They were conventional body-on-frame cars with similar styling to the smaller A40 Devon and A40 Somerset models respectively, though with an entirely different larger and wider body on chassis construction.

The 2.2 L (2199 cc) straight-4 pushrod engine provided the same power output, at 67 bhp (50 kW), as it had when installed in the earlier Austin 16 hp.

The Hampshire used Girling hydraulic brakes which operated on the front wheels only; the rears being mechanical, a setup which was shared with the earlier (GS2) A40 Devon.

Performance was adequate by the standards of the time, but the car was not particularly quiet, and an Autocar magazine road test in 1950 reported a "small vibration at about 40 m.p.h.

Full instrumentation was mounted in the centre of the dashboard allowing easy viewing whether for left- or right-hand drive versions.