The new generation Astra nearly didn’t make it to South Africa. The Opel brand was one of the pawns in GM’s recent bankruptcy-and-rebirth saga, and at one point was on the verge of being sold off before GM decided to hang onto it at the 11th hour.
Amidst all the carnage, General Motors South Africa chopped much of its Opel line up and the last-generation Astra was one of the cars to meet the guillotine. It seemed a sad end for a badge that had reached iconic status in this country, not least because of the Group N motorsport successes of the legendary Opel Kadett Superbosses in the eighties. (The Kadett later became the Astra).
With the blood and guts now cleaned up and the GM empire back on its feet again after being bailed out by American taxpayer money, local Astra fans had their prayers answered when the latest generation Astra five-door hatchback went on sale here in September this year.
With three engine derivatives on offer (a 1.4 petrol turbo, 1.6 petrol turbo and a 1.9-litre turbodiesel), Opel has something with which to compete against longtime-rival Golf again.
The first to come our way for a road test is the Astra 1.6 Turbo Sport selling for R280 300 and it’s a great effort, deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as the all-singing-and-dancing Golf which has until now convincingly ruled its class.
Opel’s been making ever-more-decent interiors in recent years and the new Astra’s takes the game a notch higher. The fit and finish is of an impressively high standard, and the Astra Sport’s white-stitched leather bucket seats are a particular visual highlight, apart from being snugly supportive.
Rear legroom is adequate if not especially spacious, but the car is well specced and apart from all the expected luxuries it comes with heated front seats and cruise control. It also has six airbags and a multifunction steering wheel with height and reach adjustment.
It’s a handsome looker with a coupé-like roofline that gives it more visual flair than the more conservative Golf. The 18-inch mags fill the wheelarches nicely (they’re fitted with wide 235/45 tyres) and the daytime running lights and Astra Sport’s lowered chassis gives it a fighting stance.
Making 132kW and 230Nm, the 1.6 turbo engine is fairly spirited if not quite in the Golf GTi league (which is why it’s around 40 grand cheaper than the Golf) and I’m glad Opel resisted badging this car as a GSi or an OPC. Astra Sport makes a fitting moniker.
The nine-second 0-100km/h sprint we achieved at altitude isn’t quick enough to make this a true hot hatch, although the car feels faster than the figure suggests. The engine revs freely, apart from a touch of initial turbo lag, and pulls with a pleasant vigour that never feels underendowed – unless, that is, you happen to line up next to a Golf GTi or Focus ST at the traffic lights.
Not so great is the Astra Sport’s fuel consumption of 11.8 litres per 100km – that’s more than a tad high.
However, the six forward gears shift with pleasant precision and it’s an effortless car to drive, without any annoying idiosynchrasies. It’s a smooth engine for a four cylinder too and doesn’t get unpleasantly raucous at higher rpm.
But what impressed me most about this Astra was its ride quality on harsh roads. When driving to our Gerotek testing venue near Pretoria our route takes us through the Hennops valley, a punishing stretch of twisty and very bumpy tar which has been seriously neglected by those we pay our taxes to.
Many a test car’s ride and handling composure has been undone on this rutted road surface, particularly sports models whose stiff suspension makes them hop about, with the steering bucking in your hands.
Not this Astra. It absorbed those harsh bumps in a calm and self-assured manner – much like a swan gliding across a lake, the legs furiously working beneath the surface but above the water all being quiet and graceful.
Yet the suspension was still firm enough to prevent any wallowy feel in tight bends, while traction control and ABS brakes are there to save over-enthusiastic drivers from themselves.
A really sweet balance between ride and handling prowess, and I doff my cap to Opel’s chassis and suspension department - great job, folks.
Welcome back Astra, it’s been worth the wait. Existing Opel fans (and potentially some new ones) will find a happy home here as the Astra’s an all-round class act, especially the way it deals with African roads.
Not surprisingly an Astra (the cheaper 1.4 T) has made it into the finals of next year’s SA Car of the Year comptition.
Not a bad warranty either, at 5 years/120 000km with a 5-year/90 000km service plan.