Our Astra PHEV long-termer is back after a spot of bother with trapped wind and Nat Barnes embraces a return to plug-in hybrid motoring.

List price (BiK): £40,845 (12%) CO2: 24g/km MPG/ EV range: 256mpg / 42 miles Test efficiency: 48.6mpg (ICE replacement)

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Our Electric Yellow Vauxhall Astra Plug-In Hybrid has made a welcome return with me after a two-week absence – trapped air to blame for its odd thirst for coolant.

But my brief time with a 1.2-litre petrol – and the novelty of manually changing gear once more – bought into sharp focus the differences with driving a traditional ICE car as opposed to a PHEV. I’ve been pretty impressed by the Astra PHEV’s fuel economy until now, easily above 80mpg with regular charging and lots of short journeys.

At the same time, I have to admit that I wasn’t relishing the idea of driving an ICE vehicle again, but even so, over our two weeks, I averaged 48.6mpg which, including some long motorway journeys, I thought was pretty good. It’s a reminder too that as good as PHEVs can be with regular charging, that modern petrols can be respectably frugal too.

The return of the golden PHEV has convinced us about its colour too. After an unpleasant road rage incident many years ago, where we realised the value of not standing out in traffic, we’ve been inclined to avoid cars in brighter colours, but we’re coming round to the Electric Yellow – even if it is a £700 option. It certainly makes the Astra easy to spot in a car park, for which we’re very grateful after the gunmetal grey ICE Astra.

In the meantime, we’ve got a number of longer motorway journeys planned for our Astra PHEV as we travel to walk Offa’s Dyke in Wales in day stages, so hopefully those don’t pull down our average mpg too much.

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We’ve switched to a 1.2-litre petrol Astra GS Line while Vauxhall checks out the coolant issue with the PHEV

“Wow, you’re hot.” No, not the words of Jennifer Aniston in the passenger seat to me as I drove my long-term Vauxhall Astra Plug-In Hybrid. In fact, it was me, talking alone to the Astra itself.

Three weeks into our time with the Astra, things have been going pretty positively. The Astra’s previously disappointing EV range has been steadily climbing as the ambient temperature has improved and as it has learned my driving style. From the original 19, a full charge now typically reads in the low 30s and we’ve even seen 36 miles on a couple of occasions.

Judicious charging and a lack of long journeys though have meant that we’ve rarely drawn on the Astra’s 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine for any length of time. Until that is a recent journey up the M1 saw the Astra suddenly bring up an engine temperature warning light shortly after having used up all of its battery power.

Pulling into some nearby services and lifting the bonnet showed that the coolant level in the header tank was below minimum, so after a short top-up with some water in the car, we were back on our way again and thought nothing more of it.

Until that is, a quick check two days later showed it to have returned back down that minimum level. Thinking it must have been some air in the system, we carried out another top-up and made a mental note to keep an eye on it. The car ensured that it didn’t just stay in my memory though and another two days on, the warning light was back on and the coolant level back down to minimum once more.

With clearly something amiss, the Astra has gone back to Vauxhall for some investigation work. In the meantime, I’m now in a 1.2-litre petrol Astra GS Line and remembering what a gearstick and clutch pedal are for, having driven EVs and PHEVs for so long. I certainly miss driving under electric power, but at 49.2mpg, this new petrol Astra is proving impressive.

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Our Astra PHEV family hatch certainly has the standout factor

Not so many years ago, it would have been hard to over-estimate the significance of this new Vauxhall Astra Plug-in Hybrid to the new car market.

Like the Focus and Golf, the Astra was such a huge player in the car market that they would soon be commonplace on every street and car park. Except that I’ve been driving this new Astra long-termer for two weeks and have seen less than a handful of others on the road – something that would have been utterly inconceivable until the rise of crossovers to British roads.

And that, ironically, seems to me an even better reason to be driving one. Plus, I’m the perfect candidate having just stepped out of our Ford Kuga long-termer, the kind of family car that the Astra needs to convince drivers out from.

Certainly, the numbers stack up. A 1.6-litre turbo petrol linked to a 12.4kWh battery giving it 180bhp, 24g/km emissions and, on paper at least, a 42-mile electric range – more on which in a moment.

Those stats are backed up with looks too and I love the design of the new Astra, especially in the optional metallic Electric Yellow of my test car – it certainly makes it easy to spot and find in busy car parks.

Except that my first impression wasn’t positive. And the reason, ironically, had nothing to do with me or even the car, but clearly the previous incumbent who must have had a right foot like an anvil. The reason was that despite a fully charged battery, the electric range was showing as just 19 miles. That’s not just not in the same postcode as the claimed 42 miles, that’s not even in the same country.

While I’m not naïve enough to think that I’ll be able to match that EAER 42-mile figure, I wasn’t too impressed with a figure less than half that. An explanation from Vauxhall however said that the trip computer learned from the previous usage and it would soon correct itself to a higher number. And, lo and behold, they were right. With every new charge, the range has steadily grown and I’m currently (pardon the pun) at 31 miles. Let’s hope it keeps growing.