SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
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. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday May 29, 2013
This past February, the Opel Astra range in South Africa was rationalised to four models; two 1400s and a pair of 1600s. The entry-level car is an unblown 1.6-litre in Essentia trim; then there is a pair of turbocharged 1.4s in Enjoy and Enjoy Plus and finally a blown1.6 Sport with more bells and whistles. There is a fifth model, the 2.0-litre turbocharged OPC with tons of brio and attitude, but it’s a wholly different machine that doesn’t belong in this discussion.
Apart from subtle tweaks to grille, front bumper, fog lamps and front indicators, the rear end has a new bumper, revised chrome trim and changes to the license plate holder. Wheel styling was refreshed, while new materials and mouldings give the interior a more contemporary look. Certain features that fell into the “nice to have” category but were seldom used, were dropped so that prices could be maintained or even reduced in some instances.
All this realignment leaves our test car with heated and powered mirrors, fabric upholstery, electric windows all around, remote central locking, ABS with EBD and brake assist, ESP, six airbags, 17” alloy wheels, cruise control, onboard computer, fog lamps in front, a standard air conditioner and a seven-speaker radio/CD player with auxiliary input and Bluetooth.
This 1.4-litre version of General Motors' “Family 0” engine offers constantly variable valve timing, variable length inlet manifolds, chain driven hollow-cast camshafts with roller-finger cam followers and a turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold. Transmission is via a six-speed manual ‘box.
As a medium sized family car, the Astra offers a nicely shaped boot that loads at mid-thigh height, is only about 15 cm deep so it can be unloaded easily and has an adjustable shelf to hide valuables. The seatbacks fold 1/3:2/3 to extend loading capacity from 224 to 976 dm3 and the spare is a steel spacesaver. There is enough space in the back seat for three, with ample head- and knee room for six-footers.
Front seats are comfortable and provide average to good support while driving. The adjusters are all mechanical, with only the driver’s chair being able to lift and lower. Storage space for oddments is best described as sufficient rather than generous, while fit and finish is quite good, but no competition for more upmarket German makes.
The Astra performs willingly, getting up to 100 km/h in a little over 10 seconds and peaking at 200. It pulls well in the first five gears with sixth as an overdrive, turning over at about 2300 rpm at 120 km/h. Controls are handily placed, the gearbox is smooth with short throws and the hand brake is sited for right-hand drive. Foot pedals are well spaced and it’s easy to reach the footrest when the clutch leg is resting.
Summing up, the Astra 1.4T Enjoy is nice enough, but it’s doing battle in a very competitive environment with heavyweight adversaries. Let’s hope that the parent company’s recent commitment to pump four-billion Euros into Opel will lead to the kind of turnaround, and level of competitiveness, needed.
Test car from GMSA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R258 000
Engine: 1364 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, turbocharged
Power: 103 kW at 4900 rpm
Torque: 200 Nm between 1850 and 4900 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10,2 seconds
Top speed: 200 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8,2 l/100 km
Tank: 56 litres
Warranty: 5 years/120 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km; at annual or 15 000 km intervals
To see the launch report and more technical details, Click Here
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
Copyright this business. All rights reserved.
SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8