Vauxhall Astra GTC hatchback (2011-2016) - Practicality & boot space

Despite its sporty styling, the Astra GTC is a roomy car inside, thanks to its wide track and long wheelbase. It’s certainly a comfortable four-seater, although shoulder room is a little with three adults in the back. The boot is spacious, too – even more so with the rear seats folded down. Less impressive is rear visibility, which is restricted by the narrow rear window. The Astra GTC won’t be anyone’s first choice of tow car anyway, but this makes manoeuvring a trailer difficult.

Vauxhall Astra interior space and storage

Despite the swoopy roofline, there’s a surprising amount of headroom in the back of the Astra GTC. The car’s long wheelbase means there’s also decent legroom. Storage space is good thanks to huge door bins front and rear, which will comfortably hold a large bottle of water.

There’s more storage courtesy of two cubbyholes in the dashboard and one under the centre armrest – at least on SRi models and above. The glovebox is a decent size and has a handy shelf, too.

Vauxhall Astra boot space

With the split-folding rear seats in place, the Astra GTC’s boot holds a useful 380 litres of luggage. That’s the same as what the Seat Leon SC manages, but bigger than the Volkswagen Scirocco (312 litres) and the Renault Megane coupe (377 litres) boots.

Fold down the seats and boot space grows to an impressive 1,165 litres in total, although a high lip means loading and unloading heavy items can be a pain.

Vauxhall Astra towing

Braked trailer towing limits for the Astra GTC range from 950kg to 1,500kg depending on what engine you choose. This last figure means one of the larger diesel-engined GTCs could tow a small to mid-size caravan quite comfortably. An optional towing pack on Sport and SRi models adds a detachable tow bar and a trailer stability program, which controls swaying using the accelerator and brakes.