AutoConnect_Magazine February 2016 | Page 13

The bods at Vauxhall have worked hard to set the Astra apart from the competition. While vehicles such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus might lead the compact hatchback segment, Vauxhall wants to grow its share of the market.

It started with the last generation of the car, where the firm worked hard to make it ride and handle as well as the competition, and by and large they succeeded. With this version Vauxhall has focused more heavily on cabin technologies that should make our lives easier.

First up is Apple CarPlay, which makes hooking up your iPhone a doddle, and allows you to use Siri to control certain functions. The software is a little limited, but this is version 1.0 from the Silicon Valley firm so it will get better with future iterations. The same applies for the AndroidAuto setup.

And as easy wins to keep customers happy, both mirroring systems work well on the 7” touchscreen. This is good not only from an ease of use perspective but also from a safety point of view. Having access to voice controls means that you don't have to fumble around trying to find the right place on the screen to touch, keeping your eyes on the road.

But while CarPlay and AndroidAuto are a necessity to my mind for any new car, perhaps the Astra wins out with the inclusion of the car company's OnStar system.

OnStar offers a variety of services, such as in-car access to an advisor 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year that can answer a multitude of questions you might have, including giving you directions to wherever you want to go. It can also offer emergency assistance should you need it.

Hopefully you'll never need to call on it, and will be more likely to take advantage of the 4G in-car wifi hotspot, which can connect up to seven devices simultaneously. And, should you want to take the family out for a picnic, you can keep the kids happy as it'll even let you connect to the Internet when you're outside within a radius of about four metres.

Vauxhall started by getting the Astra mechanically competitive, and now it's stealing the show with connectivity.

In the cabin