A Couple of Saturn Astra reviews

[baloo]

Originally Posted by spencerb

I also immediately drop it into neutral and coast if I see a red light ahead.

You should leave it in gear if you want to save fuel. EFI engines shut off the fuel supply altogether as long as your foot is completely off the throttle and the revs are over like 1500rpm. If you coast in neutral it uses some fuel to keep the engine idling, coasting in gear uses no fuel at all.

[SAngelo]

I own a 2000 4 door SL2 which has been a solid reliable little car with almost 80,000 miles on it. My main complaints are the low seating position, the turning cycle, the average handling and some interior quality problems (some loose fitting dash panels with gaps) and the two armrests that collapsed. All in all its a good little car, still has great looks, kind of timeless and is extremely dependable.

However, after I sat in the Astra, I realized this car has addressed all the weaknesses of the SL2 and the Ion. The solid feel of the doors, the soft touches on the high quality dashboard etc. In the article they mention noise entering the interior, the average performance etc. GM give it some sound insulation, get us a redline version (maybe a 160 hp and a 200+ DI version) and a two door and 4 door trunk version and call it a day. Right now this car is very competitive but with the changes I mentioned above, it can be class leading !!!!!! COME ON GM !!!!!

[Tethys]

To SAngelo and the others who want GM to make changes to the Astra immediately must wait until 2010 for the Delta II platform to arrive. Emissions certifying any other engines for this Astra in the U.S. will cost money GM refuses to spend and then there's the question of whether the 2.2 and 2.4 engines would fit under the hood, as those two mills aren't used in European Astras.

This Ion owner is in the minority on this point, but I'll make it again - GM/Saturn should have waited until Delta II was ready, when it could assemble the Astra in this country as well as offer sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, a small wagon and a convertible, any of which that could be ordered with a variety of engines - gas, diesel or hybrid (BAS, two-mode maybe even a plug-in).

Limiting us to two body styles, one motor, two transmissions and only bringing over 40,000 models at maximum is a half-baked stop gap since the Ion, despite its flaws and the thorough criticism it generated from the buff books and consumers, routinely sold more copies than that.

[spencerb]

Originally Posted by baloo

You should leave it in gear if you want to save fuel. EFI engines shut off the fuel supply altogether as long as your foot is completely off the throttle and the revs are over like 1500rpm. If you coast in neutral it uses some fuel to keep the engine idling, coasting in gear uses no fuel at all.

I learned this right after I made the post. When coasting in gear, mpg goes up to 999.9 on the readout. I'll start to coast in gear until just before the engine starts to lug, then I'll pop it in neutral.

[bigtime]

Originally Posted by spencerb

I learned this right after I made the post. When coasting in gear, mpg goes up to 999.9 on the readout. I'll start to coast in gear until just before the engine starts to lug, then I'll pop it in neutral.

Why I don't buy used cars. Aren't we splitting hairs here? You can't get blood out of a stone! Your that guy on the highway whose so consumed with getting the best mpg everyone behind you is pouding there fists into the steering wheel. Hardy har har. : /

[GM-Joe]

Originally Posted by Bggriffi

Did anyone check out the reader comments below the 5-door XE article? GM haters are everywhere.

spencerb... is that mpg figure all highway?

I believe it, most of the people at my work will not even step foot into an American vehicle, no matter what brand; it is a social and cultural thing, something not based upon fact or data.