2008 Saturn Astra

[Eclipse_Spyder]

pretty decent looking car,

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by GOnSHO


nope, my 07 has em the ion was the last saturn to have them and they are now phased out for the astra..

Oh really? wasnt sure if the ion still came equipped with em, thanks for the heads up!

[GOnSHO]

yup my 06 had them too.

astra looks good, but without the LNF platform , kind of a flop..

[reno97637]

Anyone seen this car in person or test drove it?

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by 98brg2d
Canadian pricing has been released finally. Each model is close to $3000CAD ($2000EUR) more in Canada than the US despite parity and the fact that this model is completely produced in Europe. Base 3dr XR is ~$21,200 in Canada and ~$18,500 in the US. I didn't know it cost so much more to ship vehicles from Belgium to Canada than it does to ship them to the states.

Price differential aside, this car doesn't stack up well with similarly priced competition like the Rabbit, Mazda 3, outgoing Focus hatch, Civic etc. I don't think it will do well in Canada against the perennial favorites. If it had the American pricing I think it would be competitive.

It's less than three grand, it will never be priced the same as the US, they've done a good job at narrowing the gap and with Saturns great incentives it will be a popular choice here for sure.

[98brg2d]

Actually, aside from the Wish to Win event there are no incentives (other than great finance rates) for the Astra...I just bought one (subject to test driving it with the manual).

Edit:

Anyone seen this car in person or test drove it?

Test drove the 3dr auto. It has good low end torque but the tranny didn't want to down shift so it was pretty slow (stayed in 3rd and 4th gear). It handles pretty good and the interior is nice, basic, but good materials and layout. Seats are comfortable front and back and the back has a good amount of head room, my gf sat there no problem and she is 5'11''. Visibility is not great shoulder checking and through the rear view mirror but the side mirrors make up for it. The steering wheel and controls are pretty nice. I think it will be much better with the manual, my only concern is whether or not I can get a good seating position with the manual, with the auto it was fine but once you add in a clutch it can get bad in a hurry if you are tall.

[94SSEi]

I've driven the Opel version in Germany with a 5 speed...makes a huge diff over the auto. Not a race car by any means, but definately gets up through the gears at a pretty decent pace. Still feels nice and tight at 170 too.

Edit: I am 6'2" and had no problems with being cramped in the manual

[Rabb]

i had a rentacar in europe which was an opel astra 1.9L Diesel 4door hatch


car was great ... i was totally suprised with the power that diesel pumped out .. i had that lil bastard up to 200km/hr haha it was a fun little car

they should bring a diesel version and cut into VW market

[ekguy]

it's too bad the interior sucks on most saturns...my sister and her husband are replacing their escape this year and they loved the way the saturn suv's looked but the interior was lacking alot of class. Now they are looking at getting the lexus hybrid.

I do agree though that as of the last couple years they have made progress in the way their cars look.

[DonJuan]

so are we going to see a VXR version? OR in Saturn's case a redline version?

[Destinova403]

a review has popped up of this car.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...ge_top+stories

[Eleanor]

Sat in it at the auto show. Interior could be a bit better, but overall still a step in the right direction for GM.

[2002civic]

not bad...

[BlkMaxima]

Originally posted by bspot
I like. Apparently they'll be manufactured in Europe too. Now we just sit back and wait until they offer the turbo 2.0. I don't see any way that engine doesn't find it's way into the Saturn version eventually.

Originally posted by 403Gemini
FWD i assume? i want an AWD and i'd buy! haha get me the turbo charged 2.0L and its win win!

I went to the auto show on the weekend, I asked one of the sales guys there and he told me that there is no market in Canada for cars like the Astra with a turbo. He said that nobody would buy it and only fuel efficiency is important to consumers.

I said that I would probably buy one if they had a turbo. He told me I would be the only one.

Fucking crackhead salesman.