Test drive Opel Astra sedan since 2007 sedan
ASTRALOGY
The fourth -generation Opel Astra, which goes on sale at the beginning of next year, proves that compact cars are not alien to high technologies. For the first time, the new Opel Astra was shown at the Frankfurt car dealership this fall, but then its debut remained in the shadow of the ampera model almost ready for the production of an exotic appearance hybrid. However, for Astra J it is of great importance, since it belongs to the mass segment C, and it is obvious that it has high hopes. By the way, the previous generations of the model that saw the light in 1991 were sold by millions of print runs, although they were not deprived of shortcomings.
The program of the 2010 Opel Astra test drive in the vicinity of Frankfurt was very saturated and included not only pokatushki along a variety of roads and the test track, but also live communication with engineers who developed the nodes of the new car.
So, at our disposal a red hatchback with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. Although the appearance can be called relatively calm, even small details look thoughtful. In the appearance of the machine, the stylistics of a modern automobile mainstream was used. And the key motives found in the Insignia sedan, for example, energetic substetricians on the sidewalls, emphasized the protruding rear wings and rear windows with the reverse inclination. Opel Vice President Mark Adams explains that the topics that were used in Insignia are interpreted in Astra in a new way, since it is important that each Opel model has its own individual style. You can’t argue with these words, but it may seem to someone that the novelty does not reach the venality and aggressiveness of the lines inherent in the previous Astra.
In the salon, the real triumph of ergonomics meets the main role in this is played, of course, sports seats with a whole host of adjustments of which is four -position lumbar support! Pillow roller, the widest movements of the movement of 208 mm in the longitudinal direction, 65 mm in height. With such arsenal, it is not difficult to adjust the chair under the average driver. Caring for passengers is also manifested in a large number of boxes for trifles. A bottle of water will fit in the door pocket, you can put documents, interchangeable shoes in a container under the seat to the glove compartment to the left of the steering wheel under the torpedo, and everyone will solve the secret compartment in the armrest for himself. Under the sonorous name Flex-Floor, another unusual solution is presented with a transformed trunk shelf. In order not to blame a variety of belongings in a heap, but gently lay out in literally on the shelves, with the help of a simple mechanism, the panel is placed in one of three positions in height. More about another invisible eye, Mariella Vogler, a leading interior developer, told us about the features. This is a special blossom blowing mode intended for people who use contact lenses. The air flow through the ventilation grilles is directed in this case down with less intensity. About trifles such as 2-zone climate control, control of functions from the steering wheel and a powerful audio system, one can not mention this by course. With this level of thoughtfulness of ergonomics, it remains incomprehensible by no means intuitive management of the joystick of the on -board computer to call the navigation system without the help of experienced people rarely anyone managed the first time. By the way, with the number of silver inserts in the design of the salon, in our opinion, a clear overkill has also been released. The designers paid special attention to acoustic comfort. Impressive sound insulation, the use of hydraulic silent blocks and other technical tricks provide silence in the cabin at almost any speed. It is interesting that even the sound of closing the door was thoroughly set up thoroughly, because the first thing the buyer hears when choosing a car in a car dealership.
Still, the new Astra takes others. We were absolutely conquered by the stability of the hatchback. Sometimes there was a feeling that the wheels were glued to the road with invisible glue, so exactly the car executed all the orders
driver. Several circles on a special profiled ring for high -speed tests at the Ophevsky training ground Dudenhof showed that even in extreme modes Astra remains incredibly stable and predictable in control, as if this is not a compact hatchback, but another sports car. Not to say that the car provokes an aggressive driving, but at any moment she is ready for it and smooths out all the flaws (or intentional tricks) of the driver. First of all, it is the merit of a 71 mm of the wheelbase (compared to the previous model) and the advanced rut of the front and rear wheels, which provided a large projection area onto the supporting surface. An increase in the hardness of the body for twisting by 7%also played a role. But the innovative rear suspension scheme is especially noted, which first combined a semi -dependent beam with the Watt mechanism. As the chief of the chassis developers Eric Stachek explained, this design provides stiffness in the transverse direction, allowing you to maintain the comfortable properties of the traditional beam. Separate contribution to the ASTRA behavior is introduced by electronically controlled shock absorbers with variable stiffness (Normal, Sport, Tour position), a front subframe on hydraulic silent blocks and a steering wheel, transferred to the steering rack. As for the set of engines, here, as it should be cars of this class, you can choose from a wide range, including eight units. Gasoline engines with turbocharged and without it develop from 100 to 180 hp, and the power of the diesel diesel engines in Europe varies from 95 to 160 hp. As expected today, the engines lost weight in the working volume, but added in economy. It is enough to note that the average
the fuel consumption in diesel engines is 4.6 liters per hundred, and in engines operating in the OTTO cycle, only 6.1 liters. At the same time, emissions of harmful substances into the environment decreased by 12%. Motors are aggregated with 5- or 6-speed mechanics or a 6-band automaton. Behind the scenes there are several more innovations that we had to evaluate in absentia. We will call the new generation of Bixenon front headlights Advanced Forward Lighting (AFL+), which change the intensity of lighting and the shape of the light beam, depending on the road conditions, the front view camera, which recognizes road signs and prevents the driver if the car deviates from the trajectory of traffic. Also in the list of options there is a FlexFix device designed to transport bicycles, it is made of the rear bumper. True, about 500 euros will have to pay for it.
Summarizing a one-day test drive, it seems that the new Opel Astra has every chance of becoming not only a new bestseller of the brand, but also to raise a bar for classmates in technical equipment and sled characteristics. The key question is whether the company will be able to keep the price for such an advanced car? Opel representatives assured us that if the cost rises, then it was slightly. Well, it was not long to wait.
AIC certificate
From cadet to astra The first Opel named Astra saw the light in 1991 and replaced the famous Kadett model, which has been leading its history since 1936. Holding to the conveyor for eight years, Astra F dispersed around the world with a circulation of 4.13 million copies. In 1996, for the first time for compact class cars on Astra, air conditioning appeared in the basic configuration. Two years later, the next generation model appeared with the G index, the design of which was completely modeled on the computer using three -dimensional modeling. The current Astra H family continued the success of the predecessors by August 2009, five years after the start of release, 2.5 million cars were found their owners. For the first time for this class of machines, the models were used by electronic shock absorbers, rotary headlights, panoramic windshield and other innovations.
