Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Euro, Safety, Hatchbacks, GM, Saturn
C&D crowns Saturn Astra safest car under $25k
The Saturn Astra hasn't even hit production, but Car and Driver has already named the three-door version of the small hatch the safest car in the US under $25,000. This point becomes interesting when considering that NHTSA hasn't even crash tested Saturn's still unreleased model, but the European NCAP has. While the NCAP testing is worth precisely zero here in the States, the Opel version of the Astra was named the safest small car in all of Europe, beating, among others, Volkswagens that scored a Five Star NHTSA rating for side impact collisions. Since the Opel and Saturns are identical save for different badges and tires, the General has scored a PR victory before the first Saturn Astra left the assembly line.
The stylish and fun to drive (based off the Opel) Saturn Astra has almost been a forgotten launch for GM, with the release of the updated CTS and Malibu, but this small car represents a huge win for GM and its customers. It also magnifies the fact that we still can't get the European Focus Stateside.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Brian Lee 9:56AM (8/21/2007)
and no one cares...
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MikeW 11:22AM (8/21/2007)
Exactly. 4 speed auto and 5 speed manual.
and an engine that is only as good as the run of the mill honda engine-same dual length intake manifold. (and the honda doesn't have variable intake or exhaust valve timing)
Astra 139.5hp@6300, 125ft-lbs@3800
Honda R18A1, 138hp@6300, 128ft-lbs@4300
and doesn't the astra have electric power assist steering too?
Don 7:56PM (8/21/2007)
I care. I care that it's far better than anything Saturn initially offered. I care that the interior is supposed to be on par with the GTI.
Don't lump us together.
Aaron 10:01AM (8/21/2007)
the taurus seems to come in at just under 25k with esp and 6 airbags.. I may be wrong though.
I wonder where that one is on the list.
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CH 3:51PM (8/21/2007)
You're right, the Taurus, a IIHS Top Safety Pick, comes in under $25K, but isn't even on the list. Futhermore, the Opel Astra isn't the highest scoring car in its class on the Euro NCAP. The Citroen C4, Toyota Auris and the Ford Focus, among others, scored higher.
This is just more drivel from C&D. It was only 4 months ago that they claimed that safety features are silly because drivers can look and pay attention.
Owen 10:13AM (8/21/2007)
Have they released pricing yet? If it were priced in Honda Fit / Nissan Versa territory for the base models, then I can easily see this as being a safer vehicle. But I get the impression this will be more in camry / accord / Legacy pricing territory (hope not, but who knows) which will make that claim harder to substantiate.
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Guenther 11:15AM (8/21/2007)
The Aura is size and price wise in the same class as the Camry/Accord/etc. segment, so pricing for the Astra will be decidedly lower.
Rob 10:21AM (8/21/2007)
I will never understand why GM and Ford sell most of their best cars overseas and not in America. And they wonder why they are doing so poorly in the States.
This is at least a small step for GM.
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BLS 10:55AM (8/21/2007)
Hard to believe they didn't have a new CTS at Woodward. I was at a rained out Cadilac show that about 15 of the intended 100+ Caddies and La Salles showed up and there was a 2008 CTS sitting there. I was shocked at that.
I have to agree with Damon about it looking great except for the rear.
Mattias 11:01AM (8/21/2007)
Americans want large cars, not good cars.
SHOTT3R 1:55PM (8/21/2007)
@Mattias
Just this morning I was thinking that same thing. You know how they say Americans don't like hatchbacks? I think we've been looking at it wrong. Americans just can't fit themselves [or their egos] into what the rest of the world calls a hatchback. But in reality hatches are selling like hotcakes here - they're just twice as large, and called CUVs. Think about it.
TriShield 10:25AM (8/21/2007)
Sadly, I heard GM did not have any Astras at the Saturn display at the Dream Cruise this year so I didn't stop by. They should have. They also didn't have the new CTS sitting out anywhere for people to see.
Owen, the car will be priced similarly to a VW Rabbit, which is it's most direct competition.
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Mallard 3:04PM (8/21/2007)
There were 2 Astra's at Woodward. One was a 3-door and the other was a 5-door.
Krzysztof 10:27AM (8/21/2007)
I must say... the 4 door looks alot like the Nissan Versa, and the 2 door reminds me of what an updated AMC Gremlin would look like.
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Calebe 3:14PM (8/21/2007)
ROFL, Gremlin? hardly. The Gremlin's last copy was the Toyota Corolla FX16. Oh and for you AMC fan's I wasn't degrading the Gremlin. It was a strudy little car, just oddly styled.
nagmashot 3:44PM (8/21/2007)
The problem is the all new Saturn Astra is sold since 2004 as the Opel Astra Mk H .... means the your 2006 Nissan Versa looks like a Astra and not the other way around.
Most Astra for the USA will most likely come from the Opel plant in Bochum Germany. Currently the only version of the Astra produced in Belgium is the Astra convertible.
Dave 10:45AM (8/21/2007)
The looks of our door hatchbacks still haven't grown on me.
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Bill 10:53AM (8/21/2007)
But they're extremely useful (mazda3 hatch owner). People who buy this car will be interested in utility, not image. If this is priced right and has a good safety rep, it should do well. I'd buy it before a VW anyday, and since Ford dropped the Focus hatches and wagons, some people will buy it who prefer a domestic nameplate (yes, even though we know it will be made in Belgium intially). In the future I'd consider the Astra if they offered a wagon version, or some different engine options.
Dave 11:00AM (8/21/2007)
Youre absolutely right.
The utility of a four door hatchback is wonderful.
coldwarmth 10:56AM (8/21/2007)
Whats with the grey interior. Needs more color. The grey makes it look cheap.
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