Test Drive Opel Astra Sedan 1998 - 2008 Sedan

Turbated Astra will make you crazy

If you want to sleep well, do not buy this car. Why do you need your girl to constantly rush tantrums, demanding to go remembered? Why constantly pay fines for speeding? Why walk all day in a slightly excited state? Believe me, after a couple of hours after driving on this car, when you hike in a supermarket, you will represent that you are dragging not a big cart with products, but sitting at the wheel of a sports car (all this will eventually end on some other buyer and scandal) . These are the consequences of communication with Opel Astra 2.0 Turbo. And we experienced them on our own skin, riding a few days on such a car.

Opel Astra has always been considered a rather modest car. And it was usually bought only as a simple and unpretentious means of movement. However, the new generation of Astra, which appeared on sale last year, no longer looks like a gray mouse - the design of the new Astra is quite good. But most pleased with the salon. Compared with its predecessors, the insides of the car began to look much more serious. When you sit in this car, yes even if it has a good complete set, you immediately understand that Astra is already a completely adult car. Sitting inside the turbocharged machine is convenient, for which a special thanks is worth saying leather chairs with developed lateral support. Generally we tested the car had a very good equipment with air conditioning, leather chairs, ESP system, and so on.

And yet in this particular car, the most interesting is hiding under the hood. There is a 2.0 l engine. With a turbocharged power of 170 hp For a machine of such sizes, it is more than enough, because 90-120 hp is quite enough to classify classification. And here 170 horses immediately. Yes, in addition, the turbated ASTRA has a tougher suspension compared to conventional machines, other steering characteristics (by the way, for the steering wheel itself very convenient) and other secondary attributes of the speed-oriented vehicle.

Who came up with such switches?
What are you writing about here? What speed and adulthood of the car can we talk, if he is on himself a shameful brand Opel? That is how the haters of this German brand can say. It is difficult to say with what the dislike of some drivers to the machines of this brand is connected, but believe me, Astra with 170 horses under the hood is really a very good car. And this feeling appears even until it go somewhere.

Although, to admit, the first sensations from riding this car were not the most pleasant. The clutch pedal seemed too tough, and the steering wheel is somewhat heavy. Riding on the branded by cars, the city resembled some kind of mockery cost a little more threatening the gas pedal, as the car sharply, no did not move, rushed forward (more or less to get used to the character of the charged Astra only on the second day of the ride). But most of all Besil is not. Real aggression caused steering wheel switches, which in the company itself called the fashionable word sensory. They are made so that after turning on the signal signal, it is completely incomprehensible in what position the lever is now. And to turn off the turn signal sometimes you have to do several movements with a lever up / down in an attempt to catch a zero. As a result, after some time, there was no desire to touch the turn signal at all. Of course, Opel sellers will now say the standard phrase about the fact that it is easy to get used to the levers, but we never managed to do this in a few days.

Over time, another serious puncture in the ergonomics of the radio tape recorder in Astra is located in the central part of the console, but there is no scoreboard there! To find out which radio station works, you need to look at the display located almost at the windshield! I do not know what the German engineers thought about, but it was not very uncomfortable to use such a scheme, and there were no remote control systems on this machine.

You give free space!
In general, the first 5-10 minutes no pleasure from driving this car was not. However, it was worth only to go to a more or less free track as Astra with a herd out of 170 horses began to show everyone around that Opel could produce very good cars. The turbocharged engine makes it possible to accelerate very quickly, and at the same time the driver almost never looks at the speedometer once (hence the constant fines for speeding). And it was very pleased that the 2.0-liter engine does not have a classic disadvantage of turbocharged units, which show all its strength only after 3-4 thousand rpm. The characteristics of the unit are such that it is able to powerfully pull even from the lowest, and the so-called turboyama is simply not here! In general, Astra 2.0 Turbo allows you to light on the full program all the coarse on charged nines simply rest. Driving 170-strong Astra is simply impossible to go slowly! This machine makes you constantly harm the gas pedal and any driver of the turbocharged Astra instantly begin to irritate the adjacent cars that you want to overtake. In general, when ahead is a free road, then this is one solid buzz!

Astra showed himself even better when driving around winding paths. Rolls are minimal, and it is very difficult to rip off this car. Yes, in principle, it is almost impossible, because the car is equipped with the ESP system. And it is strong not recommended to turn off, especially if you consider yourself a young, but already a very experienced driver who is able to go quickly anywhere. Alas, but usually people with such a high self-esteem sooner or later come to themselves only in some ditch, although in the case of Opel Astra 2.0 Turbo it will happen later. We repeat once again, this car is very tenaciously holding the road, prescribing every turn in the way the driver wants.

By the way, on the Astra dashboard there is a Sport button. In theory, if you click on it, then the car will become even more sporty. However, when driving around the city, no special difference between the two modes, we failed to feel.
Of course, Opel Astra 2.0 Turbo is not a real sports car who can break anyone on the road. However, this car makes the heart beat more often. And even the brand Opel can not interfere with this. Moreover, the charged Astra once again proves that it is time to stop unfortunately to skip the Opel brand only for the fact that it is called Opel. Powerful Astra really excites blood. Not as strong as Porsche or Ferrari, but enough for in the morning with pleasure to get along with the wheel of this car. Moreover, Astra 2.0 Turbo is much more affordable than the same Porsche. For example, the car we tested for $ 30 thousand. Of course, for Opel Astra, this is a very decent amount, but you need to remember that for this money is not just a vehicle tool, and the car can deliver a lot of pleasure (just it would be nice to snatch to the damn mother stupid Steel switches). Moreover, the competitors of Astra 2.0 Turbo stand, well, at least, not cheaper.
 

A source: AUTO.Mail.Ru.