The opening shots have been fired in the new battle of the bestsellers. The main combatants in the hugely competitive family hatchback class have met before — in 1998, when the Ford Focus beat the Vauxhall Astra for critical acclaim and success in the sales charts. In the background was the solid presence of the Volkswagen Golf, regarded by many as a cut above the mainstream Ford and Vauxhall.

A new Golf went on sale in Britain three weeks ago. It is a good car, an all-round improvement on its predecessor. The Focus continues to be Britain’s number one, while the Astra had its best-ever year in 2003, selling 98,000 cars here, and remains a firm favourite with the car fleets.

The new Astra goes on sale on May 1. Vauxhall’s timing is good, getting in ahead of the new Focus, due for an autumn launch, and not long after the Golf. The Astra is an extensively reworked, if not entirely new car with a smarter look and feel. The question is: does it enter the market as the best of the bunch? The answer is a qualified yes. The new Astra is bigger — 5½in longer, 1in wider and 1½in higher than its predecessor — and this translates into a more spacious interior. The plastics inside are soft and look expensive, where in the previous model they were hard and cheap.

Vauxhall has learnt from Ford that family and business drivers appreciate cars that steer precisely and handle confidently. The range of available engines is wide — petrol from 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 up to a turbocharged 2 litre and diesels with two different power outputs. The most powerful engines come with six-speed gearboxes.

The message is that anything the opposition can do, so can the new Astra.

It can do some things rather better than the others. The list of its novel features is truly impressive and at last week’s press preview its maker put on a most convincing demonstration of how the ESP-Plus electronic stability control, CDC continuously variable damping, and switchable sports mode work together to provide fast and safe progress. The “sport” setting not only stiffens the suspension but sharpens the response of the steering and accelerator pedal.

There is also hill-start assist, which automatically maintains brake pressure to avoid rolling back on an incline, and trailer stability control, which uses the car’s braking system to rein in a snaking caravan or trailer.

The problem, and the reason for qualifying its excellence rating, is that none of these things are standard equipment on the cheaper Astras that most people buy. The Astra SRi — from £15,195 — includes most of the good stuff but the CDC fast-acting variable damping still adds £440 to that sportiest model.

For the others, the new features are grouped together as options: a Sports Pack at £650 and Driver Control Pack at £850. ESP-Plus alone is £400 extra. Trust me, it is worth it; one day, unobtrusively, it will save you from an accident. In reality, I know — and Vauxhall knows — that more buyers will to go for an audio upgrade to digital radio and an MP3 player for the same price.

The entry-level Astra 1.4i Expression at £10,995 has power steering, antilock braking and four airbags but that is no more than we expect from a new car in the hatchback class.

It is a bewildering range, with the choice of seven trim levels as well as six engines and four transmissions. I tried the SRi with a 170bhp turbocharged 2 litre engine and all the bells and whistles, and two CDTi diesels — a 100bhp 1.7 litre and the 150bhp 1.9 that won’t be available until later in the year. The petrol-engined Astra SRi is quicker than the equivalent Focus ST170 and matches it dynamically. With its 18in alloy wheels — relatively inexpensive at an extra £200 — it also looks the business.

No complaints either about the more powerful diesel, which also has a six-speed gearbox for good performance (0-60mph in 8.6sec)

and 50mpg fuel economy. That is better than the new Golf 2.0 GTI TDI. The 1.7 litre diesel isn’t as sweet; in fact it is downright noisy at town speeds, but usefully torquey and economical, with an overall figure of 56.5mpg.

To begin with, all new Astras will be five-door hatchbacks with a new but somewhat familiar style. A particularly spacious new estate car, built on a longer wheelbase, follows in October and a more sporty coupé-style three-door will arrive this time next year.

By then the new Focus — also bigger and more elaborate — will be available in its many guises and the new battle for the middle ground of the British car market will be in full swing.

Vital statistics

Model Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.0i Turbo
Engine type Four-cylinder, 1998cc turbo
Power/ Torque 170bhp @ 5200rpm / 184 lb ft @ 1950rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Suspension (front) MacPherson struts, lower control arms, anti-roll bar (rear) torsion beam, coil springs
Fuel/CO2 31mpg (combined cycle), 218g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 8.4sec
Top speed 135mph
Price £17,195
Verdict This new Astra goes to the top of the hatchback class, though even the cheaper models are well above average