Opel Astra Sedan 1.8 Review

Now, Opel insists that their new Astra sedan's life cycle will indeed succeed here in Singapore, just like it has in the European market, but there is a slight hitch.

The Astra's oversized central hood line is this car's main element - it penetrates the windshield, dash and centre console. Flared wheel arches and a trick two-piece rear glass work by sporting good symmetry while a rather peculiar looking rear completes the picture with a slit rear window. Yes, it looks out of place especially when compared to the rest of the car, but the good thing is that it doesn't look cheap.

The internal affair

The steering wheel, although not the looker of the bunch, is reassuringly thick and just the right size. It's perfectly shaped for that recommended "ten and two" grip, and there are computer and audio controls like every other car on the market. The gauges are a representation of clarity and legibility, while the quality (compared to Opels of past) signal stalks snap and click reassuringly.

For once, an Opel actually feels the part of "entry-level premium" or at least with its safety and equipment list.

The Astra is no slouch in accommodation either. I am 170cm in height, and therefore it wasn't a surprise that I found both fore and aft segments of this Astra rather livable in terms of leg and headroom. 490-litres in boot space and a well used wheelbase of 2703mm are respectable digits - almost like those in the Volkswagen Jetta, but that's where it ends, really.

Although them big sized Germans might find this car's supportive seats to be sufficient, I found them to be too firm and a little uncomfortable. Perhaps a little "arse-grooving session" might solve the problem, but my rather ample posterior still screamed for a little bit more padding.

The climate control buttons needed a little colouring while the distracting controls to the sound-system would do better somewhere else. Well, we're just nitpicking, which is after all, what we do when dealing with "premium" cars that need more effort where parting with the money is concerned.

Technical specifics and ride impressions

This ECOTEC engine, needless to say, has everything the modern, efficient class-fighter possess, like "Double Continuous Variable Cam Phasing" - Opel's language for variable-valve/cam technology. 1,796 cubic centimetres, 140 horses at 6,300rpm and 175nm at 3,800rpm - those are the numbers that you will get if you sign on the dotted line.
Ninety-percent of 175nm arrives from 2,200, and there's even a discernible cam-change at around 4,500 rpm.

So much for that. It turns out that GM still produces sedans with 4-speed automatic transmissions and spectacularly inconsistent steering racks. Turn it slightly, and you might expect good, predictable amounts of turn in. A little bit more, and chances are you'll find yourself in a pickle.

Despite that, I was relatively impressed with the cornering abilities of the sedan. It was flung through the rather unnerving expressway-connecting ramp of KJE-BKE(PIE) at a relatively comfortable 80km/h - a speed at which many other family sedans would freak out and die.

This car, however, remained dead-stable from entry to exit, shrieking its tyres slightly while remaining very neutral throughout the turn. Do remember that this is a front-heavy, front wheel-driven non-sports car. To put things in perspective, a Honda Fit shod with similar tyres accomplished said task at approximately 10km/h slower.

It does 0-100km/h in a respectable 12.45 seconds (according to our G-TECH - see attached pictures) with a three-quarter tank full of petrol, air-conditioning turned on and with no special launch procedures. The brakes, although somewhat inconsistent as well, bite pretty hard when provoked. The anti-lock brakes felt a little primitive, but they worked well, and that's what counts when you need them most.

Insulation from the road, wind noise, and general NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels were comparable to that of Volkswagen's splendid Jetta TSI, and while we felt that the engine could do with a little more oomph upwards of 4500rpm despite the second intake cam, it have enough torque to stop the general complaining. What didn't though, was a rigid torsion beam rear axle. Despite surpassing many, many similarly specified cars in terms of ride quality, it still fell short of its multi-linked competitors.

Would you buy it?

I'll be blunt - the Opel Astra isn't up to speed with the rest of the European players targeting their cars at the said entry-level premium market. While it is stuck in between, it definitely has more style, character and driving "pizzaz" than most Asian cars. Without a doubt, it is much better than anything else from GM that has set foot on our shores. As an everyday, workhorse people car, the Opel Astra 1.8 sedan is on for the competition. As an $86,888, highly equipped subject of globalization, a little re-thinking might need to be done.