2008 Saturn Astra

Kathy Renwald

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

To think that the 2008 Saturn Astra could have been Canada's Car of the Year! It was in the corral with some big players, but I guess it was down a bit on its human growth hormone.

With its googly-eyed headlights, racy roofline and overall happy countenance, the Astra won fans at the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada mosh pit called TestFest last November.

It Swiffered its category, Best New Small Car, and leap-frogged into the finals, rubbing fenders with the impossibly glamorous Audi R8, the eventual winner.

I judged the small-car category. I like little cars, but the Astra wasn't my favourite, the Suzuki SX4 was. But the award means if you're shopping for a new small car, go kick some Astra.

At TestFest, it made three quick impressions on me: the exterior styling was impressive, interior ambience better than average, but the driving experience was undermined by an engine with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Before I would fork over the $20,000 to $25,000 to buy the Astra, I would want some engine choices. For the record, the Astra available in Canada houses a 1.8 L Ecotec, said to produce 138 horsepower; torque is pegged at 125 lb.-ft.

I tested both the automatic Astra and the five-speed manual.

My notes on the five-door automatic included the notation, "Not sure it could outrun a Slushie truck."

I made this observation on a wide open stretch of road as I was breezing past Hee Haw Adventure Farm in Cambridge.

Now, I'm not saying you need a ton of power, but a little more response would be life affirming. It's like the fun police got hold of the Ecotec and scrubbed the life out of it. To give the engine performance a PR spin, one could say it doles out power at a measured pace.

The Astra lives a double life. In Europe, it is called an Opel Astra. GM didn't change much for North American buyers, but it doesn't offer the engine choices (10 and counting) available to lucky Euro drivers. Too bad for us.

Because the engine likes to catnap, I preferred the five-speed manual to the four-speed automatic. The gearbox was agreeable and facilitated a sportier drive.

There are no quibbles with the Astra's steering response: it is crisp and quick, the ride is athletically firm and only starts to object when scrabbling over fractured pavement. The XR model I tested, with the sport handling package, includes a lowered suspension. Cornering behaviour is impressively flat; it's a shame the pedestrian powerplant isn't a better partner.

Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS stop the car well enough but the brake feel is a trifle gummy, and when the ABS is engaged, the ensuing mechanical symphony is as discordant as an Ornette Coleman solo.

The interior is diplomat grey, put together with razor-cut precision. An artist friend called it "sculptural." Driver ergonomics score high but front-seat passengers might miss a height adjustment. The steering wheel has a good chunky feel, visibility has few impediments, but why are the side mirrors so small?

Storage freaks will lament the lack of closet space in the Astra, but the biggest boondoggle is the omission of a centre armrest. For those who like to keep hydrated, the single cupholder is tucked behind the parking brake, and it will cause premature wear and tear on the rotator cuff to access it.

The two-person backseat is easy enough to enter and exit, seat room is passable, but passengers will find most of their view blocked by the front seat head restraints. However, the extra large sunroof, a $1,295 option, lets in enough light to start your tomato plants early.

My test drive confirmed my first impression at TestFest that information central located on the centre stack is forbidding territory. There are controls for climate, audio and various driving functions, but little of it is intuitive. When a friend got in and saw the serious-looking computer screen, she said, "Will that tell me my weight, too?" Now that would be useful.

Anarchists will not like the doors, which lock automatically. A CSI team is needed to find the unlock button, oddly placed on the centre of the instrument panel.

Further Big Brother intrusions include non-stop beeping to tell you the trunk isn't latched.

The exterior design of the Astra isn't a hallmark of innovation but it's attractive and cohesively put together.

Most everyone I dragged around in the Astra liked it. For me, it was a friendship that never turned into a romance.

Freelance automotive reviewer Kathy Renwald can be reached at krenwald@sympatico.ca

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