Holden’s next step towards total importation is an all-new Astra hatchback which goes on sale in December. European designed, with a lot of input from Australian engineers, Astra is built in a GM factory in Gliwice, Poland. It features new-design engines and the latest in infotainment and safety technology.
Styling of the Astra is neat and tidy, but doesn’t really break any new ground – until you get to the rear three-quarter panels where a clever rise of the waistline meets a swooping-down roof. The black colour further emphasises that area and gives what senior Opel designer, Kurt Beyer, who flew to Australia to introduce the car to the media, called a ‘floating-roof’ appearance.
We tried the back seats for space and the apparently sporting roof doesn’t affect headroom.
Holden Astra is built on an all-new vehicle architecture that features up to 140 kg weight reduction, depending on model. This impressive mass reduction is happening in the latest generation of most European small and medium vehicles. Opel/Holden is right up there with the best of them.
During my test drives of the new Holden Astra I rode for an hour or so with Holden’s director of vehicle performance, Ian Butler. He said that Holden had been involved in many areas from the earliest days of the design. In particular in suspension and steering, where design, and later road and proving ground testing have been carried out in Australia.
Butler explained that Astra has been engineered to provide Australian chassis settings that reflect on our road conditions and driver preferences. In particular on-centre steering feel has been softened a little to make it less sensitive in the straight ahead position. This makes it more suited to our rougher than average roads.
The drives were in Canberra and surrounding country areas of NSW and the steering felt just right. Astra’s steering didn’t react over aggressively to every input from the front wheels as the road bumped us about, but did react neatly as soon as we asked it to, being quick to respond to input and providing excellent feedback. Owners of Commodores will love this.
Just as importantly the suspension proved supple on bumps, dips and broken surfaces in a way that just can’t be matched by even the best of the Asian cars.
Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) were pretty well damped as well. A small car for a big country? Yes, the Holden Astra certainly is that.
New Astra prices start at $21,990 and go up to $33,190. Deliveries will start at a date in December 2016 that’s yet to be finalised. Note that on-road costs have to be added, and that most come with metallic paints that adds $550.
Infotainment is centred around a colour touchscreen that’s neatly integrated into the stylish dashboard. It uses the latest Holden MyLink system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A clever design feature is the thumb rest to steady your hand while reaching the screen with your forefinger.
Two engines are coming to Australia; a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol producing 110 kW of power. Oddly, maximum torque is 245 Nm with a six-speed manual, but 240 Nm with a six-speed automatic transmission. Seems that by GM’s internal standards that auto can’t handle that extra five Nm…
No such problems with the larger engine and its six-speed automatic. The1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine puts out up to 147 kW and 280 Nm (300 Nm for a few seconds with overboost).
New Holden Astra from Opel is sold in three variants:
Astra R 1.4-litre has 17-inch alloys, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, cloth seats, rear view camera with rear park assist, and digital radio.
The Astra RS uses the 1.6-litre engine, has a sportier design of 17-inch alloys, push button entry and engine start, advanced park assist, automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane keep assist and blind spot alert.
Topline Astra RS-V 1.6-litre moves up to 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, heated leather appointed front seats, heated steering wheel, 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, embedded satellite navigation.
While there’s plenty of good news in the all-new Holden Astra, but there’s bad news as well: the biggest selling variants, the 1.6-litre engine with an automatic transmission transmission won’t be on sale for almost four months. The date in March is yet to be announced.
However, Holden brought some early examples of the 1.6 auto for us to test. On the road we found it to have plenty of performance, though, to be honest the thoroughly modern 1.4 may have more than enough power for many buyers.
The larger engine will be available at many Holden dealers for customers to sample on a test drive and will be offered as part of Holden’s ‘Take your time test drive’ scheme that lets you borrow a car for up to 24 hours.
The complete 2017 Holden Astra range is:
Astra R 1.4-litre turbo-petrol five-door hatch: $21,990 (manual), $24,190 (automatic)
Astra RS 1.6-litre turbo-petrol five-door hatch: $26,490 (manual), $28,690 (automatic)
Astra RS-V 1.6-litre turbo-petrol five-door hatch: $30,990 (manual), $33,190 (automatic)
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Holden dealer for drive-away prices.
