2008 Saturn Astra XR 3 Door

[ChevyRules]

We went by to my local Saturn dealer and drove the Astra 3 door. I must say the Astra is a better quality vehicle then the Aura.

Exterior: 5 door: Overall it has a nice stance. But, not a fan of the squared C- Pillar and the duller tail lights. It does have better visibility then the 3 door.

3 door: This is the one I would buy. I like the swooping design of the B-Pillar back. The tail lights have a bit more flare to them then the 5 door.

Interior: Easy to get in the rear seats in the 3 door. The shifter quality of both the stick and auto have a nice feel to it. Better then the Aura's shifter. The quality of the lower dash plastics is much better then the hard and harsh plastics of the Aura's. The steering wheel had a nice grip at 9 and 3. The radio/ DIC controls are a bit confusing at first, but at the end of the test drive when my dad was driving it, I had begun to figure out the controls. The cloth seats hold me in place pretty well. Again, better then the Aura.

Handling/Suspension: Due to the smaller size of the Astra vs the Aura, the Astra was nimbler. It is much easier to throw around the Astra and it doesn't complain. The suspension is also better then the Aura's. The Astra's suspension is firm like the Aura, but it absorbs the bumps much better. It is almost BMW like. That is why the car can handle the Autobahn unlike my Opelized G6.

Acceleration/braking: I agree with Du with this one. The engine loves to go at 3K RPM. It is the sweet spot for the car. Anything under 2500 RPM is too weak. The engine is louder then the American Ecotec, but it is a good loud. It sounds far nicer then the American Ecotec. Braking is fairly good too. The brake feel is nice and firm unlike the Aura which is a bit softer. The brakes are responsive. Overall, the 1.8 Ecotec moves the Astra nicely. But, it could use a bit more power to compensate for the poor low end power.

Conclusion: Would buy this car in a heartbeat. It drives better then the Civic. Both cars are well planted in the corners, but the Civic's steering is number then the Astra's and a bit over boosted as well. Bringing over the Astra nearly untouched maybe one of GM's smartest moves when it comes to the small car market and maybe even one of the best overall decisions they have ever made. They just need to put a bit bigger engine in it and bring the sedan over to appeal to the American consumer( I would buy the hatch though). My dad said this on the way home, " It is pretty amazing how Saturn has improved over the past 10 years. They used to be cheap junk, but they have come a long way lately and putting out some nice cars."