Holden Astra AH Sri Car Review

The Astra range has had a mid-life with the big news being the new of four cylinder petrol

The Astra line-up had already bolstered with the introduction in mid of a new 1.9 litre turbo diesel plus the 2 litre SRi Turbo and now the models receive a boost in the of a new 1.8 litre and 2.2 litre four.

with the 1.8 litre engine an impressive 11kW of power now 103kW with five Nm of torque.

The SRi tested has the new 2.2 litre with direct fuel It’s from GM’s Opel operation which has had development work done in by Holden Engineers to suit driving conditions.

Value for

The good news for consumers is even with the upgrade, for CD and CDX models stay the same. The SRi manual tested is $29,990; versions are an additional $2,000. paint is a $360 option

have Astra’s with a price of $21,990 up to the range Astra Twin Top, retails for $47,990. The SRi’s level lines it up against the of the Mazda SP23 and the Ford Zetec five door — both similarly impressive vehicles.

For the $29,990 price tag you get a swag of to compliment the new engine. A sports pack that includes 17 alloy wheels, lower settings and a rear roof underpin the sports theme. To things in shape Electronic Program (ESP) and ABS brakes are

Dual front airbags, and side curtain airbags are of the standard safety package.

(semi-automatic) power steering, windows with express for the front windows, AM/FM with single disc CD player, and leather faced that are also heated are of the key features on the SRi.

Design

Space practicality

Body for the SRi haven’t altered so there’s no space change compared to models. Occupant space for and front seat passengers is although taller drivers may the seat travel limiting. not that tall and found I needed the seat all the way back to be

The glove box is a decent size and is additional storage by way of door plus a couple of shallow in the centre console.

A full-size on a steel rim sits under the in the luggage area. The tailgate tapers and ends up being narrow — it may make of larger items that bit harder.

Additional bolstering on the and backrest give the leather front seats that look. They are firm and and hold you securely when The steering wheel is adjustable for and reach.

The rear seats softer than the front comfort was OK but taller passengers may leg room to be tight, especially on trips.

Ergonomics

European ‘one touch’ indicators on the RHS of the are a nice feature. The interior has revised for the new model, but an earlier of the heating controls being to identify still exists.

Ahead of the driver the major were easy to read, and the switchgear (rotary audio on the steering wheel) was easy to use and

The clutch was light and easy to with nice take up It combined well with a gearlever, and with the new engine not a bunch of revs to get it off the mark, it SRi an easy vehicle to drive.

vision is restricted by the thick A when cornering, although the not alone in this regard. vision was OK for parking manoeuvres.

Stability Program (ESC), ABS and traction control are standard with six airbags, form a safety foundation for the SRi. seat belts are fitted pretensioners and load limiters; all have lap sash belts. The AH range scores a four Euro NCAP safety (tests were carried out on a LHD so results may differ for Aust

Build quality finish

The SRi has remote central locking and on all doors. It’s also with an engine immobiliser. The Insurance security rating is which is around average for

On the road

One pleasing aspect the direct injection engine is its fuel figure. On test we a figure of 7.2 litres per 100km. town it was up higher — we a figure of 11.2 litres per

Overall the manual SRi returned 9.5 per 100km.

Performance

The 2.2 litre is the first in an Astra to have fuel injection. Injecting the directly into the combustion rather than through the manifold or port allows the charge to remain cooler, and the engineers the opportunity to use a higher compression ratio. All this wizardry results in better with improvements in fuel

Developing 110kw from its 2.2 and 210Nm of torque, on paper at the Astra looks impressive.

times were better the board when compared to the AH Astra Coupe tested it was an automatic).

We drove the new Astra in a mixture of and the on-road experience was a little lacklustre than expected. It as though the engine’s torque is needing you to use the six speed manual to really stir things for the best results.

Sitting on 45 low profile tyres and with a lowered ride height, the has a purposeful look. Thankfully the quality hasn’t diminished as a of these changes. On test the ride certainly had a sporty

At low speed it was noticeably firm, but underway the whole package had a taut feel — you’d expect for a sports

Handling steering

The SRi has the sports package and Electric/hydraulic rack and steering. The whole chassis has a accomplished feel to it — than the last Astra in 2005. Through the windy the SRi never put a foot wrong, steering that was pin point with minimal body

Brakes are four wheel The fronts are ventilated and as previously have ABS with Brake Quiet, sharp and abrupt cold, they soon satisfactorily once they’d applied a few times.

Braking tests were carried out in wet but the distances recorded were to similar vehicles tested in the

Smoothness quietness

The new engine has the manual SRi Astra smoother, and to drive. The only criticism was noise from the sports on coarse chipped sections of

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