Happy New Year! Saturn Astra goes on sale Jan. 2nd
click above image for more views of the Saturn Astra
While Ford chose to rehash the compact Focus with a dubious restyling instead of giving us the highly regarded European Focus, Saturn has gone the opposite direction with its smallest model. It has picked up the Opel Astra, swapped out the Opel badges for Saturn ones and announced an on-sale date. Americans can pick up an Astra as soon as their New Years Eve hangover wears off on January 2nd, 2008. Saturn had already previously announced pricing for the Astra which won't come in a stripper low-ball model, but is pretty nicely equipped at the base price of $15,995. The Astra comes standard with six air-bags, ABS and traction control, moisture sensitive automatic wipers, key-less entry, cruise control and a very European driving experience.
[Source: Kicking Tires]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Richy 6:38PM (2/06/2008)
I wish people would stop bagging French and Italian cars...none of them are sold in the US so how would you know? Just because you drove an Alfa 20 yrs ago, doesn't mean you know what they're like. Italian cars in the 80's were crap and even in the early 90's they weren't so good but they've been working steadily to improve their cars. My uncle owns a new Fiat Punto Grande and his fiance has an Alfa 159 2.4 JTD Sportswagon and they're both really good cars. Solid and reliable and without a doubt no worse than the vast majority of cars on the market today. My parents as I said in another post have a Peugeot 307 HDi...so far trouble free motoring and it's been almost 2 years...
Naggs I bet you just randomly picked a selection of European cars that you thought were crap but actually probably have no idea. The C5 is another good car especially with the HydraActive suspension and the new model is set to be even better. The Skoda Roomster is basically a Volkswagen so it's no worse than any VW on the market.
I most definitely wouldn't choose a tacky, poorly designed, grotesque vehicle like the Silverado...even the 300 has it's limits. At the very least whatever the limitations of French or Italian cars, you certainly can't accuse them of not injecting a little emotion into their cars like the Italians, or quirkiness like the French.
I'd choose them any day over a big, bland, ugly uninspired piece of American design. American cars have never sold well in Australia, on account of their brashness and cheapness.
Probably not all European cars are better, but most of them are.
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AKJeeper 5:20PM (2/15/2008)
I think GM's idea of bringing their euro-market cars to the US via Saturn is a good idea. While I am really excited to finally see the Astra here - I wish they would have given us more engine/transmission chocies. I'm waiting for someone to sell a fuel efficient diesel 4dr sedan in the US. The diesel Astra I took for a drive in Germany would be PERFECT for my needs...but did GM bring it here? No! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, I really hope they decide to bring the diesel over as the Astra is a reasonably equipped and priced car. Subaru, Honda, and VW will probably sell their upcoming diesels at a premium...probably just beyond my budget...
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Lucas 12:32PM (10/02/2007)
Does anyone know the real differences ..not just the badge.. between this and the Opel?
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Maestro1 1:43PM (10/02/2007)
Front and Rear bumper cosmetics to meet crash test regulations. You wouldn't notice it on the onset though. That's all I know of.
alex 2:07PM (10/02/2007)
powertrain options as well
Rick 6:53PM (10/02/2007)
Where's the flood? Another Saturn 4x4.
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Pat 12:38PM (10/02/2007)
Let's hope the price doesn't keep customers too far away from the Saturn dealers.
Are Americans, ready to pay premiums for a well-equipped hatchback?
Time will tell...
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Alex 12:39PM (10/02/2007)
i am
Jason 1:00PM (10/02/2007)
I see tons of those little Mazda3 5-drs and VW Rabbit/GTI hatches around here.
And as SUV popularity declines I think we'll see the popularity of these "hot hatches" increase as folks want a smaller, more economical vehicle but still want the "wagon" utility that they've become accustomed to in their SUVs.
Jim Pease 4:04PM (10/02/2007)
I'd pay for a premium small car. If the Astra came with power seats and leather, it would be almost right up my alley.
Eric L. 12:38PM (10/02/2007)
This has to be one of the most hyped up cars in recent history, before an actual full review by one of the domestic car rags. So far from the "previews" I've read in the mags the Astra is good, but not quite class leading. The 1.8L engine seems anemic for a vehicle that will essentially compete with the new Corolla, Civic, Mazda 3, etc.. and while it is commendable that a ton of safety features are included (and good Euro NCAP scores), the fact is, most Americans will buy it with the automatic and GM only offers a 4A. The 5spd will do 0-60 in just under 10s, but the automatic?
It is a way way better car than the Ion though, from press reports.
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naggs 4:26PM (10/02/2007)
anemic, hardley
140 hp compared to the civic and corolla is class leading.
Eric L. 5:02PM (10/02/2007)
The next gen Corolla, due also next year, will likely have a more powerful 1.8 or 2.0L engine. The current Civic makes 140hp in normal form, and has the option for a 5A, which the Astra does not.
Val 5:18PM (10/02/2007)
If this car is going to be imported from germany, it could hardly be called untested... It's been on sale in europe for 4 years, and many magazines have positive reviews on it. It's definitely going to be the ONLY "american" (gm sourced from opel) contender in this class, featuring corolla, mazda 3 and civic. It is comparable with their european versons, so it should fare quite well in this segment. Oh, and in europe most people opt for the diesel versions, which will never be offered in the US
Mondo 12:41PM (10/02/2007)
I don't know what all of the differences are between Euro-spec and US Astras but let's not delude ourselves into thinking everything across the pond is better than what we have here. They have some pretty craptastic cars there as well.
That being said, I really like the lineup that Saturn has put together: Astra, Aura, Vue, Outlook and Sky with some hybrids mixed in. Of all the domestic brands Saturn has done the best over the last couple of years in positioning themselves for success.
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Cortez 5:11PM (10/02/2007)
Mondo!
Please tell me what EU car is crap compared to your "great American cars"
Mondo 5:25PM (10/02/2007)
Cortez, give me a break man. You can't honestly believe that every single car made in Europe is great. There are some crappy cars there too. Refer to Mr Oak's comment.
I'm not making this an US v. EU battle, simply stating that one should not automatically assume all Euro cars are better without doing the requisite research.
There are some good American cars. Am I happy with the overall domestic lineup, no. Do I drive an American car, no. But being fair and honest I have to admit that there are some good American cars.
mdm-adph 5:46PM (10/02/2007)
...but you didn't answer his question. :P
naggs 1:06AM (10/03/2007)
there are plenty of euro models that are crap and should stay there. most french and italian cars are total crap, bottom of the barrel on reliability.
naggs 1:20AM (10/03/2007)
you want specific models? how about the fiat alba, nuovo doblo, cirtoen c5, peugeot 1007 or how about the charming skoda roomster scout...
surely you are not claiming that these are all better vehicles than a chrysler 300, ford mustang or a chevy silverado?
there are bad cars everywhere, every company has its hits and misses