Test Drive Opel GT since 2007 Convertible

Fast but different

These SUV Antara 3.2 cars and Roadster GT do not unite anything, except the Opel brand belonging. In the model range of the German company they are, we can say at different parts. Antara is designed to benefit on the European buyer, and the version with a 3.2-liter engine for the Russian market is produced exclusively at the GM Auto plant near St. Petersburg. Opel GT, Native Brother Pontiac Solstice and Twin Saturn Sky Machine Typically Zaochanskaya, sharpened for the requirements of young Americans and who fell into Europe on occasion. The question of the supply of GT to Russia is still not fully resolved, and after the doubt of the marketers, I became completely clear to me.
The roof of one!
The case was in Budapest, where the salty morning at the front entrance to the hotel with a colleague was waiting for a red Opel GT. Damn beautiful car, from one species of which breaths the spirit! He is so squat and wide, which promises to step on asphalt at good speeds. Predatory configuration with a cellular air intake and large fog in bumper; gills on the sides; Characteristic safety arcs for seats (too low and decorative, however, to ensure real safety when tipping); Expressive feed in the word, very good and sets up on combat swollen. Solstice, with whom I got close to know a couple of years ago in Detroit, also looks canceled, but Opel GT / Saturn Sky is impressive, perhaps stronger. They are something similar to the spedster who has rushing into the past, but the motor here is ahead, and not behind the seats. Go?
Not yet: the colleague decided to remove the clutter top, sin does not take advantage of the case. Oh, poor my head with balances of baseball caps, we did not catch it! Okay, open the trunk with a button on a key chain or another that is hidden in the glove compartment. And then everything is manually, no servo drives: turn the handle on the frame of the windshield, go out and fold the trunk lid, put the roof. As a result, 66 liters remain in accurate to put the CAFR with the camera, nothing will fit anything else. Everything? I sit, adjust the seat in moderation hard, but well profiled, with excellent lateral support. A small in the diameter of the raid bagel can only be moved up / down, but also this adjustment is enough to take the correct position.
Yes, inside close: a massive central tunnel presses on the one hand, the door on the other. Well, because it is a roadster, not limousine. Moreover, the Roadster is inexpensive by definition: it is enough to look at the interior decoration, pleasing a two-color color, but able to upset the hard plastic and some ergonomic solutions. Small things, except in a tiny trunk, put a strongly uncomfortable niche in the thresholds are narrow and shallow, of which even a pack of cigarettes falls. By the way, about cigarettes. Of course, I understand that smoking the habit is harmful, and it must be struggling with it. But this does not mean that the smokers should be mocked. And how, if not frightening, call the placement of ashtray and cigarette lighter in the door? If you have hands, not a tentacle, use the ashtray on the go impossible. Although with a good drive, the driver must not be smoking.
Only at the limit
I thought that, having rummaged at Solstice in the vicinity of Detroit, at the same time I would like to get acquainted with Opel GT. Nothing like this! Despite the single rear-wheel drive platform Carr and many common mechanisms and parts, not to mention the identical interior, these are different cars. Because GT has a 264-strong turbocharged engine, not an atmospheric in 177 forces, like Pontiac. And the suspension equipped with Bilstein shock absorbers is a little different, let them with the same direct transmit the slightest unevenness of the asphalt body.
While we are under robust, but some dissatisfied drilling of the engine were chosen from the city on the track, I managed to understand two things. First, that the engine does not like small revolutions, that is, it does not demonstrate a lot of acouches. Secondly, the wind blows in the salon, and it is necessary to be ready to hurricane at decent speeds. But the local audience did not deprive us with the attention of Opel GT and there is still in the wonder.
Over the city, on empty winding tracks and later on the high-speed track, everything has become completely clear. Yes, this is a car capable of giving pleasure from driving, but peculiar. First of all, it should not only put a baseball cap, but also insert in the ears of ear-made motor truly manifests itself not even on medium, but on high speed, in the range from 3500 and to limit values \u200b\u200b(the red zone on the tachometer begins with 7000 rpm ), and roars also truly. But on the briefs, Roger is controlled by canceled, and you completely appreciate the ideal weighing along the axes and the presence of a self-locking differential in the rear axle. And after a couple-triple fast cool turns, you give tribute to the settings of the chassis and the predictability of the behavior of the car.
It should be said here that the stabilization system, which moved to GT from the Chevrolet Corvette supercar, is ready to allow the prepared driver to all. Click on the desired button once the grinding asphalt with smoke with the disabled anti-passing system. I pressed the second time not surprise the demolitions of the feed under the supply of gas in the turn, because the Competitive Mode mode was involved. Well, the third pressing leaves the driver one on one with all this herd and without the help of electronics. In my opinion, the correct decision is an unlimited drive in exchange for comfort.
Movement on the highway with a maximum speed of a separate song. True, the song is not the one that is raised from the speakers at any level of volume, because it is almost not heard, but the song of free wind. What kind of sin, and on the Hungarian smooth highway, where the speed is limited to the mark of 140 km / h and where, they say, the road police are rampant, we confused when there were two hundred on the speedometer. The head, of course, does not demolish the lower part of the face windshield protects, but blows and in front, and be healthy behind! Well, let! The wind is walking around the cabin, the engine is roaring now with an excitement, the car and in fact it grips on the canvas, it takes up from above, and you carry, nothing to do, except the road, not paying attention. Feelings are not quite ordinary, but sharp.
In general, Americans who willingly offer Saturn Sky, you can understand. In particular, considering that Roaster costs them a maximum of 30 thousand dollars. Now, if the Opel GT cost the same amount in our market, he may have been some chance. But there are import duties. And thousands of forty double car with a soft roof, besides, devoid of chic in the cabin and comfort, I'm afraid we will not be in demand. Another thing is that Pontiac showed a new coupe recently, and if it would take a hard horse and GT will have something to think about.
Rest with Antara.
Rerep by GT on Antara, we seemed to get to another world cozy and quiet, not requiring any tension from a person. In the cabin you can talk without increasing the voices at any speeds, or enjoy the melody, broken from the speakers of a regular audio system is not too expensive, but sounding quite decent. This car has a distant vigise in a good company. Moreover, when the hood is not a 2.4-liter engine (about this modification Ai has already been told), and V6 is 3.2 liters. This engine shows, I would say the best quality of the SUV.
First of all, Antara 3.2 noticeably more. The point here is not only in the acceleration dynamics (8.8 seconds to hundreds). Power and torque in 297 nm, available at 3200 rpm, make the 5-step automatic act with decisive. If pauses when switching, especially down, and noticeable, they do not annoy you at all. Especially if you do not require a sports car from the car, but just moving quickly and confidently where you need. We are colleague, for example, decided not to bother at all, and fully used cruise control. Sketched the system speed 150 160 km / h slight excess in Europe, as a rule, excusably and rest, not only sleep. In this mode, I drove along a wide track with fifty kilometers, bypassed the buttons on the lever and practically not touching the pedals comfortably! And fuel consumption, it is necessary to notice, with this mode of movement is minimal.
The potential of the power unit is enough to sharply accelerate and make a maneuver if necessary. At the same time, the casual rolls are very small pendants tuned under active driving. In general, in my opinion, this motor is more suitable for ANTARA than a 2.4-liter. But perhaps it would be quite good, there are this SUV also with modern powerful turbodiesel.
As for the TOD (Torque-On-Demand) system (Torque-On-Demand), then it has already been sufficiently stated, and if that in the car chas and has changed with the installation of a 3.2-liter motor, then it was difficult to notice on dry asphalt.
Not at all Captiva.
Auxiliary has already written that, although Antara is based on the Captiva platform, these are different cars. German car (let him be done in the same Korea and in Russia) in short, almost 6 cm. But the most important differences, of course, are to design the interior, in this respect the car is completely different.
Antara 3,2 is offered only in good configurations Cosmo, Cosmo Premium and Cosmo Premium with a + sign. Honestly, I do not remember what exactly to us for the test, but it seems that it has everything you need and leather seats with electrically regulators, and a color display in the center console, and chrome. In general, everything in excess, with the exception of containers for small things in the cabin, in my opinion, is not enough. Of course, there are not too spacious pockets in the door, glove box and niche in the armrest, which is not too comfortable during the movement. And next to the stylish handle of the hand brakes do not make anything. However, I will not argue if the reader decides that it is already quirks.
Behind enough space for three. The floor is even, tunnel in the middle is not, the backrest can be adjusted along the angle of inclination, although in a small range. Naturally, the seats are unfolded both entirely and in parts, increasing the volume of the luggage compartment with a standard 420 to 1420 liters. Let's remind you by the way, in contrast to Chevrolet Captiva, Opel Antara is offered only in a 5-seater version.
Recently, Antara with the most powerful gasoline engine is collected for the Russian market only under St. Petersburg, at the GM Auto plant (Arsenal). Version with 2.4 engine is exported from Korea. Prices for 3.2-liter antara are in the range of 1,095,000 to 1,205,000 rubles.
 
Oleg Osipov
Budapest Moscow
Photo Opel
 

A source: Magazine Automotive News [July 2008]