Fast Facts

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The latest Opel Astra variant makes so much sense, we wish they offered this version earlier

By Sheldon Trollope

FIRST LAUNCHED LAST November, the sight of an Opel Astra on local roads still has our necks craning for a better view or a second glance. This can be attributed not only to its relative scarcity, but also because we have always liked the clean, purposeful lines of this five-door hatchback.

Even its interior is a quantum leap from the previous Astra in terms of quality and design, convincingly making the car feel like its more expensive than it really is.

We weren’t however, all that impressed by the 1.6-litre’s MTA semi-automatic gearbox. Essentially a self-shifting clutchless sequential transmission, driving it smoothly requires an adjustment in driving style that doesn’t feel intuitive for anyone accustomed to a more conventional automatic gearbox.

While there’s also the 200bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre variant, it seems destined to remain as a niche model as the Astra Turbo is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

This time, the ideal middle ground of more power and user-friendliness seems to have been reached with the introduction of the 1.8-litre Opel Astra. Externally, it looks almost identical to the 1.6-litre Astra save for a discreet ‘1.8’ badge on the rear hatch.

Inside, the cabin architecture remains the same except that the 1.8 can be distinguished from the base model with an optional orange-on-black colour scheme. Used as an accent colour, orange is tastefully applied on some of the interior panels and on certain sections of the fabric upholstery.

It actually lifts the otherwise sombre mood in the cabin and lends an air of sportiness to the driving ambience. Just about everything else in the cabin is status quo bar the new automatic transmission gate.

The Astra 1.8 moves off briskly from a standstill and without drama, which is exactly what we always wanted from this refined hatchback. Left on its own and shifting smoothly in ‘D’, the transmission no longer takes our attention away from the car’s otherwise well-sorted driving dynamics and we were able to appreciate how refined the Astra really is.

There’s a slight niggle with the gearbox’s ‘Sport’ mode, though. For one thing, it’s oddly placed on the dashboard. Situating it on the gearlever or somewhere closer to the driver would have been more intuitive.

It’s probably just as well that the latter button isn’t closer to hand as engaging it causes the gearbox to shift to a higher ratio only at its 6,500rpm redline, which can be a bit of an overkill. Most drivers though would probably enjoy it as we did – leaving it in ‘D’ and letting the Astra do its thing.

NEED TO KNOW

MODEL Opel Astra 1.8 (A)
ENGINE TYPE 1,796cc in-line four
MAX POWER 125bhp at 5,600rpm
MAX TORQUE 170Nm at 3,800rpm
GEARBOX 4-speed automatic
TOP SPEED 188km/h
0-100 KM/H 11.9 seconds
PRICE $82,688 with COE
WARRANTY 3 years / 60,000km
CONTACT Auto Eurokars at 6749-4333