New Holden Astra Coming 2nd Half

GM's Australian arm, Holden, will take deliveries of the third generation Astra in the second half of 2004.

The new Opel-designed Astra will have to prove its worth too, going up against the perennially strong Toyota Corolla, the Mazda3 and VW's upcoming Golf.

Having already been launched in some European territories, the major features that Opel is pushing include its distinctive design, leading interior room, the IDSPlus adaptive suspension and a nifty steering-linked headlamp system.

This third-generation of the Opel best-seller made its sales debut in March 2004 in the EU, and shipped with a number of innovative features - one of the more intriguing elements that make up the new car is the adaptive IDSPlus suspension (IDS = interactive driving system).

To give its full name, the IDSPlus suspension with Continuous Damping Control (CDC) can be compared to self-levelling suspension systems seen in luxury cars, like Mercedes, Lexus and Jaguar, and will be a cost option on most new Astra models.

Claiming increases in comfort and active safety, the new IDSPlus suspension system also allows drivers to hit the 'Sport Switch', which engages stiffer suspension settings for improved at-the-limit handling, while also increasing the steering and accelerator sensitivity for quicker response.

This sporting intent is also highlighted in the car's new styling, which in the opinions of Wombat staffers is very contemporary, while still being attractive and smooth enough to turn heads.

With balanced proportions, flared wheel arches and a fairly aerodynamic form overall (Cd: 0.32), the new Astra has a modern, and somewhat technical front end that underscores Opel's new design direction.

Following the debut of the five-door Astra (pictured), Opel will introduce a station wagon with longer wheelbase and a performance oriented three-door, with rumours suggesting 6-cylinder grunt for the latter model, though a 4-banger turbo is most likely at this stage.

"The new Astra symbolises the dynamics and the quality of the Opel brand more than any previous volume model," said Opel's big chief, Carl-Peter Forster.

"The Astra also offers advanced technology that meets customer needs, at really fair prices. I'm convinced that the new Astra will make a bold statement in the compact segment."

In addition to the new Astra's pneumatic suspension option, drivers can also tick the box marked AFL - which stands for Adaptive Forward Lighting (not Australian Rules Football).

These clever headlights are currently only the domain of a 'primo' range of vehicles, including BMW's 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class, making them quite a boon for the Astra.

Simply put, the Adaptive Forward Lighting system is aware of steering wheel inputs and swivels the main headlight beams accordingly to better illuminate around corners at night.

At the time of launch, the European specification Astras get a choice of eight engines all up - five petrol and three diesel powerplants - and with a claimed 1230kg kerb weight, the new car should offer solid acceleration.

While the 1.9 and twin 1.7-litre oil burners aren't likely to be available with Holden badges, the 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines will be. Starting at the top, the entry-level 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre 'Twinport' engines are designed to be very fuel efficient, making 66 and 77kW apiece.

The Australian spec Astra is likely to offer the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre turbo engines, but which of the turbo engines is still up in the air. The low-pressure 125kW turbo is looking most likely at this stage, because the 147kW item hasn't even been released in Europe yet, and is due by the end of 2004.

Here's the engine line-up for the 2005 Astra in detail:

The range-topping 262Nm turbo Astra five door can dispatch the 0-100km/h dash in just under eight seconds (7.9 seconds) and reach a top speed of 232km/h, while the 250Nm turbo Astra achieves 8.9 seconds and 217km/h respectively. The naturally aspirated 1.8-litre Astra will hit 100km/h from rest in 10.8 seconds.

Local transmission options are expected to be similar to the Euro offerings, with 5-speed manuals for the entry-level motors, 6-speed manuals for the turbo engines and two automatic options - the standard 4-speed and an Easytronic (CVT) number.

Interior design was of great importance during the development of the new Astra, as displayed by the high level of visual and textural quality. A characteristic styling cue is the crease on the center console that carries over from the bonnet.

Further eye-catching design elements in the Astra cockpit include the bevelled instruments and the centrally positioned, easy to read 6.5-inch monitor, which will form the basis of a new generation of car-based infotainment.

Also, with the Twin Audio system, passengers in the front and rear of the new Astra can listen to different music or radio programs.

The seats feature excellent ergonomics with enhanced contours, higher lateral supports than the outgoing model, longer cushions and optimised adjustment.

In addition to its advanced chassis and engine technology and innovative interior, the new Astra also impresses with its extensive safety equipment, including SAFETEC.

This comprehensive protection system consists of passive and active safety features such as the highly stable body shell with deformation zones, the IDS chassis with ESPPlus, TCPlus traction control, CBC (Cornering Brake Control) and ABS with brake assistant and four disc brakes.

Other safety features include front and thorax/pelvis side airbags for the driver and front seat passenger, head curtain airbags in the front and for the outer rear seats, active head restraints in the front, lap-sash seat belts for all passengers and two mountings in the rear for the ISOFIX child's seat system are all part of the SAFETEC package.

Built at three Opel manufacturing plants in Europe - Antwerp in Belgium, Ellesmere Port in the UK and Bochum in Germany - the new Astra is looking very impressive indeed, and if Holden can keep prices from rising too much over the current models, perhaps even the unstoppable Toyota Corolla will have something to think about.

On paper alone the new German-designed small car looks good, and early reports from the European media indicate that it drives very nicely to boot. With all the new features, some of which have only ever been seen on big-ticket vehicles, the new Astra will be one car to look out for when it arrives here later in 2004.