Saturn Astra Reviews - From Saturn Astra Owners

[Perian]

Link: http://www.edmunds.com/saturn/astra/...merreview.html

Note: While there is no concrete proof of ownership here, the following are apparent Saturn owner reviews from the website Edmunds.com.

Review #1
In a word "FUN", we go backpacking and this car is a perfect fit. The power had me scared at first because of the hills we drive, but the 1.8 had no problems going up to Lake Arrowhead today, but the best part was the handling...wow! This is not my grandmothers Saturn.

Review #2
This is a fun car to drive and easy on the gas. Since this is made in Europe the build quality and materials used is top notch. If you are looking for a great gas saver this is the car. Tall people need not to worry about head room, I'm 6'1" and have plenty of room. All around this car is a winner in the sport hatchback group.

Review #3
I have been watching the Astra on the internet for months, just waiting for it to arrive in the US. Two weeks ago I test drove the 2 door w/5 speed. It rocks! Exactly a week later I bought my black/black XR 2 door with 17" tires, heated seats (a must in Pittsburgh) and the premium sound system. After 10 years of driving SUVs I wanted a fun to drive coupe that still had some cargo capacity inside. This is the car. When living in Portugal 10 years ago, I had a Citroen AX, 2 door, 5 speed. This is like a modern version of that car. The fuel economy is great, avg 28mpg in the one week that I have owned it. I love that it is a totally new model, people stop and stare or ask what it is.

Review #4
When I was selected to "ride & drive" the Astra back in early October I was a little sceptical about how this car would be next to the lackluster Ion I was blown away. This car has all the looks and amenities of a car costing many thousands more, the handling is also phenomonal compared to the Ion. I think Saturn has built a real winner and that they will be a serious contender in the small hatchback segment.

Full review contents at link (including negatives reported).

[Perian]

Let's hope Monday's Astra sales report shows great public acceptance.

[OrlandoGuy80]

Originally Posted by Perian

Let's hope Monday's Astra sales report shows great public acceptance.

What is the annual sales target?

Will this be a full month's sales, or just partial?

[stevecmh]

i do like the look. i hope it sells good

the 2 door is great

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by OrlandoGuy80

What is the annual sales target?

Will this be a full month's sales, or just partial?

I believe the annual target sales is 20,000.....

[coaster.n3rd]

Originally Posted by Perian

Let's hope Monday's Astra sales report shows great public acceptance.

There is nothing to get buyers into the showrooms. There is a $950 Conquest rebate, non GMS/GSU private offer, but with the lack of advertisements no one knows to come in and check it out for the bonus. On top of this there is no leasing rate and may not ever be one, this will curb sales more than anything.

I expect February numbers to be pretty low for the Astra with a pretty good climb in the late Spring & early Summer.

Originally Posted by OrlandoGuy80

What is the annual sales target?

Will this be a full month's sales, or just partial?

If I understand right the annual sales target is 20,000 - 40,000 units. I think that is pretty realistic.

[Wolfman01]

If GM is truly serious about selling some Saturn badged cars, they need to start ADVERTISING them. I've seen exactly ZERO ads for any of their models as of late, beyond the generic "Rethink American" ads. GM needs to get some ads of a flashy red Astra XR hatch carving it up in on a twisty road, and start singing the accolades of its European origin. The Aura could use some similar exposure, except taking the whole family on that brisk mountain excursion.

They aren't going to sell much without getting the word out.

[YupYupYup]

Just saw my first Saturn Astra 5-door today. It was in your typical silver color. Can't say I was overjoyed by the appearance; it is not that exciting to look at in this model and color. However I am sure the red paint we have seen in ads and press releases in the coupe would be much better. Interior was okay, along the same lines as the Cobalt but with better materials.

As for that "European build quality" that someone mentioned...Seems they do not know about all the quality problems Opel recently had...Or that VW has been, well, very problematic in the quality arena for some time. Honestly, any Euro car should be better in quality given the prices they sell their cars for. A compact can easily go for $40K + in Europe, so it should have the quality of a $40K+ car...Not a $15K car.

[PA Dweller]

I could point to a lot of things that this vehicle needs work on, but out of all of them they need to sell the sedan version here.

[ctaylorzl1]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

I could point to a lot of things that this vehicle needs work on, but out of all of them they need to sell the sedan version here.

Thats the same way with any car, but I think for what GM is doing with the Astra they are doing a great job. We got the hatch, which is the more sporty(and better looking IMO) of the two, and we will probably get the sedan at a later date. Cant have everything at once! The Astra is kinda of a gamble in the US, so GM is probably testing the waters with it, so now that reception is good we will probably see more variants of it ie. Sedan, TwinTop, and hopefully a SRi Turbo style version! And doubtfull but hopefully a CDTi.

[Gm786]

The owner reviews of the new Saturn Astra are looking good. I was impressed to see the kind of ratings it got so far from owners. Pretty darn good if you ask me! I still think GM should offer another engine for the Astra that's a bit more powerful then the standard engine if in the event customers may want a bit more power and performance. Other than that, I think the new Saturn Astra will generate a lot of sales for GM.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

Thats the same way with any car, but I think for what GM is doing with the Astra they are doing a great job. We got the hatch, which is the more sporty(and better looking IMO) of the two, and we will probably get the sedan at a later date. Cant have everything at once! The Astra is kinda of a gamble in the US, so GM is probably testing the waters with it, so now that reception is good we will probably see more variants of it ie. Sedan, TwinTop, and hopefully a SRi Turbo style version! And doubtfull but hopefully a CDTi.

My other gripe with the Astra is the Astra in Europe just has more. More powertrains, more options, and more body styles. It seems like they just gave us the base hatch models. I understand its cost too much to build them in Europe and import them here but I feel they need to produce them here so we can get the same vehicle the Europeans get. I just hope it sells in high enough numbers for GM to consider giving us more because as of now this is probably the best small car GM sells in this country.

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

My other gripe with the Astra is the Astra in Europe just has more. More powertrains, more options, and more body styles. It seems like they just gave us the base hatch models. I understand its cost too much to build them in Europe and import them here but I feel they need to produce them here so we can get the same vehicle the Europeans get. I just hope it sells in high enough numbers for GM to consider giving us more because as of now this is probably the best small car GM sells in this country.

We'll never get 'the same vehicle' our Euro friends get......because if GM piles on all the options, that would drive the price through the roof.....and I'm not quite sure there are as many people over here who're willing to step up and pay that much for a compact like there are in Europe.

[plane]

When are things ever going to change?
Saturn vehicles are nothing more than large panel gapped plastic-covered, half-baked, warmed-over, poorly handling Chevrolet rebadges.

None of the new Saturns have anything close to 5-star safety.
None of the new Saturns, including that little Saturn convertible, is class-leading.
All of the Saturn vehicles are at least 900 lbs overweight.
And rumors are that you need to be a German clockmaker to program the radio.
Plus, the dealership experience is absolutely horrible.

Why would anyone every buy a Saturn?
@#$%, I would even buy a GM vehicle before I would ever buy a Saturn.

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

My other gripe with the Astra is the Astra in Europe just has more. More powertrains, more options, and more body styles. It seems like they just gave us the base hatch models. I understand its cost too much to build them in Europe and import them here but I feel they need to produce them here so we can get the same vehicle the Europeans get. I just hope it sells in high enough numbers for GM to consider giving us more because as of now this is probably the best small car GM sells in this country.

I heard that when the Astra goes to Delta II, it will be built here in the states. This should be a 2010 model.

The reason the US didn't get all the different Astras is because of the high cost to certify vehicle/engines for sale in the US. GM, not knowing how it would sell here, did the smart thing and concentrated resources on the model that would generate the most sales.