty much winning. It looks stunning, as though it came from an Italian design house. Ish. It’s certainly prettier than the Renault Megané Coupé. 

Thanks to the Inisgnia VXR’s trick suspension it handles rather well. Certainly better than the majority of its rivals. 

The long and the short of it, folks, is that the Vauxhall Astra GTC is far, far better than expected. If you’re looking for a new coupé/hatch you really should take a look in Vauxhall’s direction. 

Also, please tweet Gareth Evans, our willing guest. He's very lovely and wrote for us about learning to be a racing driver. He's bought a car now, too.