Opel entered into India with the Astra - a very competent product but opel goofed up by giving a under powered single point fuel injection engine. Despite this the car sold primarily on its German heritage but there were other more powerful cars launched and suddenly Astra lost out on the sales charts. The coming in of the Euro II norms meant that the Astra needed a engine upgrade because the Single Point Injection engine could’nt meet these tough emission norms.Also, GM had launched the Corsa which was almost 3.5 lacs cheaper then this car yet was more powerful.
The MPFI engine belts out a good 94.5bhp@5600 RPM with a torque of 132Nm@2400rpm.This is the kind of power the astra always needed specially because its the heaviest car in India after the Mercedes-Benz.Astra like other German cars comes with a fantastic build quality and the rigid monocoque body shell takes to this power so easily. Of course, the car is not as fun to drive as the Honda City but then the Astra was never intended to be driven like you are in a rally.its also heavier then the city.....1125kgs as compared to 965kgs of the City. With so much of weight the car obviously will not take to sudden lane changes or spirited driving easily. If you wanna play micheal schumacher go for the City.
Drive the Astra and one realises why German cars are so good.Opel have devised a new rough road suspension system for third world countries like India and the ride quality is simply the best in the country...india’s famous pot holes don’t bother the astra. Its only the Fiat Siena that compares with the Astra’s ride quality. The chassis of the car is solid and the car holds the road like its bolted onto it.
Another great feature is the Interior’s of the car..clearly the best in the country. The build quality is superb and will last for years to gether. Along with the mpfi engine GM has made changes to the transmission and even the Air conditioning. The gear shift is better and smoother and the A/C cools really well. There is’nt much to fault with the Astra but the steering and foot pedals are a bit on the heavy side.( but thats the way germans like it)The seats on the other hand are heavenly and you can drive the car for the whole day and still feel comfortable.
There is’nt much to fault with the car. Well, it may not be fun to drive but then no one is gonna pay almost Rs. 10 lakhs for a car to drive it like a maniac. Even if one intends to drive it fast and rash the stately nature of the car calms the biggest speed freak down and once you are sitting in the ultra-luxurious cabin of the car you start to appreciate the virtues like a superb ride quality, safety and comfort.
The only thing against the car is GM’s yet to expand service back up.But then the way German’s make their cars , I don’t think we need worry about not having many dealers around.