Opel Astra Notchback. Problems of Astralogy.

Opel Astra Notchback. The Difficulties of Choice

It has long been noted: a typical European, when choosing a compact car, looks towards hatchbacks or station wagons, while sedans are not favored there — they account for only 5 percent of sales. With us, the picture is the opposite: domestic buyers of the golf class vote for cars with a clearly defined trunk. This love is sometimes so strong that quite worthy models that have long gained recognition abroad are left without attention. Such a story happened, for example, with the five-door Renault Megane II — but its four-door version, on the contrary, sold briskly. A similar situation was with the Nissan Almera and the previous generation of the Renault Clio. Therefore, last year's step by some manufacturers who decided to add sedans to seemingly already established lineups does not look strange at all. Over the past six months, we have been shown such versions of the Suzuki SX-4 and the new Opel Astra Notchback, created specifically for markets with conservative preferences.

This Opel itself appeared a long time ago, but only not for Europe, which in this case also includes Russia and the CIS countries. Initially, they were not going to offer it to us — the only sales market was Brazil, where the car has been produced since 2005. And now, a couple of months ago, the Germans finally decided to bring the new product to the roads of the Old World. Perhaps they were pushed to this by the brand's impressive successes in the first half of 2007, but the fact remains: the four-door Astra is now assembled not only in Latin America, but also at the Polish plant in Gliwice.

The Notchback is almost no different from the three-year-old hatchback. Family traits are recognized instantly: relief lines with a pronounced "shoulder", a muscular front part with voluminous transparent optics, a massive radiator grille, two-color rear lights (milky white with red) and a rib running through the entire body and connecting the exterior with the interior.

Inside, everything is also familiar. The deliberately rough finish, matching the sporty exterior, is maintained in the usual hi-tech style: pleasant to the touch coarse-grained plastic on the front panel and door cards, complemented by horizontal "carbon-look" inserts, a center console with polished aluminum, two-tone fabric upholstery of the seats, organically fitting into the overall picture. Ergonomics are still at a good level. As a plus, one can note a sufficient set of adjustments, comfortable front and rear seats. By the way, the sedan is built on an extended platform from the Astra Caravan, so its wheelbase is 2703 mm, which is very good for this class. For comparison: the hatchback has almost 9 centimeters less. Moreover, all this increase in space is given to the rear passengers. But visibility has let us down, and the location of the buttons on the center console is not the most successful. In general, inside the Astra sedan is the same five-door hatchback, only with a more noticeable trunk.

By the way, the trunk turned out to be quite decent. Its volume with a five-seat layout is almost 500 liters, and it is convenient for everyday use. The high-lifting lid and wide opening allow loading large items without difficulty. In addition, the rear seat backrest folds both completely and in parts, which, of course, significantly increases the useful space.

The trim levels (Essentia, Enjoy and Cosmo) and the list of options for the Astra Notchback are the same as for the hatchback. The base version is priced at 497,000 rubles, and for this money the buyer gets air conditioning, audio preparation, a three-spoke steering wheel, front electric windows, front and side airbags. More expensive versions can boast an MP3-compatible radio, a folding key, an alarm, climate control, heated front seats, cosmetic mirrors in the visors, a glasses case and various stylistic additions. True, you will have to pay extra for all this. The second most senior trim level costs from 528,000 rubles, and this figure can increase when choosing a more powerful engine, a different type of transmission, or ordering additional options. The Cosmo starts at 552,000 rubles, and the top version with a 1.8-liter engine and an "automatic" will cost 70,000 rubles more.

The choice of power units, by the way, is small. Base sedans at dealers are equipped with the good old 1.6-liter engine, which works in tandem with either a regular five-speed manual or a robotic Easytronic gearbox. We have already talked about the pros and cons of such a tandem in the article about the Opel Astra hatchback. Today I got to try out a more interesting 1.8-liter unit with variable valve timing, which was paired with a five-speed manual, and not with the rather phlegmatic four-speed automatic. This sedan drives, I must say, very decently. The engine provides excellent dynamics, and the car is ready to confidently accelerate both at medium and low revs, and it does not need to be revved up much. The gearbox is also pleasing. On the first two gears, the Opel starts briskly, and the stretched third gear allows you to crawl in city traffic jams without unnecessary strain. On the highway, the car also leaves a pleasant impression: there is plenty of power reserve for overtaking, and when driving at the permitted speed, it shows quite moderate consumption. Another undoubted plus, in my opinion, is the smoothness of the ride. Of course, it cannot be compared with executive sedans: at bridge joints and serious potholes, not only an unpleasant knock appears, but also a noticeable shaking of everything in the cabin. But on a flat surface, the car goes very smoothly. The extended base relieved it of the noticeable longitudinal and diagonal pitching that was so annoying in the hatchback at high speeds.

Otherwise, the Notchback is the same well-known Opel Astra with a sharp, although not always informative, steering wheel, adequate brakes and a fairly obedient character. In short, it is a normal family car for every day, without outstanding talents and obvious vices.

Technical specifications:

Magazine "Autoguide" February 22, 2008 No. 54

Source – AUTOMANIA.RU