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By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 January 2005
Holden's new Astra has arrived in Australia, only a
matter of months after its European introduction. Astra is a very
important model in the Holden lineup, being the best-selling of all its
imports. Indeed, only the Aussie-built Commodore outsells it. And on a
per capita basis, Australia is one of the world’s largest markets for
the Astra.
As is often the way with any new
car, the new Astra is slightly larger and heavier than the model
it replaces. This makes it not only roomier, but gives it an
additional feeling of refinement. This is increasingly important
in these days of high and/or uncertain fuel prices, as many people
are coming back a size in their car. Give them the chance of a
smaller model that’s as refined as their larger car that’s now
a few years and they will be seriously tempted by it.
Styling is excellent as well, and
is likely to be a major selling feature of the car. The nose
treatment is very neat, with plenty of grille area and detailed
touches that give it a really upmarket European flavour. The roof
slopes sharply to the rear to improve high-speed aerodynamics, yet
this doesn’t adversely affect rear seat headroom. Front seat
space is fine thanks to the space-saving front-wheel drive. Moving
the front seats forward a few notches on their runners still
leaves a decent amount of legroom and means the Astra can be used
as a full four-seater for adults.
The extra weight compared to the
previous Astra shows in straight-line performance. We tested
automatic versions at our initial drive at the time of the Astra's
launch a couple of months back, and found them slightly sluggish
by our standards. Less demanding drivers may be happy with the way
the cars go. Getting a few thousand kilometres on the engines
would also help.
Over the last two weeks we have had
a manual Astra and find it a much better proposition from the
point of view of overtaking and hillclimbing.
Fuel consumption from the 1.8-litre
engine in our Astra CDXi was generally around eight to ten litres
per hundred kilometres in country driving, rising to an acceptable
10 to 12 litres per hundred kilometres when working reasonably
hard in city/suburban use.
Handling is everything you would
expect from a small European car. Keen Australian drivers will
just love the way the new Holden Astra holds to the road with a
minimum of fuss. It answers commands to the steering wheel and the
throttle very promptly. This is one of these cars that gives the
sort of driving experience that will see you taking it for a run
in the country just for the fun of it.
At this stage only a five-door
hatchback is offered in the new Holden Astra, with Holden not
revealing when the three-door hatch and four-door sedan will be
launched. A new cabriolet is also known to be somewhere down the
track.
This new Holden Astra is one of
those cars that will sell well on looks alone. Yet, you get a lot
more than stunning styling, your money also buys you a spacious
small-medium car that’s refined, smooth and comfortable to
travel in. Definitely worth adding to your list of possible buys,
even if you had previously been considering a larger car.
Interestingly, there is one more
model to be considered - Holden is holding onto the base version
of the otherwise-superseded Astra and selling it at a lower price
to try to keep competitive in the hard fought sub-$20,000 segment
of the Australian car market.
MODEL RANGE
Astra Classic 1.8-litre four-door sedan - $19,990
Astra Classic 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $19,990
Astra CD 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $21,990
Astra CDX 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $25,490
Astra CDXi 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $29,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Not offered on Classic, standard on all other
models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Not offered on Classic or CD, standard on all
other models
Power Windows: Not offered on Classic, standard on all other
models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on CDX and CDXI, not offered on other
models
SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Astra CD
1.8-litre five-door hatch)
ENGINE
Capacity: 1.796 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 80.5 x 88.2mm
Maximum Power: 90kW @ 5600rpm
Maximum Torque: 165Nm @ 3800rpm
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length: 4249mm
Wheelbase: 2614mm
Width: 1753mm
Height: 1460mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1249kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 52 litres
Towing Ability: 630kg (1300kg with braked trailer)
DRIVELINE
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.94:1
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Compound torsion beam, twin trailing arms, coil
springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.9 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 17.5 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION
City Cycle: 8.9 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 6.7 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY
Three years/100,000km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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