Astra

Special feature: Saving the best for last

If I am a betting man, I would bet every cents on all the best vehicles made from General are usually from the divisions which will be dropping soon. We have witnessed the excellent Intrigue, Aurora and Alero before GM dropped Oldsmoble a couple of years ago. When GM announced they are closing both Saturn and Pontiac divisions, its time for us to pay the last respect for the best cars ever come out.

Vehicle: 2009 Saturn Astra XR 5-doors
Price as tested: CDN$25900

The Saturn Astra, which has been our favourite in our annual car of the year. It also has beaten both Toyota Corolla and Matrix, in our small car above $20k segment. Its basically an European Opel Astra rebadged as a Saturn without any changes. Its fun-to-drive, practical, stylish and got electronic stability control standard across the board. That’s something unheard of in its segment. Most of all, its attractively priced and has to be the best small car has ever produced by GM.

Vehicle: Saturn Aura XR-6 with Sun and Sound Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$35150

Another Saturn, which is Aura, is loosely based on Opel’s mid-size Vectra, in Europe. Except for the rather cheesy interior materials, the Aura is a blast-to-drive right from the base 4-cylinder to the Greenline hybrid version. It handles as good as any fine European sports sedan with refinement and sportiness that have never associate with any GM mid-size sedans of the past. Unfortunately, when Chevrolet introduced the awesome Malibu a year later, it makes the Aura all but redundant because both are riding on the same platform. With Chevrolet receives more marketing budget and interior packaging than the Saturn, it makes the Aura one of the most underrated sedan on the market. What a pity. The Aura was so good, it has beaten out Camry and Altima as our 2006 family car of the year.

Vehicle: Pontiac G8 GT
Price as tested: CDN$42335

Over the years, Pontiac has been known for ugly body claddings with interior materials that made from cardboard. Since the introduction of the Solstice roadster, Pontiac has started to transform itself into more of a performance division that it used to be. But it wasn’t until the Holden Commodore derived G8 arrived last year.

With its 50/50 perfect weight distribution on RWD chassis, G8 handles as good as any European sports sedan costing twice as much. While the base 256 hp V6 has done its job relatively well, its the flagship 6.0 liter V8 on the GT that truly make the G8 flies. With 361hp and 385 lb/ft of torque, a wonderful steering feel and a well-planted chassis, G8 could well be the best performance bargain. It also looks understated elegance with a touch of sportiness. Unfortunately, GM decided to launch G8 at a time when gas prices were at an all-time high. Even with the demise of the Pontiac division, General has promised to save the G8 for the Chevrolet division. As Commodore has been selling in Middle East as a Chevrolet Lumina for years.

2008 Saturn Astra

Vehicle: 2008 Saturn Astra XR with Sport Handling Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$25360

Performance: About a year ago, we previewed the Astra with Opel badge in “test drive overseas” and came away impressively. In less than a year, we came away equally impressed with the Astra wearing the Saturn badge. As we have said before, Astra has never been considered as the most powerful car in its class. Regardless of which trim level you opt for, Astra is powered by only 1 engine in North America. That’s the smoothest and most refined Ecotec engine application we have ever driven on Stateside. This 1.8 liter DOHC 16-valve always feel torquery, even if it has only 125 lb/ft of torque, which certainly not class-leading when it comes to raw numbers. However, it feels peppy and responsive whenever the driver has the urge to push this fun compact hatchback. When it revs up the high rpm, the roughness we associate with Ecotec of old isn’t an issue with Astra. Its quite willing and smooth when revving, although it isn’t a rev-happy powertrain by any standard. 138 hp certainly gives it a help over the rev range. Thanks to the smooth shifting 5-speed manual gearbox and progressive clutch, the Ecotec is easily keep in a boil along all the engine sweetspot.

Handling: When it comes to driving dynamics, Astra is equally impressive. The electric steering provides excellent driver feedback and precision, without losing the eager response we expect from a German-engineered hatchback. Combined with the excellent suspension geometry, a rock-solid chassis and an uninstrusive stability control; Astra should be considered as the best handling econocar wearing the domestic badge. Its also run rings around class-leaders like Mazda3 Sport, Civic and Lancer. Even if our XR tester comes with stiffer sports suspension from Sport Handling Pkg, it rides amazingly as it combines European suppleness without feeling bouncy even if it wears the larger 17″ wheels. Its surprisingly comfortable without the stereotypical rough-riding quality one expects from a fun hatchback. There is a slight understeer and body rolls are very controlled. A very sweet dynamic package, indeed!

Brakes: Another strong point should be given to Astra’s braking prowess. GM brakes used to feel mushy and fade after hard stops. Astra is the exact opposite. Everything else feel tight and firm, with the ABS system only acts accordingly.

Interior: The use of materials and fit-and-finish are top-notch. Everything else are nicely put together. Everything else from dashboard to switchgears feel tactile and high-quality. The leather seats are firm with plenty of back and thigh support. The center infocenter is useful and logical. With the right color on the background, we don’t feel any washout during sunlight. All the instrumentation gauges, power window switches are clear and analog. Consider Opel is a sensible car maker who always put form-follows-function, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it transforms successfully into a Saturn.

With 60/40 split fold-down rear seats and a low liftover, Astra is a ease when it comes to versatility. Its well-carpeted with proper cargo nets for small items.

Conclusion: Saturn’s transformation from an unremarkable car company into an astounishing one is about to complete with the introduction of the excellent Astra. All they need is to put consumers into the driver’s seat of each of their new vehicle, have them put through the paces and look past the Saturn of yore. If they are able to do that, Saturn should be able to sell each of the Astra they could get from Europe.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Saturn Astra
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

2007 Opel Astra

Vehicle: 2007 Opel Astra 1.8 Panorama
Price as tested: HK$213000

Performance: There are many variants in the Astra range, ranging from high-performance OPC to small 1.6L version. The 1.8L is the mainstay of the family, as it bridges from the smaller 1.6L and the higher performing 2.0L turbocharged version. Interestingly, 1.8L is the 1st engine that GM will bring over as a Saturn. GM’s Ecotec engine series is never known for outright performance nor ultra refinement, however, this little mill comes as a surprise given how rough General’s econocars used to be. With 125 hp and 118 lb/ft of torque, it will not be class-leading performer neither. However, maximum torque arrives at 3800rpm certainly helps a lot. Not to mention Opel’s 4-speed manumatic helps this little unit. It got excellent final drive ratio for proper highway cruising, as well as gear ratio for 1st and 2nd low enough for peppy acceleration. As for refinement, its surprisingly quiet and NVH is very well controlled. With the press of the “sport” button, it quickly transforms this vehicle from a rather staid econocar into a hot hatch. The manumatic will up and downshift in higher rpm for sportier response.

Handling: Opel engineers really have done a marvelous job with Astra’s chassis. It all begins with a stiff and solid chassis, which feels very Teutonic. It doesn’t have the loose chassis flex that is usually associated with GM econoboxes of old. The right setting of suspension geometry, rebound damping and well-weighted steering have given this Astra something that General have never done before. That’s excellent handling dynamics that put smiles on driver’s face. Its sharp steering that provides great feedback and precision, as well as suspension hangs onto itself through every corners would give the class benchmarks a-run-for-their-money. Those are, of course, VW Rabbit and Mazda3 Sport. Its ride quality is equally impressive as it absorbs roughness and washboard pavement that never felt before in GM entry-level cars. Just like the transmission, its suspension would transformed itself into sharper and tighter by the press of a “sport” button on the dashboard. Best of all, its dynamic stability control won’t step in until necessary. In a nutshell, this is by far the best General econocar I have driven in such a long time.

Brakes: Mushy pedal feel and long stopping distance have always been the “trademark” of GM. Not so with this Astra. This puppy really has done exceptionally well in hard braking tests. The pedal feel is excellent while stopping distance is short.

Interior: Our tester is equipped with the optional Panorama sunroof that we aren’t sure whether it will make it across the Atlantic. It creates such an airy feel. It feels like a breath of fresh air in a sea of crappy GM econobox in this excellent Astra. Its interior materials are world-class either. There are plenty of soft-touch plastic abound. The leather on the seats are covered in soft and supple hides. Instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. Opel desingers have done a great job by using knobs for climate control and stereo, which can be used without consulting an owner’s manual. On the other hand, the center console’s information center gives out trip computer and radio infos. However, it tends to wash out during sunlight.

There are enough leg and headrooms on the back seat.

In terms of cargo space, its low cut-over and 40/60 split fold down rear seats provides plenty of storage space for 4 persons on the go.

Conclusion: Times have changed, so does Saturn. Just 4 years ago, Saturn had a rubbish econocar, an unremarkable family sedan and so-so soft-roader. Nowaday, they have a spectacular Aura, an intriguing Sky roadster and this German-made Astra. Just like the Aura, which is the best family sedan GM has ever made. This Astra has to be the best economy car GM has ever made either.

Just how good will Saturn Astra fare on Canadian roads, stay tuned for our full-blown review after we drive it in the next few months.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 OPEL ASTRA
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5