Opel Astra 2011 Review - International

Opel Astra

Australians have a special place in their hearts for the Astra. Three generations of the Opel-sourced model were sold here wearing Holden badges between 1996 and 2009.

Its contemporary European design and superb driving dynamics appealed to men and women alike. Rarely is a small car so "gender neutral" and yet so popular.

Sales of the previous generation Astra peaked in 2005 – the tally topped 33,000, a figure that would rank it among the top five sellers today – just as Holden decided it was going to ditch it. But Holden hung on to the Astra – and sold it alongside the cheaper Korean small-car offering – for another four years because Australian buyers didn't want to let it go.

It was eventually wrestled from our hands in 2009 when the Astra had to make way for the politically-sensitive and partly taxpayer-funded Holden Cruze small car that was to eventually be made alongside the Commodore in Adelaide.

Although the Cruze has been a roaring success for Holden, there are still many Astra buyers who've defected to other brands as a result of its disappearance. Volkswagen and Mazda have been two of the winners.

Now the Astra is coming back. The new generation model, released in Europe in late 2009, will be in Australian showrooms wearing Opel badges by this time next year in five-door hatch and wagon form. A three-door will likely follow (and may even surprise us by arriving at the same time).

As before, although the brand is German, the Astra will be sourced from a mix of factories including (potentially) Poland, Belgium and…. even, Germany…

The car will likely be the biggest selling model for Opel in Australia, but it also lands the brand in the middle of a dilemma. Most customers know the Astra nameplate, but now it's associated with another, unknown brand, Opel. Furthermore, Opel is going to try to charge a modest premium for the car – not sell it at market rates as Holden did.

As with other Opels we've sampled, we can't get too caught up on price. But you can appreciate why we take it into consideration. An Opel Astra at $19,990 (highly unlikely) would be a much better proposition than one at $25,990 (more likely).

In Europe there are six petrol engines (from 1.4 atmo to 1.6 turbo) and four turbodiesels (from 1.3 to 2.0-litre). And within that choice, there are two levels of 1.4 non-turbo and two levels of a 1.4 turbo petrol engines.

What's likely for Australia is a 1.4 turbo petrol, a 1.6 turbo petrol and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel. All will be offered with six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmissions.

We got to drive these combinations in a range of hatches and wagons on a mix of German autobahns, back roads and city streets over two days straight after September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

First impressions are reasonably positive. The design and presentation of the interior seems more appealing than a Volkswagen Golf, although not everyone agreed with this view.

The perception of quality (ie: to look at it) is high but some of the interior materials are hard to the touch and not quite up to par. We expect this will get better over time as Opel aims to move slightly upmarket among the European volume brands.

Both the 1.4 turbo and 1.6 turbo petrol engines were impressive, with a good spread of power. Confession time, however, despite their power and torque differences on paper (103kW/200Nm versus 132kW/230Nm), on the road it was hard to pick the difference.

I expect the main reason behind offering two powertrains is to give customers a step up through the range as the price increases.

The 2.0-litre turbodiesel (118kW/350Nm) was a touch noisy and not as smooth as the petrol engines, but it was reasonably responsive from low revs.

The driving experience itself is enjoyable, although the Astra has a slightly more cushioned and relaxed feel than the class benchmarks. The Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 are more responsive, for example, and just as comfortable.

Perhaps the biggest letdown was the steering, which was dull and lifeless until you pressed a button.

All Astras we sampled had a 'Sport' switch that changed the throttle response and the behaviour of the electric power steering. It should be known as the magic button, as it somehow made the Astra change from dozy to feeling 'awake' and connected to the road.

It's a noticeable difference but why make the customer press a button to get the best from the car? You don't need to press a button to get enjoyment out of a Golf or Mazda3. Well, other than to unlock the doors and turn the key to start them…

Despite such concerns (that seemingly only motoring journalists get worried about), if priced right the Astra will likely be a sales star in the Opel line-up locally.

Just don't expect it to win group tests in its current guise.

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