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By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 October 2005
Aussies love their station wagons and have done so
for decades. For many this has turned in into a love of big 4WD wagons,
so much so that sales of traditional car-based wagons have slipped in
recent years.
Though the Europeans have built wagons for
years, many have been styled for looks not for practicality so
haven’t enjoyed a lot of success with Australians. A major
exception has been Volvo wagons, but these are out of financial
reach of the average Australian family.
But, there's now a sensible, moderately-priced
wagon from Europe, and as a real bonus it comes with the backing
of Holden. We have just spent a week living with a Holden Astra
wagon and have come away most impressed with the way it has coped
with just everything we’ve thrown at it. You know the sort of
thing: a trip to the tip with the rubbish we’ve removed from the
garden in preparation for the growing season; a large shopping
expedition to a discount warehouse with, seemingly, enough
groceries to keep us going for months.
The squared-off rear-end of the Astra gives it a
much better load area than Euro wagons of old. Not only does the
shape make the wagon voluminous, it also makes loading and
unloading a cinch. Yet the square look has been achieved without
any loss in the stylish appearance.
The wagon’s wheelbase is 89mm longer than that
of the hatches’ and it is 265mm longer overall. Cargo volume
ranges from 454 litres, with the rear seats in place and 1549
litres with the rear seats folded flat. The folding operation is a
neat one that only takes seconds to achieve.
The only thing the Astra wagon didn’t handle
too well was two adults in the back seat. There's not a lot of
room back there and it’s necessary to slide the front bucket
seats a fair way forward to give halfway decent leg- and foot-room
behind them. It could be that Opel, which designs the wagons on
behalf of Holden and others, has opted to push the
passenger/luggage compromise too far in the load-carrying
direction. The sedan is better than the wagon in this respect so
make sure you try the correct vehicle when paying that initial
visit to the car showroom.
From the windscreen forward the Astra wagon
carries the same pretty styling theme of the sedan that was
introduced this time last year. We said at the time that these
cars will sell well on looks alone, and nothing has changed our
minds in the meantime.
It’s powered by a 1.8-litre Ecotec engine
developing 90 kilowatts on standard unleaded petrol, or 92kW when
running on premium unleaded. This is a sweet four-cylinder unit
with plenty of willingness to rev. It drives Astra's front wheels
through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic
transmission.
The latest Astra’s slightly larger and heavier
than the old one, on which they are based under the skin, and this
shows in performance which is hampered by the extra load the
engine is being asked to move. We’ve only tested an automatic
wagon at this stage, and find ourselves less than impressed with
the way they go. Perhaps the manual would be better, but most
buyers are opting for the simplicity of driving an auto these
days.
Fuel consumption was pretty good considering ‘our’
Astra wagon was driven moderately hard to get decent performance.
Around town it typically used between ten and eleven litres per
hundred kilometres, with that number dropping to a respectable
seven to eight litres per hundred on easy-paced motorway driving.
On the road this new Holden station wagon has
the solid feel that has long been a characteristic of the European
Astra. Ride and handling are as sweet and precise as you would
expect from a small European car.
Astra is a very important model in the Holden
lineup as only Commodore outsells it. This new wagon will do sales
nothing but good and is well worth considering in these days of
high fuel prices. Just make sure that the performance and
rear-seat space are to your liking.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
CD 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $21,990
CDX 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $24,490
CDXi 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $28,990
CD Coupe 1.8-litre three-door hatch - $23,490
CDX Coupe 1.8-litre three-door hatch - $25,990
CD 1.8-litre five-door wagon - $23,490
CDX 1.8-litre five-door wagon - $25,990
FEATURES:
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: $2000
Driver Airbag: Standard
Passenger Airbag: Standard
Anti-lock Brakes: Standard
CD Player: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS ( Holden Astra Wagon 1.8-litre
Automatic)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 1.8 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
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.12:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4515mm
Wheelbase: 2703mm
Width: 2033mm
Height: 1500mm
Turning Circle: 10.85 metres
Kerb Mass: 1332kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 52 litres
Towing Ability: 630kg (1250kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts. Decoupled strut
mounts, gas pressure dampers, coil springs, stabiliser bar.
Rear Suspension: Compound torsion beam and twin arms. Progressive
rate miniblock double conical coil springs, gas pressure dampers.
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Solid disc
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Combined: 8.3 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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