Skoda Kodiaq

Has the Astra finally hit its straps in New Zealand? John Oxley explains

The Astra is a car with a checkered history in the Holden line up. It started life in 1984 as a rebadged Nissan Pulsar and was quietly dropped in 1989. It was then revived in 1995 as a rebadged Opel Astra and staggered through a few underwhelming incarnations until in 2009, when it had finally come close to being a good car, was dropped again because it was too expensive to source from Europe. After an abortive attempt to establish the Opel brand in Australia in 2013, the Astra then for some reason reappeared in the Holden line up in 2015 in three-door form, just as an all new one was released in Europe. Now that the all-new Astra is finally here, quite some time after its European release and having picked up the European Car of the Year award last year, as Holden are rather fond of pointing out. The Astra lands in New Zealand with a choice of two engines and two transmissions across three trim levels – R, RS and RS-V. The R kicks off the range at $30,990 for the manual and $32,490 for the auto and comes with a direct injection 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo engine that produces 110kw of power and 240Nm of torque (245Nm in manual form), with Holden claiming a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km with both transmissions. The R comes standard with a fairly healthy list of standard equipment, including 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-speaker audio system that includes Holden’s Mylink touchscreen infotainment system that now incorporates Apple Carplay and Android Auto, rear park assist and a backing camera, cruise control with a speed limiter function, automatic headlights and LED daytime running lights. There is also an optional “Driver Assistance Pack” available on the R that adds a leather steering wheel, low speed autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, a forward distance indicator, forward collision alert, rain sensing wipers and an electrochromic rear view mirror for $1,500. The RS drops at $33,990 for the manual and $35,490 for the self-shifter and gets all the equipment from the R and the optional package, but also gets the larger engine, a different style of 17-inch alloy wheel, keyless entry and start, advanced park assist, heated external mirrors, side skirts, side blind spot alert and rear cross-traffic alert. The top-tier RS-V costs $36,990 for the manual and $38,490 for the auto and adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a higherspec Mylink system with a larger 8-inch screen and integrated satellite navigation, LED taillights, heated leather sports seats, a heated leather steering wheel, dual zone climate control, chrome exterior detailing, ambient lighting, remote start and an electric parking brake. The RS-V also has an optional “Touring Pack” that, for $1,900 adds adaptive cruise control with full speed autonomous emergency braking and an electric sunroof. Both the RS and RS-V get a direct injection 1.6-litre fourcylinder petrol turbo unit that ups the power ante to 147kw, with torque of 300Nm in both manual and automatic form. Holden claims a fuel figure of 6.5L/100km for the manual and 6.3L/100km for the auto. Both engines are brilliantly eager and happy to rev, with the 1.4 being particularly responsive and lively, particularly when hooked up to the manual transmission. The Astra also boasts brilliant ride quality, with a distinctly European feel to it, but not at the expense of handling, again with the lighter 1.4 coming in for particular praise here. Inside the Astra is of an impressively high quality, with a high level of fit and finish, while also being comfortable and attractively modern. Well equipped and stylish (albeit a wee bit conservative), the Astra may have taken its time getting here, but it would certainly seem to have been worth the wait.