The Vauxhall Astra has been given a mid-life refresh, including a new range of engines and tweaks to its exterior styling. The updated car will be available to order from this month, before arriving in the hands of customers and dealers in November.

The current generation of Astra has been in production since 2015; before the takeover of the British firm by the French PSA Group, which purchased Vauxhall from General Motors in 2017.

The group hasn’t been able to install motors from its existing fleet of units used in newer Vauxhalls as well as Citroen and Peugeot products, meaning the Astra gets engines developed by sister brand Opel’s engine department.

A 1.2-litre petrol engine is available with 108, 128 or 143bhp, each with a six-speed manual gearbox and expected to achieve between 51.4 and 54.3mpg. A 143bhp 1.4-litre with a CVT automatic transmission is also offered, promising 47.9 to 49.6mpg.

A 1.5-litre diesel is also available with either 104 or 120bhp. Both get a six-speed manual, while the more powerful version can also be specced with a nine-speed automatic. The manuals are said to return 60.1 to 64.2mpg, while the automatic is slightly less efficient, with quoted figures of 53.3 to 57.6mpg.

Drag reduction has been a key focus in the re-styling of the Astra. Reduced drag means increased economy, and this has been proven with a 19 per cent improvement in efficiency over the previous Astra.

On-board technology has also been upgraded. New infotainment and connected navigation systems has been added to the dash, with the infotainment screen also receiving higher resolution images from an uprated set of front and rear parking cameras.

Cost details for the revitalised Astra haven’t been revealed, but it is reasonable to expect a slight increase over the outgoing car’s £18,905 starting price.

A new generation of a popular car often means good used and nearly new deals on the outgoing version. Keep tabs on pricing for used Vauxhall Astras on Motors.co.uk.