Holden Astra LT Sedan 2018 Review

Billed as a more family-oriented small car, the Korean-built Astra sedan is dressed quite differently to the hatch, is limited to one engine only and its local suspension tuning is set up to take the edges off the lumps and bumps.

On the other hand, the five-door hatchback’s so-called sportier demeanour suggests more time in attack mode, a flatter stance in the bends and a bit less absorption of road irregularities. Two cars off the same platform, but with quite different characters.

Holden also landed a solid blow on most of its opposition with a special seven-year/175,000km warranty deal for all Astra models sold until the close of 2017. Normally, Holdens are covered for a standard three years/100,000km.

A bit of a surprise was the degree of rack rattle generated on typically-Australian corrugated gravel surfaces – although the cabin, apart from some road noise which creeps in on certain surfaces, is generally well-muted.

As for keeping pace around town and on the open road, the pleasantly buzzy 110kW/240Nm 1.4-litre four cylinder turbo is well served by the six-speed auto gearbox. Unlike some of the non-turbos in its peer group, it is no cause for embarrassment. And it’s virtually as fuel-efficient as Holden suggests too: Our test car recorded 6.7L/100km against the official claim of 6.1L/100km.

Unlike the Opel-based hatch, the sedan is essentially a variant of the US-designed Chevrolet Cruze, with identifying work injected into the front end by Australian stylists in order to link it with the upcoming imported Commodore.

Four adults will be happy here, even five at a pinch, although once again there’s a rider: While front headroom may be more than enough for practically anyone not wearing a tall hat, the sloping roofline makes for a different story up back. It’s okay, but only just.

As for keeping the driver interested and passengers comfortable, here at LT level there are enough toys and embellishments (including self-parking) to while away the hours. However the lack of centre rear air vents is disappointing if not atypical in this segment and it’s a pity Holden decided to go with cheap, straight aircon rather than set-and-forget climate-control.

We also found the radio station selector on the left-hand steering wheel spoke a tad annoying. It was too easily inadvertently bumped, bringing the loss of the selected station. And it’s a bit funny too that the front and rear power windows are single-touch on the way down, but not up.

Finally, all Astras make do with manual front seat adjustments and a pull-up handbrake where some of the competition has adopted at least electronic park-brake technology.

A quick spec check shows it stacks up nicely against a menacing lineup of more-than-competent peers. In fact the LT-spec Astra sedan out-scores most with its standard lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert. And even though the frontal pre-collision warning might not match the Mazda3’s standard autonomous emergency braking technology, it at least addresses an issue not recognised by equivalent Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra models.

As for market performance, the Astra sedan/hatch has a way to go: The latest year-to-date VFACTS national sales figures show Astra is travelling in sixth place in the small car segment, with the top-selling Corolla outpacing it by about four vehicles to one. Let’s see how it shapes up once the sedan’s influence is bedded in.

Put those impressions aside though and the Holden Astra LT sedan gives absolutely nothing away in terms of accommodation or on-road capabilities, and is right up there with its safety tech.

2018 Holden Astra LT sedan pricing and specifications:
Price: $26,340 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/240Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined) 6.7 om test
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Related reading:
>>