2008 Saturn Astra inexpensive but far from cheap
BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR
The Astra XR is a pleasant drive, says Brian Early, with “well-buttoned chassis tuning that seems to have been unaffected by the trip across the Atlantic.”
Perhaps it's not all that surprising that Saturn's new Astra compact feels an awful lot like a Volkswagen Rabbit. They are, after all, fierce competitors in their European home market (where the Rabbit remains the Golf), the Astra being GM's best-selling car in the region in 2007.
Sold globally under the Vauxhall, Opel, Holden and even Chevrolet nameplates, the Astra is actually a product of General Motors' European arm, and produced in Antwerp.
We're a little late to the party, as this generation of Astra was new in 2004.
For 2008, Canadians can choose between a four-door or a more aggressively styled two-door hatchback ("5-Door" and "3-Door" in Saturn-speak); many other markets get wagon and convertible versions too.
Certain subtle changes were made for U.S. and Canadian consumption, primarily to meet our lighting, labelling, emissions and bumper standards, though some of the modifications are of dubious value – why, for instance, did GM eliminate the European version's amber rear signal lights?
The combination of being brought to our market in a short time span and being a mature product assembled on an existing line on another continent meant that it was impractical for GM to make profound changes under the hood. As a result, we receive the only petrol – sorry, gas – engine that is offered in this car with a conventional automatic transmission, an option critical for sales on this side of the Atlantic.
Said engine is a DOHC 1.8-L four-cylinder producing 138 hp and 125 lb.-ft. of torque. Although GM calls it an Ecotec engine, it is not a derivative of the Ecotec family that powers a variety of domestic GM models, such as the Chevy Cobalt, which shares the Astra's basic "Delta" platform architecture.
With an iron block and belt-driven (not chain) camshafts, it may seem a bit old school, but it is a modern design, counting variable valve-timing among its highlights.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to play well with the optional Aisin-made four speed automatic transmission. GM actually lists "automatic throttle kick-down" as a feature of this tranny, as if a kick-down is some revolutionary idea.
In life, perception is everything; unless you treat the accelerator pedal like a light switch, the Astra feels ungodly slo-o-o-ow. Beating on it improves the sensation to three "o" slo-o-ow (at the detriment of fuel economy), even if the reality is basically class average performance. Given that one of GM's corporate strengths is producing smooth-shifting, almost telepathically responsive automatics, some Astra powertrain engineers (and the marketing department's spin doctor) need to be taken out behind the barn and seriously roughed up.
The auto-tragic tranny does have one interesting trick: in order to reduce the fuel consumption caused by slipping the torque converter at idle, it internally shifts into neutral when you stop, re-engaging drive as you release the brake. Although a great idea, it feels a little odd.
In a word, skip the slushbox. I've not yet driven it, but given the Astra's Euro-market intentions, the five-speed manual version is bound to be vastly better – and it'll save you $1,350 in the process. In fact, Laurance Yap called it "slick-shifting" in a preview.
With that off my chest, I can report that the Astra is otherwise a pleasant vehicle to drive, with well-buttoned chassis tuning that seems to have been unaffected by the trip across the Atlantic.
Equipped with the sport suspension package, as was my XR "5-Door" tester, it has a firm but well-controlled ride and positive-feeling electrohydraulically assisted steering. The package's meaty 225/45/17 Hankook tires provide quite a bit of grip too, perfect for strafing on-ramps (or conserving momentum, as the case may be).
On the Continent, even small, inexpensive cars are expected to have decent interior quality, so the Astra's cabin is notably nicer than, say, the related Chevy Cobalt's. Like its VW foe, nearly everything in the Astra's cabin is backlit at night, in this case a nice amber colour.
Ergonomics are not a strength though. The Astra's climate controls suffer from the same nearly illegible combination of grey markings on silver trim as the Cobalt, and are hard to read at the bottom of the centre stack.
Similarly, the Astra's radio/trip computer (which has a large, dash-mounted LCD display) and some of the secondary controls are nearly inscrutable too – Gen Y'ers will eat up the learning curve, Boomers may not be so thrilled.
It took me a few days to get used to the detent-less control stalks for the signals and wipers, which electronically "latch" and cancel, with a "click" from the chime module to confirm that your command was received. Weird!
Euro sensibilities decry cupholders – what kind of driver tries to eat or drink while driving? – so the Astra's single front unit, at the rear of the centre console, (an awkward arm twist behind the emergency brake) is clearly a last-minute inclusion.
The Astra is something of an enigma within its crowded class: designed to meet European needs and wants, it finds itself offering certain premium features and options (like standard rain-sensing wipers, four-wheel disc brakes, tilt/telescope steering, and an available huge dual-pane sunroof) while having to compete with more economy-minded models built outside of the cost influences of a strong euro.
Even within GM's own family, the Pontiac Vibe seems a natural – and in base trim, cheaper – rival, as does the more powerful Cobalt, once you take the Astra's hatchback versatility out of the equation (although neither can match the Astra's quality feel).
Still, the Astra does fit in with the Opel-ization of the Saturn brand (not a bad thing at all), and it offers a real, domestically-branded alternative to buyers that might otherwise gravitate toward the handling and finish of say, a Volkswagen Rabbit, City Golf, or even a Mazda3 Sport.
As the replacement for the largely unloved Ion, the Astra hardly has to set the market on fire to be an improvement, yet the coincidental timing of its introduction may work in Saturn's favour, with gas prices going crazy and buyers suddenly clamouring for efficient, practical cars that don't feel cheap. Kind of what more than 500,000 European car buyers found in an Astra last year.
Freelance auto reviewer Brian Early can be reached at bandb.early@sympatico.ca
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