First the Volkswagon Golf and then the 2008 Astra XE model. In being completely honest i was trying to get a small car with best bang for my buck.I think this is where many of us come down to but not all of course.

I also took out a Kia Spectra 2009 – not a fair comparison because the Kia Spectra is not even in the same class in many ways and more importantly the price. The Spectra is equal money to the Astra but not equal car in many ways. Coincidentally, i took out the Spectra Sedan and the Spectra hatchback is more money ( to strange to figure out)

I had a hesitation with the Asta 4 dr hatch as it is the only choice, however realizing i am not purchasing a van, one must come to realize you are buying a small car. The seating in the Astra was similar to any smaller sedans and adequate spacing for passenger rear seating. I have owned an Acura Integra from early 1990’s and i enjoyed driving the Astra as much if not more than the Acura Integra. When we compare apples to apples in driving experience typically the emphasis is on the drivers comfort and so it should be. I am driving to Florida soon from Ontario and i wouldn’t hesitate taking this car their and would love to give it a go their, but with 2 kids in the back this is my only concern for their comfort, again this isn’t a van where rear seats can be tilted back for extra comfort, but with any small car hatchback or not, you will find this with any “car” for the most part. The driving experience with the Astra was fantastic. I was very impressed with many of the features it had to offer. I found it powerful enough, it handled great on the highway and i got it up to speeds of 120- 130km/hr and no whining. The great thing at those speeds it didn’t feel like it was in stress. If your looking for speed buy a car that is built for it,if your looking for a car that is peppy, handles great, consider this one, best bang for your buck from what i have seen from what others have to offer.

I also do like the 16″ wheels, Bigger radius means more control, in winter climate it is a plus. After reading the authors comments the only drawback he has mentioned is the lack of sporty look and the only offering of a hatchback for now. Two points of consideration worth mentioning but not worth considering, when you look at how much car you are getting and again i comeback to best bang for your buck.

As far as a 24 hr clock, centre console, cup holder, auxillary port for the sound system,wow what a great loss.. If this is what it takes to buy a nice car i guess this will always be an oversite on my part. I call these items window trimmings at best. 24 hr clock it will take you a day or two to get use to it and dependant on your occupation a 24 hr clock is nifty.if you need to tell time look at the watch on your wrist that is if you are in the generation that still wears a watch. I am sorry for your loss on these very important items. If your going to find fault with the car, with all do respect, find fault with it for items that are most apparent of being very important for what is under the hood, the drive and comfort..Also for those who say it lacks power in speed, with more speed, more often than not comes $$ gas consumption another important consideration this day and age of change(s) appearing to be coming down the unforeseen road of car manufacturers..

For me small/great handling == Ton-O-Fun

I own a 91 G20 with 230K miles. It’s time to think about a replacement and the Astra sounds like the perfect car for me. Is there any chance I’d have someone to honor any kind of warranty for the next five years or should I just forget about it and move on?

(Thanks to Macca for the G20 reference)

– I have yet to see another Astra on our overpopulated roads

– I never once felt that the car was too sluggish or inadequate. It moved when I put my foot down, and I dominated our highway’s fast lane. That’s hard to do in south Florida.

– The car buying experience was actually pleasant, if not downright enjoyable. I truly believe the Mazda salesperson’s goal was to make me feel stupid and inferior

– The extra $4000 I DIDN’T spend looks real good in my bank account, not to mention how it will continue to grow from the gas I WON’T have to buy.

A car doesn’t have to have top-performance numbers to be exciting to drive (think Honda Prelude: marginal performance, but extremely fun to drive). This car whips around corners and darts through traffic.

If you want, or need, to be the quickest off the line, don’t buy this car. But if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, there’s no other choice.

But I still like it. I like that it’s different without trying to be different (like those horrifying little mini Alice in Wonderland steering wheels that (dis)graced the early Saturn Ions).

I like the quality interior — I mean, have you SEEN some of the interiors of cars in this segment? I have. Just yesterday, in fact. Went to about 6 different dealerships and saw pretty much everything. It was revolting — I don’t sincerely know how Toyota, Honda and even Mazda get free passes when it comes to such low-grade interiors.

I like the fact that the radio works even if there is no key in the ignition. Did you know this? I didn’t. Was playing around in the dealership and there it was.

I like the fact that actual grown ups can sit in the back seat, and the car doesn’t compensate for this by looking like a giant bubble (Yaris, Versa).

I like the fact that — for whatever reason, perhaps even valid, cynical, stupid GM reasons — there just aren’t a lot of Astras out there. I’m not blaming (how can I?) Mazda for inspiring so many people in my area to buy Mazda 3s, or Honda for selling Civics, and so on. More power to them. I just like knowing that the Astra to Mazda 3/Honda Civic/VW GTI ratio will always be safely 1:infinity (you know what I mean).

I like the fact that you can get heated seats — and only heated seats — and not some giant (in)convenience package that includes 10 other things you don’t want.

I like the fact that ABS brakes are standard, that there is far more safety integrated into the car that I can possibly comprehend (or want to). I feel stupid “paying” for safety with other cars.

I like the fact that the car shifts into neutral when it idles. That is just COOL. Really — it’s like your car is trying to help you save gas. What kind of car does that?

I like the fact — and this is going to seem even dumber than the stuff above, maybe — that I don’t have to haggle about the price. That even if GM is losing money on each vehicle they sell (what, do governments teach courses in this now? But seriously…) I don’t have to play “what will it take for you to get into this car right now” with the salesmen. Compare this to the answer I got when asking a Hyundai salesperson about the price of an Elantra: “well, what do you want it to be?”

Didn’t his mom ever teach him not to answer a question with a question?

I like the fact that the car won’t outrun a rabbit (I mean a VW Rabbit…though, I guess if you got some red bull into an actual rabbit…er…). Last I checked, the swift VW Rabbit was astrocious on gas. If that’s not a concern for others, then hey, good for you. It is for me. I have never needed to go from 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. *never* And the intellectual awareness that I “could if I wanted to” is not worth $500-$1000 more a year in gas. I’ll spend that on heated seats.

I love — and this is beyond like — the size of the Astra sunroof. You could grow an entire colony of chia pets in the back seat. It’s THAT big. And it’s a graceful gift from engineering gods to people in the back seat, who have something to stare out of.

And I like the price. Less than $25k on the road, uplevel with heated seats. Wow.

I’m not here to convince anyone to get an Astra.

I’m just a guy getting a car in the next few days. And yes, it’ll be an Astra.

I would also personnaly disagree with the Mazda 3 comparison, I purchased this car because its not a Mazda 3 or Matrix. This car turns heads, a Mazda 3 is just another number. In North America we have been trained differently and look at our vehicles differently, they have been dumbed down so much that we get confused that the icons arent big enough? come on! we know what direction the air controls work, there all the same, its intuitive, do you really need icons? We’re also supposed to be driving not drinking or talking on our cell phones.

Personally I like that this car is different and after 2 weeks I am totally aclimated to its nuances, including the cup holder. The ride is superb! it looks great! unless you’re into a conservitive puddle jumper, more power would be nice.

We need to start thinking of small cars differently, small cars can drive nice, they can have leather, and they don’t have to come from Japan where you’ll see 200 just like it in the Costco parking lot.

If you want a car thats different for North America, and has some refinements you can actually use give this car a serious try. It may be a dismal failure but so far it sure has been fun!

His final sentence, basically that the car is “doomed to failure”. A harsh and bold summation, but he supports his contention most eloquently.

The G20 also suffered from some lack of ‘Americanization’ – only real cupholders in the rear-seat armrest, smallish interior, and apparently horrible performance numbers according to most Americans (barely sub-10 sec. 0-60 time in the automatic version).

I’d like to see the Astra be a success – but I’m not sure just how large the customer base is here in America that really desires a more ‘Euro’ car. I’m fine with many of the attributes (plenty quick enough for my tastes, I don’t eat in my car period, hatches are wonderfully practical) and impressed with others (apparent great driving dynamics).

Plenty of ‘car nuts’ are more likely to worry about handling over straight-line acceleration or cup holders any day, but for Saturn to really make a splash with the Astra, I’m not sure if those folks who do appreciate it for what it is – and what it’s not – exist in large enough numbers to make it a success. Kind of like folks who appreciate premium small cars – apparently I’m in the minority there, too.

Oh, and an armrest too. How difficult could these things be?

Since this car has been in production a few years I figure it must have some reliability data.

Where have previous Saturn engines been built?

Not totally sure what you mean by GM designed or Opel designed, as Opel is a 100% fully owned subsidiary of General Motors.

The Saturn Astra is the only GM car in the U.S. with the 1.8 liter Ecotec engine. It’s built in Szentgotthard, Hungary.

Over 95% of cars in Europe are manuals. Cruise control is of absolutely no use, especially in this class of cars. No one drinks coffee in their cars, cause they’re so busy shifting and steering around bends. Anyway, a stiff espresso break at a quaint cafe’ beats Micky D’s any day, and a hatch….is…just exactly what makes sense.

I can put up with Astra’s quirks for now, but I agree, we need different stuff here. (and more pferde staerke)

Expedient, yes. I hope the next gen will have an I pod jack, but still not be too amerikanisch!

Justin, love your writing style!

Speaking of americanizing, look at L-series. L300 had the wonderful 3.0 ltr opel designed, vauxhaull built engine which will run forever provided oil changes were done on time. Pity this ellesmere port, england made engine was the only bright spot of it provided you didnt get the ecotec four banger which had nothing to do with opel.

L300 was supposedly a vectra except by the time saturn got done with it, they probably carried over a few nuts and bolts that would fit on the palm of your hand. What a colossal failure… It sold some 400k units over 5 years before being discontinued. Camry sold that many in one year. Whole car squeaked and rattled with panel gaps big enough to stick your hand in. Americanizing was a failure and yet they didnt learn the lesson well in Aura’s case.

BTW, tight suspensions are good but where I live, they are punishing and oh manuals are great except when you crawl along the highway in a stop n go traffic for hours on end. Thats just me though..

The automotive people complain for YEARS that GM does not give us its European-market cars. GM brings an almost unmodified Euro-spec car, upon which it will lose money on every single example sold, only to have people COMPLAIN:

1) Not enough / too small cupholder
2) 24 hour clock (are you kidding me?)
3) No diesel / No 2.0L Turbo
4) No Ipod jack
5) No sedan (are you kidding me?)
6) No Nav system

Let’s just forget that it is one of the best handling cars in its class, has an interior that blows the Mazda 3 away, has a much more fuel-efficient engine than that ogre in the Rabbit, has been out in Europe for four years and has had all the kinks worked out, and is probably the most elegant and understated hatchback under 20K out there.

You know what? Don’t buy it then. Get a Mazda or VW or whatever you want. I am eagerly awaiting my Astra in January. Also cannot wait to see the next-generation in 2009/10.

Looks like GM went with a 80% car that was just not fully localized? No big deal to me. I work in localization every day. Sometimes the product just has to go out. Why they are in a hurry to get people to come in and but a car they lose money on, yeah that’s a head-scratcher, unless the want to go for the upsell.

To me this looks like a decent appliance with the manual trans I can’t get in the Aura. Mazda’s still better, but this is a world better than the new U.S. Focus (but Ford will proabably make a little money on almost every one of the warmed-over Focuses they sell).

That sounds like it might be a bit of problem. This assures that sales volumes will be low and opportunities for brand building will remain minimal. Makes it clear that the concept of a “GM management team” is an oxymoron.

It’s just part of the usual syndrome:

-GM fails to give the customer what s/he wants

-Customer buys something else, instead

-Stunned managers, employees, and fans of GM blame the yen, car magazines, Consumer Reports, labor unions, “bigots,” the US government, the Great Asian Conspiracy, the lack of a gold standard, and a long list of other assorted excuses when the car gets trounced by the competition and it doesn’t hit targets.

I go back to the usual mantra: The customer is always right. If the customer wants a 12 hour clock, six cupholders and fuzzy dice, then just be quiet and give it to them. If GM manages to lose sales over a cheap clock that everyone else offers its customers, then that’s just sheer stupidity on the company’s part.

Say what you want, but those two details, one trivial to fix and the other only slightly hard, are going to cost Saturn plenty of sales.

How many young women, for example, are going to put up with a car that has a useless clock and no place for their Starbucks? The target market for this vehicle includes a whole bunch of young women.

How is it that every other maker selling into this segment can get those things right while GM, still the world’s largest automotive company, can’t get it right?

Send Lutz another $1M, he sure is an amazing Product Czar!