New Holden Astra to miss some tech

Some of the key technologies Opel is using to promote the new Astra five-door hatchback revealed at Frankfurt last week won’t be coming to Australia for years after the car goes on sale as a Holden around 12 months from now.

The OnStar service, which provides various support services including a 24-hour manned call centre, is definitely off the agenda initially, as is the car’s ability to serve as a 4G wifi hotspot because that is linked to OnStar. Other headline acts like ‘Intellilux’ matrix headlights are yet to be confirmed.

One service that is definitely on the way with Astra is Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, which will enable many smartphone users easier and safer access to services such as Spotify.

With the car so far from going on sale Holden’s reticence to talk feature specifics boils down to a combination of unwillingness to divulge information that could advantage small car competitors as well as simply not having the full specification lists sorted out.

Pricing, of course, is also many months from announcement, although the manufacturer recommended price of cars such as the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf is a fair guide to the Astra’s positioning.

And as we reported last Friday, there’s also some sensitivities about how Astra rolls out and in what ways it meshes with and eventually replaces the Cruze, which is headed out of production within the next couple of years.

“OnStar is something we are certainly working and plan to bring to market, but it’s not going to happen in the short-term,” explained Holden director of communications Sean Poppitt.

“So we are talking two, three, four year timeframe.

“Matrix headlights we will talk about closer to the launch.”

So far Holden has confirmed the 11th-generation Opel small car – and the fifth Astra generation to be sold in Australia – will come with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engines.

The 110kW/245Nm 1.4 makes its world debut in this car while the 147kW/300Nm 1.6 has been around for a couple of years and is sold in Australia in the current Astra GTC three-door. They will be paired with six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions.

There will also be more than one specification level with each drivetrain option, Poppitt confirmed.

“The range will be reasonably streamlined so there won’t be spec upon spec upon spec upon spec,” he said. “But certainly there will be multiple spec levels and there will obviously be different content across those models.”

Physically, the new Astra shrinks in size by 49mm in length (to 4370mm), 25mm in height (to 1485mm), 5mm in width (to 1809mm) and 23mm in wheelbase (to 2662mm). Yet it releases more rear legroom and front headroom inside, while boot space remains unchanged at 370 litres.

The Astra is based on GM’s latest D2XX front-wheel drive architecture, as is the recently revealed second-generation Chevrolet Cruze.

The new platform, the body in white and bits that hang from it have all been subject to an intensive weight reduction so that Astra models sold in Europe are up to 200kg lighter than their predecessors. In Australia the saving will be up to 130kg. The Astra is also more aerodynamic, with a Cd claim as low as 0.285.

Combined with features like idle-stop that contributes to a big improvement in fuel consumption claims, which are as low as 5.6L/100km.

Opel, which is the homeroom for D2XX is also claiming massive improvements in torsional rigidity for the car. Front suspension is by MacPherson strut, the rear via torsion beam with Watts Link. Power steering is electrically assisted.

Astra hatch and wagon (sports tourer) chief engineer Marc Schmidt confirmed Australian engineers had early access to the program to ensure local requirements were accounted for, while there will also be some local suspension, steering and drivetrain tuning prior to launch.

“Holden has been in the development and definition from the very beginning,” Schmidt told motoring.com.au. “We are collecting the global inputs, Holden has delivered the inputs, we have a very transparent discussion of what it is and then we determine what we can do about it. It’s not that we just try and sell a vehicle.

“The responsible region really determines ‘yes this is what I need, this is what I get, this is a good fit, this is what I want to do’. It is not like us selling to them saying ‘hello I got something are you interested in joining?’ It is the other way round and we then try to cope with requirements and get to the best solution for them.”

Watch out for our first drive of the new Astra five-door coming soon.