#SaveTheManuals? Vauxhall’s stuck a six-speed gearbox in its Astra, now £26k

Vauxhall has today announced one of its new cars is now available with a very old-fashioned gearbox. There’s a six-speed Astra! In 2026! Now. TopGear.com is not suggesting the addition of a six-speeder in the Astra will conjure up the magic of, say, an old Honda S2000, but still.

And admittedly, it is not the most exciting Astra, because slotting in a manual has been explicitly designed to lower the entry price of Vauxhall’s long-running nameplate. It means the hatch and estate now start from £26,495.

For that healthy sum, you get a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, said manual gearbox, and – be still thine beating hearts! – 128 mildly enthusiastic horsepowers. We say mildly, because it’ll do 0-62mph in 9.7s (10s in the estate).

It’s more enthusiastic about saving fuel, mind, Vauxhall claiming 50.4mpg is possible.

There are faster versions available, but only this entry 1.2-litre car gets the new ’box. It also comes with a new ‘Denim Blue’ paintjob which TopGear.com strongly suspects is a shade of blue that matches denim, and three trim levels. ‘Griffin’ is the entry-level trim that costs £26,495, FYI.

You can make it at least look sporty with the ‘GS’ trim (£27,995), or plump for the £30,495 ‘Ultimate’ level which gets lots more stuff thrown in. Oh, and those prices are the same whether you go for an estate or the hatch.

#SaveTheManuals?