SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.

We drive the 2011 Opel Astra 1.6T Sport

All the kit you need

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday February 2, 2011

Briefly, the newest Astras are bigger and stiffer and handle better than the outgoing versions. They are also smoother, sexier and quite likely to get me in trouble with the morality police, unless I explain right now. Built on the GM Delta 2 platform shared with the Chevrolet Cruze, they are 88 mm longer, 61 mm wider and 52 mm higher than the ones they replace. Performance comparisons don't apply, because all engines but one are different.

Increases of 43 percent torsional, and 10 percent in bending, stiffness compared with its predecessor provide the new Astra with a firm base for optimising handling and ride capabilities. The added strength also helps to significantly reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).  Driving dynamics are improved by wider front and rear tracks, increased by 56 mm and 70 mm respectively. The wider footprint contributes to more stable handling and inherently better road-holding capability. The wheelbase is 71 mm longer.

Let's just say that it works. Malcolm Gauld, GMSA Vice President, sales and marketing, set us off on the evaluation drive at the cars' launch, deep in Vaalie country those few months ago with the words: "Give it horns, but you pay the fines!" It was during my fearless co-pilot's first shift that he negotiated some 'interesting' mountain hairpins at 120 km/h. Summary: Grab handle? Oh yes. White knuckles and girlish screams? No.

It's available in four models; a 1600 Essentia version with all the essentials of a modern car, a pair of 1400 turbos in Enjoy and Enjoy Plus trim - the latter having a bewildering quantity of headlamp wizardry and a FlexRide adaptive suspension package - and a 1600 Turbo Sport with all the kit you could ever really need. This includes bigger wheels, brakes and tyres, heated sports seats, climate control, rear park assist and hill start assist. A moulded belt line in chrome, rather than common black, tells casual observers that this one is different.

At its heart is the 1.6 turbo Ecotek twin-cam, 16-valve unit developing 132 kW at 5 500 rpm and 230 Nm of torque between 2 200 and 5 500 rpm. A further 30 Nm is available in five-second bursts for overtaking purposes. It is very satisfying to drive, being both flexible in city traffic and accelerating strongly from almost any situation on freeways. Maintaining speed on hills is but a formality. This applies to most modern turbocharged engines of course, but is very pleasant to live with, nonetheless.

The interior is mostly dark and verging on conservative, although bright-work accent strips on doors, steering wheel and command console add a dash of youthful flair. They weren't quite to my personal taste, but were at least toned down enough to ignore after a while. What made up for it was black leather sports seats, both heated, with under-thigh extensions and adjustable every way you can think of. Nice; I'll have a couple for the TV lounge please, Santa.

One of the press releases tells how a 15-person Opel task team set about answering the question: "Do people actually put gloves in the glove box?" They also asked what is actually dumped where, in the modern car and what should be redesigned. The upshot was that the glove box (maps, pens, coins and hand books) was redesigned to be less of a handbag but more practical and the central box-cum-armrest was made deep enough to put in nine commercial music CDs with cases and still close the lid. It's tapered narrower toward the bottom, so there's enough space to get your fingers in at the top and take one out. Oh, we throw the gloves in door bins, it seems.

The back seat area has enough head- and knee room for six-footers and there are three head restraints. A square fold-down central armrest opens to reveal two cup holders, a knick knack tray and the regulation European ski slot. There are seat back pockets on both front chairs.  Ease of entry and exit is about normal for a medium-sized car.

Boot space is good, at 370 litres before extension. A movable cover allows adjustment of under floor storage in two stages (quite deep or really shallow) or none at all, depending on your needs. Loading height is around mid thigh, with sill depth varying between flat and about 20 cm. The spare wheel is a steel space saver unit.

There is a wide variety of sporty medium sized sedans priced between R265 000 and R300 000, but this Astra will find itself comfortably competitive among them.

To see the launch report and equipment details, click here

The numbers

Price: R280 300

Engine: 1 598 cc four-cylinder inline, DOHC 16 valve, turbocharged

Power: 132 kW at 5 500 rpm

Torque: 230 Nm between 2 200 and 5 400 rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Zero to 100 km/h: 8.9 seconds

Maximum speed: 210 km/h

Average fuel consumption: about 8.2 l/100 km

Tank: 56 litres

Warranty: 5 years/120 000 km

Service plan: 5 years/ 90 000 km

Intervals: 15 000 km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?

Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Contact me here

Back to Home page