2009 Saturn Astra
by Jim Prueter -07/2008

Second best selling car in Europe comes to America

When vacationing in Europe, I’ve often wished models I’ve rented there would make it to our shores. But the Americanization of European models is tough to get right, admit U.S. auto execs. Fiat, Alpha Romero, MG and Opel are a few that have tried and failed.

Saturn — a GM division that just can’t seem to get its sales on track in spite of completely new product offerings in the past two years — has replaced its unloved entry-level Ion with the no-apology rebadging of the European Opel Astra, known as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom. GM is trying to cut costs by sharing development and components with its other worldwide counterparts rather than starting from scratch. We think it’s a good idea.

GM has always had a difficult time with small, quality cars. Astra hits a sweet spot as the best small car introduced by GM in a very long time.

Aimed squarely at Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Matrix and Volkswagen Rabbit, sales can be characterized as sluggish at best with just 4365 Astras sold since its January introduction. Compare that to 123,449 Ford Focuses and more than 204,000 Honda Civics during the same time frame.

With gasoline now above $4 a gallon, one would think GM’s timing is great. But compared to the competition, Astra is on the expensive side with the five-door XE model starting at $16,615 and our loaded tester, a five-door XR, around $23,000. A third model, the 3-door XR, starts at $19,115.

Outside, GM took the European Opel Astra, tweaked the front-end with the signature Saturn chrome bar, reshaped the headlamps so front-impact regulations meet U.S. standards and retuned the suspension options. That’s about it. Otherwise, it’s nearly identical to the German offering. All Astras are built in Antwerp, Belgium.

All three models are powered by the same 1.8-liter 4-cylinder, 138-horsepower engine mated to a five-speed manual or a dated four-speed automatic transmission ($1325). Horsepower is modest — very modest — and noticeably so. With full pedal from a dead stop, it takes 8.6-seconds to reach 60 mph in a car that’s some 300 pounds heavier than the Focus. The brakes aren’t much more responsive.

Inside, this too-tall driver found acceptable leg, hip, shoulder and headroom but the seat needed so much adjustment a backseat passenger couldn’t sit immediately behind me. Seats are comfortable and overall the interior matches up with other top models in this class, but no new ground is broken here.

The doors close with a nice “thunk” that feels high quality and substantial. The interior is finished in a combination of soft-touch materials, piano-black finishes and chrome-ringed gauges. The dash has an odd flat shape, almost angling inward. Other small things that irritate were the one driver/passenger cup holder at the very rear of the center console, positioned even with the back of the front seat and clearly out of place. We missed a center console armrest; there is scant if any place to set a cell phone and required features for the U.S. market such as satellite radio and an iPod/MP3 jack are unavailable. The clock has a 24-hour readout but has been corrected for 2009 models to the 12-hour clock most Americans are accustomed to. Some gauges and control buttons seem out of place, like the door-lock button placed mid-dash.

The optional dual sunroof was a hit with passengers but it’s covered with a mesh screen and may not filter out enough heat for buyers in hot climate regions.

But we did enjoy the way Astra drove and handled. Steering was dead-on with an almost sports car feel, even though it isn’t the quickest car we’ve driven in this class. Best said, it feels European to drive and quiet on the highway once up to speed. Nice.

Standard safety gear includes antilock disc brakes, front-seat airbags, full-length side-curtain airbags and whiplash-reducing front head restraints. Stability control and traction control are optional. It has not been crash tested as of this writing.

Visually, the Saturn Astra is one of the more attractive vehicles in its class, but is clearly up against some formidable competition. We applaud GM for fitting the Astra for the American market rather than spending billions to create an all-new car. It may not be what Saturn designers would have come up given a clean slate, but overall it's enjoyable to drive, gets decent gas mileage, is attractive, but on the pricey side with a few funky features.