Holden Astra LTZ Sedan 2017 Review

Less is sometimes more
The saying goes that you get what you pay for, and that adage certainly rings true in the small passenger car segment.

If European-built products including Volkswagen's Golf and Peugeot's 308 have taught us anything in recent years, it's that a healthy premium over lesser-priced equivalent tends to get you a lot more car. Especially in terms of driving dynamics.

In saying that, price has arguably been the sticking point for Holden's highly-acclaimed, European-built Astra hatch and it's selling potential in Australia. In January of this year, Holden recognised this by slashing the price (and some of the included equipment) in order to garner more sales.

Now, Holden has broadened its sales strategy - enter the Astra sedan. With a lower starting price of $21,990 drive away (versus $22,490 plus on-road costs for the hatch), the five-door sedan offering plugs an obvious gap in Holden's model line-up, essentially replacing the hot-and-cold Cruze and enabling a new Mazda3 sedan/Hyundai Elantra/Toyota Corolla sedan competitor.

Thing is, the Astra sedan isn't simply a booted clone of the hatch. It's built in South Korea instead of Europe and misses out on autonomous emergency braking technology, one of the key selling points of the hatch.

It also purports to offer a more comfort based-drive, reflecting a longer wheelbase and a modified rear axle that misses out on the hatch's agility-minded Watt's linkage.

What do you get?
The Astra sedan is available in four trim levels: LS, LS+, LT and LTZ. Each offers differing levels of equipment as outlined in our comprehensive pricing story, but all are powered by the same 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine. The LS model has the option of a manual transmission (automatic is $2000 extra), while all other models are tied solely to a six-speed automatic.

Standard equipment across the range comprises a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a seven-inch or eight-inch touchscreen, automatic headlights, climate control and cruise control. A five-star ANCAP safety rating is offered courtesy of six airbags, ABS and stability control.

The strong value equation is bolstered by Lifetime Capped Price servicing that equates to $916 during the first 60,000km or three years of ownership. Servicing intervals are set at 9 months/15,000km – slightly more frequent than the industry norm.

The Astra sedan is backed by a three-year, 100,000km factory warranty.

Australian tuning content
One constant between hatch and sedan is extensive Australian tuning.

Motoring.com.au experienced the Australian program led by ace engineer Rob Trubiani late last year. We sampled Astra sedan development vehicles at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria.

Refining the tune of the electrically-assisted power steering was a priority for Australian engineers, so they set about enabling a more responsive and balanced feel. Similar attention was given to the Astra's dampers and chassis controls to ensure it felt inspiring and controlled through the corners, without sacrificing long journey amenity.

First impressions last
Acutely aware of the sedan's Korean origins, it is only natural that careful attention is paid to the car's fit and finish.

The truth is that the sedan still feels like a quality and well resolved proposition – though it doesn't set the same lasting impression as the Euro hatch. The basic cabin materials are premised more around durability than comfort; the contact points mostly comprise hard-wearing plastic and the seats on our flagship LTZ are firm and lack support.

The driver instrument cluster helps raise the bar, offering analogue and clever digital readouts in a clear, concise manner. The digital screen works in concert with the large centre colour touchscreen, which is likewise easy to navigate.

A lone USB point for the entire cabin is supported by a 12-volt outlet, both located in the open cubby underneath the dashboard centre fascia.

Rear seat space is generous on the sedan, reflecting its lengthened proportions. There is ample knee room, head room and shoulder room for two adults or three children. Two ISOFIX child seat attachment points are fitted to the outer pews along with three child restraint anchors.

The 445-litre boot is likewise well proportioned, especially considering there's a space saver spare tyre underneath. One criticism carries over from the previous Cruze sedan: the boot arms still impinge on the load area when closed.

On the road
At 4.65 metres long, the Astra sedan measures a mere 36mm longer than its outgoing Cruze sedan predecessor. However, it feels like a much bigger (read: longer) vehicle, both in terms of its agility and its suspension tune over country roads.

The Australian tuning has proved to be a masterstroke. The steering calibration is spot on for this brief, endowing the Astra with a crisp and precise turning action that is immune to mid-corner kick-back. Likewise, the tiller is light at low speeds, helping to offset the car's 11.9-metre turning circle.

The Astra's suspension wafts over B-grade roads like a car in the next segment up, recovering promptly from imperfections and showing excellent control over sharper bumps. Only the harshest undulations tend to reflect through the cabin, though the isolation is impressive given our LTZ test car is riding on 18-inch alloy wheels.

Constant and hoopy tyre roar over coarse chip surfaces proves to be about the only dynamic bugbear during our test across urban and country duties.

When pushed a little harder, the sedan clearly lacks the agility of its Astra hatch sibling. A slower steering action, added body roll and larger proportions (including a 1283kg kerb weight) feel more pronounced through faster corners. Despite this, the sedan remains controlled and composed, even when its Kumho tyres begin to give up the ghost.

The Astra's 110kW 1.4-litre turbo-four is similarly adept across a multitude of duties. It is quiet and civilised in urban scenarios, the six-speed gently seguing through its ratios and spinning the engine at a miserly 1800rpm at 100km/h. Shame there's no paddle shifters.

The four-pot reaches its straps at about 2000rpm during heady applications, when peak torque of 240Nm has materialised. It pulls willingly (and rather noisily) to red line, corresponding with a 8.9 second 0-100km/h time.

Clearly, dynamic nous isn't the intended forte of the Astra sedan. Space, value and practicality are, and in this regard, it nails the brief without re-writing the rules of the small car segment.

The real test for the Astra sedan is its selling potential. But before then, cue the comparison test with the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra.

2017 Holden Astra sedan LTZ pricing and specifications:
Price: $21,990 drive away (LS manual), $23,990 drive away (LS automatic), $24,990 drive away (LS+ automatic), $27,990 drive away (LT automatic), $29,790 plus on-road costs (LTZ automatic)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/245Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual (LS model only)/Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.8-6.1/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 136-141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Related reading:
>> Holden Astra Sedan Prototype Review
>> Holden Astra Hatch Review
>> Holden Astra v Subaru Impreza