One With Star Qualities

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Opel presents the new Astra at the International Auto Show. He brings everything with him to become one of the stars of this fair, as car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer says.

Von Frank Mertens

Opel also goes its way in the crisis. Shortly before the International Motor Show (IAA), which begins on September 17th in Frankfurt am Main, there is finally clarity about the new owner for the Rüsselsheim-based automaker. In the future, the supplier Magna will take over the helm. The parent company GM remains involved with 35 percent.

Most important model in the portfolio

This ends the hanging game and the Opel employees will now see what the new owner brings them. Job cuts are unlikely to be avoided. But now Opel is concentrating on the IAA for now. There Opel presents the new Astra, the most important model in the portfolio. “The discussion about Opel can be visualized on the new Opel Astra. It shows us that Opel is on a promising and successful path,”said automotive expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of the Autogazette. For him, the new Astra has what it takes to become a star at the IAA. "Everything we've seen of the Astra so far indicates that it can continue the success of the Insignia."

Whether the Astra will manage to displace the VW Golf this time, the eternal bestseller in the compact class, remains to be seen despite its significantly more advanced design. But one thing can be said even before the market launch of the new Astra in November. At least in terms of length, the Opel will surpass its big competitor by 22 centimeters at 4.42 meters. Compared to its predecessor, the Astra has grown by a whopping 17 centimeters.

You are almost in the process of redefining the class. The passengers benefit from this extra space. Even in the rear you can sit comfortably despite the sloping roofline - and the trunk still offers space for 380 liters of luggage - more than the Golf, which has 350 liters. The only question is whether there is a risk of alienating customers with these new dimensions. Finally, the compact class is characterized by compact dimensions.

Searching for direct injection in vain

But let's talk about the engines: a topic where the people from Rüsselsheim have been presented time and time again in the past by the people from Wolfsburg, who set standards with their gasoline direct injection engines. But that's not the case, as Opel doesn't have that kind of thing to offer for the time being with the new Astra. The Astra's undoubtedly more progressive design will probably not be able to offset this disadvantage on its own.

Until then, Opel customers will have to be satisfied with seven petrol and diesel engines, which have an output of 100 hp like the 1.4 petrol engine up to 180 hp the 1.6 turbo. The economy variant, the 95 hp 1.3 CDTI Ecoflex, will not be available until spring 2010. However, it should already be available for order at the market launch. For all diesel engines, the Opel employees promise a consumption of less than five liters and CO2 emissions of less than 130 grams for vehicles with manual transmission.

The flagship will then be the EcoFlex variant of the Astra. Opel promises a consumption of just 4.2 liters per 100 kilometers. That corresponds to CO2 emissions of 109 grams, not bad values. The manufacturer has not yet given any information on the exact performance and price. But one thing is already clear: to start the Astra, you will initially have to do without an automatic start-stop. VW will however present it in its economy model, the Golf BlueMotion 1.6 TDI with 105 PS. Its consumption will then be 3.8 liters and CO2 emissions of 99 grams. This gives you a consumption advantage of 0.4 liters per 100 kilometers compared to the Opel EcoFlex.

However, the Wolfsburg-based company comes out with their current BlueMotion model more than a year after the Golf VI was launched on the market. Unfortunately, despite the request, the company left unanswered when Opel will come up with an automatic start-stop system and a gasoline direct injection engine.

But even if the new Astra leaves something to be desired, one can only agree with the car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. Opel is on the right track with the Astra. Without a doubt, the newcomer has star qualities.