Driven: Opel's new budget-buster Astra

By: Jesse Adams

Port Elizabeth - Unless you’re a VW Golf or a Ford Focus, the South African C-sized hatch segment is a hard nut to crack.

But Opel’s all-new Astra is now here to challenge with a combat-ready armament in the form of high-tech kit and value-for-money pricing.

Where previous entry-level Astras were driven by an outdated naturally-aspirated 1.6, the new one gets a 77kW/170Nm 1-litre turbo similar to what’s already available in smaller Corsas and Adams. With a capacity of only 999cc the smallest-engined Astra dodges import duties, and General Motors SA has passed on that savings to buyers with a starting price on par with the most basic Focus Ecoboost and much cheaper than the base 1.2-litre Golf. It’s also R23 500 less than the outgoing Astra 1.6.

Range and features

As expected the bottom 1.0T Essentia is a bit bare in the features department, but it does come with air conditioning, a plain-jane CD frontloader/radio, LED daytime running lights, cruise-control, power windows, stability control and six airbags. An extra R30 300 will get you a higher-spec Enjoy derivative (also with a 1-litre turbo), and means rain-sensing wipers, a 7-inch touchscreen display, parking sensors, trip computer, auto headlights and tyre-pressure monitors are standard fitment.

A new 1.4 turbo engine with 110kW and 230Nm (245 with an optional automatic gearbox) ups spec levels even further with inclusion of an ‘OpelEye’ windscreen- mounted camera which unlocks road-sign recognition, lane-keeping aids, automatic braking at low speeds and following-distance warning systems – all features which until now have been absent in competitor models. Astra 1.4T Sport versions get the same power outputs but add keyless entry/start, rear-view cameras, automatic parking, lumbar seats and leather upholstery (automatic only).

For now, until an inevitable OPC arrives, a 1.6T with 147kW and 280Nm is the most powerful Astra available for which Opel claims 0-100km/h in seven seconds and a top speed of 235km/h. Here, spec is almost identical to 1.4T models, but the top ‘Plus’ variant gets an excellent LED Matrix headlight system – also never seen before in this segment – which uses 16 individual light beams to automatically illuminate the road ahead in the best possible way. A dedicated control unit can adapt the beams for urban, country, cornering and parking situations, and can also “bend” light around oncoming traffic.

The new Astra arrives in South Africa fresh from winning the coveted European Car of the Year Award, and after driving all three engine derivatives at its local launch in the Eastern Cape last week I can confirm it’s a worthy titleholder.

A leap in perceived quality

Opel’s made a leap in terms of quality, design and overall presentation with this 11th version (including previous Kadetts) from the last, and it’s certainly up to the task of challenging those main C-segment players.

With its Wir leben Autos (We live cars) tagline, Opel forcibly iterates its German heritage, and while it might not be quite at Audi build quality levels, it’s very well made indeed. The cabin feels and sounds solidly screwed together with not a single squeak or rattle detected over several hundred kilometres of varied road surfaces. It’s also a little more flavourful than its Teutonic Golf rival inside, with a much more stylised dashboard aesthetic.

The five-door hatch’s exterior dimensions are smaller than the previous model’s, but a clever interior layout means both head- and legroom are increased. I rode as a rear-seat passenger for a short spell, and even with a quite tall co-driver seated ahead of me there was plenty of space for my knees. Strangely, Opel won’t quote boot space but it too looks big enough for average grocery hauling duties even with a spare wheel tucked under the floor.

Basic suspension, but decent ride

Wheel sizes range from 16 to 18 inches, and all offered decent ride qualities. It’s interesting that only 1.6T versions come with a fancy Watt’s linkage rear suspension (known for its surface-smoothing attributes), but the basic (cheaper) torsion-bar setup in lesser derivatives still handled bumpy surfaces very well. It’s a fun car to hustle when roads get bendy, but a light steering ratio and softish springs are geared more toward ease of use than spirited driving.

There’s no word yet on when a sedan version of the latest Astra hatch will go on sale, so for now the previous booted version carries on in dealerships as before.

Same goes for the current 206kW/400Nm OPC hatch.

All Astra models come with five-year/120 000km warranties and five-year/90 000km service plans.

PRICES

Astra 1.0T Essentia (77kW/170Nm) - R254 000

Astra 1.0T Enjoy (77kW/170Nm) - R284 300

Astra 1.4T Enjoy (110kW/230Nm) - R328 000

Astra 1.4T Enjoy AT (110kW/245Nm) - R338 000

Astra 1.4T Sport (110kW/230Nm) - R354 000

Astra 1.4T Sport AT (110kW/245Nm) - R374 000

Astra 1.6T Sport (147kW/280Nm) - R387 000

Astra 1.6T Sport Plus (147kW/280Nm) - R407 000

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