“For just under $22,000, the base model Holden Astra CD with five on the floor, is a surprisingly good drive and well worth a look”The problem with driving the world’s fastest and most expensive cars, as we recently did on our “Full Throttle in Europe” tour, is that you quickly get a taste for the best automotive engineering that money can buy.
The other more important issue is that your ongoing expectations are immediately re-calibrated to a much higher level than they were previously. That can make things difficult, especially when reviewing small five-door hatches, priced under twenty five thousand dollars.
The only Astra I’ve driven in the last twelve months is HSV’s sizzling VXR Turbo three-door hatch, which I labelled “a point-to-point weapon” due to its ferocious in-gear acceleration.
But the Astra CD is a long way down the mountain from the VXR in fact; it doesn’t have a Turbo or even a 2.0 litre engine. No need for panic though, with 1.8-litres mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox; it’s still a sporty drive.
103kW and 175Nm doesn’t seem like a lot and frankly, you might get the wrong impression. It’s a lot better than that. Up to 90% of available torque is on song from 2200 to 5500rpm, so the Astra pulls hard very soon after you punch the throttle.
And don’t let me forget to mention the advantages of power to weight. At 1249kg, the Astra made light work of any hill, which stood in its path.
Source : www.caradvice.com.au
