2008 Saturn Astra

Saturn’s current mission is to be the most European of all GM’s US brands.  There is plenty of European influence in their Aura sedan and the Outlook crossover, and the new Saturn Vue is a clone of Germany’s Opel Antara. Well now, Saturn is launching another European import, the Astra Compact. The Astra is the best selling car in Europe, and a major departure from all Saturn small cars before it. But, while Americans love everything European in luxury cars, are they ready to warm to the Astra?

So unfiltered is its translation for Saturn, the new Astra takes its place along side the Volkswagen Rabbit as a European compact car in the purist sense. But, while the Rabbit is entry level, Saturn is after a more premium status for its Astra.

In Europe, the Astra is available in a wide variety of body styles and trims including a convertible. For the U.S., the Astra is limited to five-door hatchbacks in XE and XR trim, and the sportiest XR three-door.

The Astra has a wheelbase of 102.9 inches and an overall length of 170.5 inches, slightly longer than a Rabbit.  But rather than the Rabbit’s box, the Astra’s profile delivers a wind swept, rally car look.

The hatchback’s taut and athletic persona is marked by large headlamp clusters, short overhangs, prominent wheel arches, and a steeply raked windshield. About the only Saturn hardware is the horizontal grille and badging.  Ditto the back-end with its shiny trim bar and oversized wraparound tail lights.

The 5-door model offers 16- or 17-inch wheels, while the sportier 3-door can be bumped up to optional 18-inchers.

Our front-drive Astra sports adequate power from a corporate Ecotec 1.8-liter 4 with variable valve timing. This quiet, peppy motor produces 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual is standard, while the optional four-speed automatic has a fuel saving feature that shifts it into neutral at stops.

Still, in this area, the Astra falls way short of the punchier 170-horsepower Rabbit.

But the Astra’s true talents are in its European driving dynamics.  Thankfully, Saturn did not soften the Astra to American taste.  We experienced its agile handling and fun-to-drive feel on the sweeping roads in and around San Diego.  The Astra proved itself to be solid and nimble with exceptionally good cornering prowess.

This bold performer also delivers a compliant, luxury-sport sedan ride.  It utilizes an independent front strut suspension coupled with a semi-independent rear torsion-beam design.  The more enthusiastic 3-door Astra features more aggressive suspension tuning with a 15-mm-lower ride height.

Stability control and traction control are standard on the 3-door Astra, and optional on the 5-door.

The electro-hydraulic steering is quick and responsive, offering two configurations: a 15:1 standard ratio and a tighter 14:1 sport ratio on the 3-door.

Braking is by four-wheel discs with standard ABS.

Inside, our 5-door XR tester had a decidedly upscale cabin with the same kind of European control sophistication, and confusion, found on German luxury cars. Materials are of very good quality, as is overall fit and finish.

The three-dimensional analog gauges are well positioned, and a snap to scan.

Topping the V-shaped center stack is a deeply set multi-informational display screen.  It’s a helpful feature for the stereo where controls defy American logic. You will need the owner’s manual. And, no auxiliary input jack will put off some younger buyers.

But our XR did sport a long roster of widely sought-after amenities, like a tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, OnStar with turn-by-turn navigation, well-padded seats with available 3-stage heat for cloth or leather, a huge two-tiered glove box and the segment’s largest available dual-panel sunroof.

The rear seat offers room for three and a 60/40 split folding feature.  With seats folded down, our 5-door Astra had a very useful total cargo volume of 44.7 cubic feet. That even beats a Rabbit.

As for occupant safety, Astra is outfitted with a barrage of six standard airbags.

This little hatchback is efficient, too. Government Fuel Economy ratings are 24 city/32 highway on regular gas, again higher than the more powerful Rabbit.

Base prices are slightly higher than a Rabbit too. The 5-door XE starts at $15,995, while the 5-door XR has a base sticker of $17,545.  The sporty and uplevel 3-door XR begins at $18,495.

Saturn’s reincarnation as GM’s most Euro-spec division is for real. The 2008 Astra, along with the new Vue, are compact European designs to the core. The Astra is a terrific match for families that already own a larger European luxury car, or would like to. Bringing the best of Opel to America is what a global GM should be doing, and we hope they keep it up.