HOLDEN Astra was a common name in the Australian motoring scene for a number of years and was a sales leader for the General from the late 90s to the early 2000s. The nameplate has been reborn with the current three level Astra range. They come as the R, RS and RSV - all hatches .
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My road test car was the middle of the range RS. The initials RS conjure up an image of a sporty car. An early giveaway is the speedo that goes to 270kph. This is exactly what you get with Astra RS.
The engine is a 1.6 litre petrol four cylinder turbo, pumping out an impressive 147Kws (197bhp) and 300Nm of torque. The car drives via a silky smooth six speed manual gearbox (an auto is available). Fuel economy was excellent considering the performance at 6.5l/100ks (42mpg).
Acceleration was impressive. I feel this car could certainly hold its own in the ’hot’ hatch market category.
As always safety is a high priority when I test a car. The Astra was tested by Euro NCAP in 2016 and it scored 32.9 out of 38 points, equating to five stars.
Safety features included dual front, front-side and full-length curtain airbags, ABS and ESC, front and rear parking sensors with automatic park assistance, reverse-view camera and lane-keep assistance. I found the lane keeping technology had difficulty in recognising some poorly painted lines on our roads. When activated it gives a tug at the wheel to warn you that you are wandering. It also has blind-spot monitor and forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking (AEB). Considering it has AEB it strangely lacks autonomous cruise control.
Some of the luxury features standard in the RS were keyless auto-entry with push-button start, automatic on/off headlights and wipers, power windows and mirrors, leather-wrapped steering wheel with multi-function trip computer and cruise controls, and manual air-conditioning and stop/start technology.
The Infotainment is via a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen with digital radio, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, USB input, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone connectivity and eight speakers. No satnav is included in the RS package. You have to go to the RSV for that.
On the road this is one of the quietest small cars I have driven. In the cab, silence is golden. Seats are supportive and comfortable. Leg room front and rear is good. Luggage space is adequate (360 litres)
Handling on both wet and dry roads was stable and safe, with little body roll and no unpleasant traits. The car goes exactly where pointed.
All in all this is a great little sports sedan and would certainly suit those who enjoy driving. Put it on your shortlist.
Cost is $26,240 plus ORC. My rating 8.5/10
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Fuel saver tip
FUEL prices remain high, and don’t look like going down in the near future. Car sharing is a way to save money. Not just for going to work. Maybe pool your car with a neighbour for shopping, or taking the kids to school. If you only take your car one in every two days you will save 50 per cent on fuel.
