Test drive Opel Astra sedan since 2007 sedan

Opel Astra, long test: interior charms

On the odometer of the white 140-horsepower turbocharged Astra 1.4, 33 thousand kilometers ran. Conclusions about the convenience of using the interior have long been made for a long time, and we will concentrate on this.

So, there are exactly no claims to the ergonomics of the front seats. And the optional anatomical seats who received an orthopedic certificate of the quality of the independent council of German experts and doctors in the field of ergonomics AGR (AKTION GESUNDER RCKken E.V. movement for the health of the back), generally a fairy tale. For the seats, you need to pay 20 thousand rubles, but, believe me, it’s worth the back in them does not get tired at all! Developed lateral support, adjustable in length, height and tilt, a pillow, changing in two directions, a lumbar back on the long journey it is the most. The pedal node is a little crowded, but adjusting the steering column will fully satisfy the riders of any complexion. Conveniently, you can’t say anything.

Emotions in the interior of Astra compared to the previous generation were added as much as the functionality became more. The salon has become a little wider. Previously, even a mobile phone was nowhere to put. Now a bunch of containers and boxes around the perimeter. In the central armrest there is even a secret container, and under the front seat you can order a separate box. The backlight, of course, is good

But this is the positive, alas, ends. Categorically do not like the handles of seats. Each time you pinching your fingers rushing up and down with a handle that changes the height of the pillow of the chair. And to the lamb, changing the back of the back, you can’t get there at all. Not only is it in an uncomfortable place between the side of the back and the middle stand, but access to it is also limited to the seat belt mount. In general, it is inconvenient to operate with a brush when adjusting. This is a clear ergonomic mistake. If you are constantly changing with another driver, a chair is tortured to reconfigure.

The control of the multimedia system and the climate in Vadim Gagarin did not cause problems, because he prefers a dissipation of buttons than confused wandering on the menu. I and many other colleagues did not like the management. Most noted that the front panel was overloaded. Indeed, the engineers are clearly overdated here. You could do with a much smaller number of keys. Management is confusing and simply uncomfortable, the picture is completed by an illogical light indication of the keys. In the dark, at first glance, you can’t make out which of the blowing modes is involved. Easier is needed.


The finish of the front panel and the upper part of the front doors is soft, the rear doors are trimmed with plastic texture, but for some reason oak. Bottles up to 1.5 liters in front and up to 1 liter from the back are placed in the door pockets.

Multimedia requests confirmation of almost any team what do you think where the OK key is located? The answer is simple. Nowhere. To confirm, you need to press on a turning ring with a chrome rim, inside which there is a static joystick. None of the focus group did this the first time. Everyone poked past either in the joystick itself, or into the volume adjustment handle, which is higher.

It is clear that this is a matter of habit, but at the time of adaptation, when you are not yet familiar with the car, it is inconvenient. So it’s not safe. A simple example: you just left the car dealership, and Astra, say, reports at the top of the screen: your fuel ends, lay the route to the nearest gas station?, While offering two alternatives of OK and cancellation. You logically look for the OK key on the panel, but you cannot find it. And this, damn it, is completely unsafe in the search you have to be distracted!

There is a great trouble, you can stop, look, tuck to the touch, study the instructions, in the end it is possible, but the extra, I would even say that parasitic actions on the road do not contribute to the safety of rebuilding, stopping, standing on an emergency gear, then move out, accelerate, accelerate, accelerate. To join the stream and this is all because of the non-standard absurdity that the engineers dangled ... concerns all the placers of keys.

Here, one wonders, why to be original and the garden to fence? After all, everything has been invented for a long time, and there are a bunch of more logical and elegant solutions. There are prevailing traditions, canons and habits. How do you, interestingly, will respond if the manufacturer on one of the models takes and suddenly changes the gear switching circuit in the box? Or, say, will change the gas and clutch pedal in places?! I remember on the Astra of the previous generation there were non -fixed steering wheel switches. Conveniently? Someone got used to, the first time, I do not argue. But, remember how much abuse of these levers were? So, the Opelians refused this idea ...

Another inconvenience associated with the front console is the connection of external audio sources. To stick a USB flash drive into a USB port or plug in the AUX-connector is inconvenient, especially if charging sticks out of a 12-wound outlet. In a deep niche there is too little space for the brush, moreover, the USB port is installed upside down! Little things? Yes. But they make you distract from the road more than usual.

There are no complaints about the multimedia system menu. However, navigation is not the best. Full of white spots (see animation), a simple graphics, in addition, it can display a card only in 2D mode. Courtyard driveways at the maximum approximation graphically do not differ from the streets. In some places, misses with the name of the streets are seen. Tyetena tried to wrap me under the brick a couple of times. Although this can be forgiven, who does not sin like this now? Just be an eye and an eye. By the way, the navigation system is available only in the Premium package for 59,000 rubles, which includes adaptive xenon light AFL+. Those who go to Dalnyak at night, on this package, is better not to save. Retrieved by traveling to St. Petersburg.

For the legs of the rear passengers, alas, alas, not as much as we would like. When I sit in the back seat myself (I have a 190 cm height), my knees practically propagate the back of the front chair. The volume of the cargo compartment is completely traditional for this class of cars. If you fold the rear seats, the trunk will increase from 370 (to the window sill) to 1235 liters. This is enough to download two adult bicycles to the troubles of immediately. True, one during the experiment had to remove the front wheel. I would like hooks and lies, so that you can hang bags of Auchan and holding nets.

To date, there have been without malfunctions. We go further. To be continued.

Vitaly Kabyshev
Photo: Vitaly Kabyshev

 

 

A source: Auto.mail.ru