Test Drive: Saturn Astra

[omicron]

I didn't want to say this, but unless a VXR/Redline comes out soon, I think Saturn dropped the ball on this one.

When I was at the auto show with my dad, he would not look at it because it was a hatch only.  I like hatches, but I think the car is missing a massive amount of potential audience right now because its price is so high and its feature packages are so limited in scope.

Holden offers five trim levels (CD, CDX, CDTi, SRi and VXR), four body-styles (3 and 5-door hatchback, 5-door wagon, convertible), four engines (1.8 petrol, 1.9 turbodiesel, 2.2 petrol, 2.0 turbo petrol), three transmissions (4-speed automatic, 5 and 6-speed manuals) and pricing that is competitive with Corolla, 3, Focus, Civic et. al. and demonstrably cheaper than equivalent Golfs.

Surely, with Saturn's desire to move slightly upmarket, they could have found a more appealing combination of engines, transmissions and bodystyles than the equivalent of the Australian base models?

[nickdrinkwater]

I'm surprised they didn't offer the 4dr in the USA.

http://microsite.spprod.com/opel/astrasaloon_en_update/site_en.html

[ifcar]

At least in pictures, it gives the appearance of a big car. Possibly too close to the Aura. They weren't really going for high volume anyway.

[Raza]

No you shouldn't. And like I said, for my money I would get the Mazda.


But there is no "coping" with anything. You just get in the damn thing and drive. Merging onto freeways in my car is as easy as merging onto freeways in my parent's Accord, or my roomate's S40, or my friend's Teg, or my uncle's X5, etc...

I'm sick of having this fucking argument with you.  Yes, you have a fucking slow car.  You're fucking god.  Good for you.

[Tave]

I'm sick of having this fucking argument with you.  Yes, you have a fucking slow car.  You're fucking god.  Good for you.

"God"



I could say I'm sick of having this conversation with you: someone who doesn't have a slow car, doesn't drive slow cars, and therefore has no fucking clue what he's talking about, but I'm not going to do that.

I'm not the only person on here with a slow car who has said, "no, it's not that bad at all," so I'm a little confused why you won't fucking LISTEN to the large group of owners who actually have FUCKING EXPERIENCE driving the type of car we're talking about.

Would we all like a little more power? No doubt.

[Raza]

"God"



I could say I'm sick of having this conversation with you: someone who doesn't have a slow car, doesn't drive slow cars, and therefore has no fucking clue what he's talking about, but I'm not going to do that.

I'm not the only person on here with a slow car who has said, "no, it's not that bad at all," so I'm a little confused why you won't fucking LISTEN to the large group of owners who actually have FUCKING EXPERIENCE driving the type of car we're talking about.

Would we all like a little more power? No doubt.

Capitalizing "god" depends on whether you consider it a proper noun, or if like me, you refuse to capitalize it.  Hell, I structure sentences to make sure that I don't have to put the word at the beginning.  It's not a "my mom" and "Mom" issue.  The word god refers to no one specific, and generally refers to some imaginary being.  I don't capitalize "mailman" either.  But, while I possibly should have said "a god", the concept of a single imaginary being is more accepted, therefore I didn't bother with that.   

I'm confused as to why you think you know what the fuck I'm talking about, since you clearly don't.

If 5 cars offer more than adequate power and cost the same or less, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU BUY THE CAR THAT HAS NO FUCKING ADVANTAGES OVER ITS COMPETITION?  I ALSO MENTIONED THAT WHEN BREAKING INTO A MARKET SEGMENT WITH A NAMEPLATE THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOUR PRODUCT BE OUTSTANDING IN SOME WAY.  THE KOREANS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT IS WHY THEY'VE RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE VERY LARGE, GOOD QUALITY CARS THAT COST SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN TRADITIONAL FUCKING COMPETITION.

YOU SEE, THE ASTRA DOESN'T DO THIS.  IT IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CAR IN ANY AREA, OTHER THAN THE POSSIBILITY OF THE HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE CATEGORY OF STYLE.  THAT IS WHY THE ASTRA, IN MY EYES, IS A FUCKING FAILURE.

Hope you can read that.

[Tave]

Capitalizing "god" depends on whether you consider it a proper noun, or if like me, you refuse to capitalize it.  Hell, I structure sentences to make sure that I don't have to put the word at the beginning.  It's not a "my mom" and "Mom" issue.  The word god refers to no one specific, and generally refers to some imaginary being.  I don't capitalize "mailman" either.  But, while I possibly should have said "a god", the concept of a single imaginary being is more accepted, therefore I didn't bother with that.

I know. I am the God.   

I'm confused as to why you think you know what the fuck I'm talking about, since you clearly don't.

If 5 cars offer more than adequate power and cost the same or less, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU BUY THE CAR THAT HAS NO FUCKING ADVANTAGES OVER ITS COMPETITION?

I SAID I FUCKING WOULDN'T, YOU FUCKING MORON. READ THE FUCKING THREAD BEFORE YOU GET FUCKING ANGRY.

for my money I would get the Mazda.

You shouldn't.

For my money, I'd probably get the Mazda 3.

To be clear, it's fine to criticize the Astra for its lack of power. I don't have a problem with that. If it doesn't match its competition, then Saturn has some work to do.

Very few of us have said that the Astra is the best choice. One of its loudest defenders (Pommes) said he thinks it's a piece of crap. Maybe if you would take three seconds to think about the posts, you would understand that.

I ALSO MENTIONED THAT WHEN BREAKING INTO A MARKET SEGMENT WITH A NAMEPLATE THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOUR PRODUCT BE OUTSTANDING IN SOME WAY.  THE KOREANS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT IS WHY THEY'VE RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE VERY LARGE, GOOD QUALITY CARS THAT COST SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN TRADITIONAL FUCKING COMPETITION.

YOU SEE, THE ASTRA DOESN'T DO THIS.  IT IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CAR IN ANY AREA, OTHER THAN THE POSSIBILITY OF THE HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE CATEGORY OF STYLE.  THAT IS WHY THE ASTRA, IN MY EYES, IS A FUCKING FAILURE.

Hope you can read that.

You don't even read what other people say, do you? I've quoted the statements of yours I took issue with, and they clearly have nothing to do with your little rant.

[Raza]

You ranted first.

[Vinsanity]

I'm surprised they didn't offer the 4dr in the USA.

http://microsite.spprod.com/opel/astrasaloon_en_update/site_en.html

Me too; I do like it better than the 5-door. Throw in the direct injection engine while keeping it cheaper than the Jetta and now we're talking.

[Raza]

Me too; I do like it better than the 5-door. Throw in the direct injection engine while keeping it cheaper than the Jetta and now we're talking.

That's the best way to break into this segment. 

[NomisR]

If we truly care about mileage, we all should be driving around in these

[2o6]

Me too; I do like it better than the 5-door. Throw in the direct injection engine while keeping it cheaper than the Jetta and now we're talking.

Reminds me of a Cobalt Sedan. I like the Hatch variants better, but I think Saturn could do with a Coupe-Convertible, like the Tigra or the Astra Coupe-Convertible.

[Vinsanity]

Reminds me of a Cobalt Sedan. I like the Hatch variants better, but I think Saturn could do with a Coupe-Convertible, like the Tigra or the Astra Coupe-Convertible.

It looks sleeker than the 4-dr Cobalt. More like a cross between a Cobalt and an Aura/Vectra, maybe.

I do agree with the idea of a retractable hardtop, though, as long as it's cheaper than a V6 Mustang. That might be the first and only thing I've agreed with you on

[the Teuton]

I'm surprised they didn't offer the 4dr in the USA.

http://microsite.spprod.com/opel/astrasaloon_en_update/site_en.html

The sedan would make it a good seller here.  I think it looks better than all but the three-door.

[nickdrinkwater]

The Sedan is supposedly longer than a Vectra.

[Madman]

What's the point of the Astra sedan?  I simply can't understand the mentality of anyone who buys a small sedan.  It can't carry shit, costs more and does less.  Try getting a large object in the back of any small sedan.  You can't.  They are worse than useless.  Now try the hatch.  Hey look, it went right in!  How about that?

My only guess is that if the vast majority on simpletons who collectively form the American public don't see an enormous boot/trunk sticking out the back they think it has no luggage space.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Raza]

What's the point of the Astra sedan?  I simply can't understand the mentality of anyone who buys a small sedan.  It can't carry shit, costs more and does less.  Try getting a large object in the back of any small sedan.  You can't.  They are worse than useless.  Now try the hatch.  Hey look, it went right in!  How about that?

My only guess is that if the vast majority on simpletons who collectively form the American public don't see an enormous boot/trunk sticking out the back they think it has no luggage space.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

I wouldn't see the point of this car anywhere but the US.  I love hatches.  But hell, even when I was shopping recently, I found myself drawn to the more expensive, less practical VW Jetta over the Rabbit.  It didn't make sense, but still, I do like the three box shape quite a bit. 

Hatches don't seem to resonate much with the US public. 

[USA_Idol]

Hatches don't seem to resonate much with the US public. 

For whatever reason, that seems to be true. 

Personally, I'd rather have a hatchback.  My '01 Focus sedan has a decent-sized trunk, but for longer items you have to fold the seat down, just as you would in a hatchback.  But the difference is that the hatchback has a large open cargo area once those seats are down...there's nothing to get in the way of your stuff.  Try shoving the same thing into the trunk of the sedan version (if you can get it past the small opening and the narrow pass-through once the seats are folded down).  I should have waited until '02 when the ZX5 debuted.   

[Vinsanity]

the ZX5 is my favorite body style for the Focus

[Tave]

Meh. Not all hatchbacks are more spacious than their sedan counterparts, and even with a wagon you're not going to want to stack shit to the ceiling.

[CALL_911]

When it comes to Jetta vs. Rabbit, I'd take the Rabbit every time. IMO, there's something about the Jetta that really looks fucking stupid. It's really tall, and for some reason, it looks disproportional. The Rabbit looks better, IMO, and I would trust a German made VW over a Mexican made one.

[Cookie Monster]

IMO the Jetta looks a lot better than the Rabbit for some reason.

I still like hatches though.

[Tave]

Even our V8 Durango is listed at 9.X, the last time I checked.

And that was enough to fetch me a "exhibition of acceleration" ticket this weekend.

Actually I re-checked and the 4.7 is listed at 8.33, but I'm fairly certain it ain't that fast anymore.

[Northlands]

Meh. Not all hatchbacks are more spacious than their sedan counterparts, and even with a wagon you're not going to want to stack shit to the ceiling.

My brother and his Mazda 3 Sport will heartily agree with you. He had the opportunity to drive the sedan and said he could stuff a ton more things in the trunk of the sedan than he could ever dream of throwing in his 5 door. He had to borrow my car ( civic ) just to take his kid's stroller with him and still have room for other things. He told me he didn't have a prayer getting anything else in his car.

Choose your hatches wisely if you're looking at them from a storage point of view.

[Madman]

And that was enough to fetch me a "exhibition of acceleration" ticket this weekend.

Exhibition of acceleration?  As in accelerating quickly?  That's an offence?  WTF?  I've never heard of such a thing!

Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Vinsanity]

Exhibition of acceleration?  As in accelerating quickly?  That's an offence?  WTF?  I've never heard of such a thing!

Cheers,
Madman of the People

As is spinning the rear wheels upon acceleration. I got caught doing that maybe twice, and both times I just got a from the cop

[Raza]

As is spinning the rear wheels upon acceleration. I got caught doing that maybe twice, and both times I just got a from the cop

I got that finger wag once when doing 70 in a 15.