Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 55

THINGS WE LIKE

 Great value at drive away prices

 Stylish hatch body; spacious sedan

body

 1.6-litre models offer serious power

 1.4 litre is tractable and frugal

 Comfortable and refi ned

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

No AEB available on the sedan

GM cars can have

reliability issues

Weak resale values

SPEX (1.4 LS auto sedan)

Made in South Korea

1.4-litre turbopetrol/six-speed

automatic/front-wheel drive

110kW of power at 5000rpm/240kW

of torque from 2000–4000rpm

0–100km/h in 8.9 seconds (claimed)

4.8L/100km highway; 8.2L/100km

city; regular unleaded; CO 2

emissions are 141g/km

Warranty: Five years/unlimited

kilometres

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, 16-inch alloy wheels,

seven-inch touchscreen

infotainment, Bluetooth, USB

socket, Apple CarPlay and Android

Auto, rear camera with moving

guidelines, rear parking sensors,

ISOFIX and tether strap child

restraint anchors.

Redbook future values: 3yr: 42%;

5yr: 31%

compare with ...

Hyundai i30 and Elantra, Honda

Civic, Kia Cerato, Mazda3, Subaru

Impreza, Toyota Corolla, VW Golf

H

olden’s Astra is actually two
different cars. The hatch is
sourced from Poland, although
it was designed and engineered
by Opel in Germany, before GM
sold Opel to the French PSA
Group in early 2017. The sedan
is a larger car, a Chevrolet
Cruze in its home market, the
US. Our version is built in Korea.
Astra hatch prices start at
$21,490 for the 110kW 1.4-litre
turbo R six-speed manual. A
six-speed auto adds $1000 to
all variants and R+ specifi cation
adds $1250 to R.
The 147kW 1.6-litre turbo RS
manual is $27,240, the RS-V
manual is $30,740 and the RS-V
auto is $31,740.
The sedan, with the same
1.4-litre turbo drivetrain as the
base hatch, kicks off at $20,490
for the LS manual and $23,990
for the automatic, tested here.
LS+ is $22,740, LT is $25,790 and
LTZ is $29,790.
Sportwagon, with the auto as
standard, costs $25,740 in LS+
spec, and $29,940 for LT.

Astra sedan is actually a

pretty big car, with ample room

for tall adults in the back seat

and a spacious boot.

At base LS level, it’s not

exactly loaded. You hold a

plastic steering wheel and face

a simple, uncluttered dash

with monochrome analogue

instruments and just a few

sprinkles of fake chrome to relieve

the wall to wall grey plastics,

fabric upholstery and dash trim.

That said, it’s reasonably

attractive – let’s be generous

and call it the industrial chic

look – and the test car stayed

squeak and rattle free over 900

kilometres of testing.

Previous Astra models have

caused some owners grief.

Hopefully this one will be as

reliable as its Korean and

Japanese brand rivals.

A fi rm, fl at driver’s seat,

with basic adjustments, is

comfortable on long journeys,

though if you like the backrest

upright you may fi nd the

protruding head restraint

intrusive. Tall drivers enjoy

ample legroom and steering

wheel adjustability.

Infotainment includes a seven-

inch colour touchscreen, Android

Auto and Apple CarPlay, but its

processing power is limited so it

can be slow to respond.

You get six airbags, a camera

with moving guidelines and rear

parking sensors.

Rear seat belt indicators are

missing and you have to go to

higher model grades to get blind

spot monitoring, lane keeping,

auto headlights and front parking

sensors. Automatic emergency

braking (AEB) is not available.

Astra sedan aces its

rivals with the advantage of

turbopower, which gives its

1.4-litre engine much better

responsiveness at lower revs

than bigger, non-turbo engines.

Safety

ANCAP

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall

STARS

It doesn’t have to work as

hard, so it’s also smoother,

quieter and despite the absence

of auto stop/start returns good

fuel economy around town

• 7-8L/100km -- on regular
  unleaded. That’s a bonus, as
  turbos usually require premium.
  It’s a seamless match with
  the six-speed automatic, which
  shifts smoothly and quickly
  when you put your foot down,
  tapping the engine’s strong,
  willing delivery.
  On the highway, it cruises
  effortlessly, returning 5-6L/100km.
  There’s little fi nesse to Astra’s
  dynamics, but open road handling
  is confi dent and secure, the
  steering more tactile than most
  rivals and Hankook tyres offer
  reasonable grip.
  It ain’t the Ritz, but Astra is an
  honest, spacious, comfortable
  sedan, with one of the best
  drivetrains in the class. Holden
  regularly advertises very
  attractive drive away deals on the
  sedan and the hatch.

S HOLDEN ASTRA FROM $21,490