| ReviewsOnline |
| Car review - Holden TS Astra Convertible |
| By Julian Edgar (AutoSpeed Magazine) One person had his mind made up well before he'd even set eyes on the car. "How can you justify paying forty-five grand for the Astra convertible when the base model costs nineteen?" he said. "I mean, that's like a 135 per cent increase in price to take the roof off...." And, superficially, that viewpoint makes sense. In Australia, the Astra is certainly not a prestige car... but you're paying near prestige prices for the convertible. But it also ignores a very simple point: the Astras - yes, even the base models - have the build quality, features and on-road driveability of cars costing much more. So when we recently spent a week in the convertible, at no time did we recoil at the price. In fact, if anything, it seemed rather inexpensive... And more than anything else, it's that fully-powered, sophisticated and very elegant roof that justifies the dollars. This isn't a mechanical-unclip-and-lever-it-back sorta deal; this is a sit-and-press-the-button roof. And the roof not only folds itself away under a metal tonneau in a smooth 30 seconds, but it's also double-lined (no bare metal ribs here!) and features a heated glass rear window. From the way in which the side glass drops down at the start of the automated process - and automatically rises at its completion - to the smooth mechanical symphony of well-oiled electro-hydraulic machinery that accompanies its movement, the roof impresses. The lack of whistles with the roof up - there's just a bit more aerodynamic wake noise than in the sedan - and the very good water sealing simply add to the impression of high quality. If you want, you can even press the remote-unlock key to open the roof as you stand next to the car.... In fact the whole 'convertible' aspect of the car is very well thought out - the boot loses some height but at 330 litres is still quite usable in capacity (and incorporates a ski port), the fold-up wind deflector easily stows away in the boot when the rear seats need to be used, and - speaking of the back seats - while they're more cramped than in the sedan or coupe, for children or adult emergency use they're fine. However, there's one aspect of the roofless body which isn't such a good news story; like so many cars with a roof chop, the body stiffness is obviously vastly down over the equivalent two-door roofed body. It's even more evident in the case of the Astra, because the two-door SRi is such a stiff car in bending and torsion. In comparison, the convertible seems like it's about to fall apart - though we're sure that's just a feeling, rather than a reality. Over bumps, the steering wheel wobbles in your hands, and the doors can occasionally be felt moving within the body. Without a stiff body, the suspension also has a much harder job to do, and so the driving experience always lacks ultimate on-road precision. Despite getting the SRi's 108kW 2.2 litre engine, the convertible is much slower than the sporty model - there's a heap of extra body mass to haul around. Beefing up the weight by around 14 per cent doesn't make the car a slug, but with a 0-100 km/h around a flat 11 seconds, it definitely lacks the sprightliness of its lighter brother. And does the floppy body and the slower performance detract excessively from the driving? Well, if you're using solely sporting car judgement criteria, perhaps. But people buy convertibles for the open-air experience, they buy cars like these because they love attracting attention, and because they want to look at their car parked kerbside as they enjoy a cappuccino. And in those regards there's no question - this car is wonderful. The fully galvanised body was a joint design effort between Bertone and Opel, and Bertone badges are sprinkled around the car. With the front and rear side electric windows down and the roof retracted, the convertible is a stunner - well-proportioned, elegant but still with a touch of aggression. It's also aerodynamically efficient, with a claimed topless drag coefficient of just 0.32 - that's exceptional. Roof-up it is of course better again, with a Cd of 0.30. This low drag helps in open-road fuel economy - the AS2877 highway test figure is just 5.8 litres/100 km. In a range of driving conditions we achieved 9 litres/100 km, the same figure as the AS2877 'City' test. Passengers and driver also enjoy the advanced aerodynamics. The steeply raked windscreen directs air far past front seat occupants, while with the side glass up and the wind deflector in place, the car is completely comfortable cruising roofless at 100 km/h. Note, however, that very tall drivers might be subjected to a lot more buffeting - so if you're over about 1.8 metres, it'd be wise to extensively test-drive the topless car before parting with cash. The equipment level is good - without being outstanding - with four airbags, single CD radio, very comfortable leather seats, front and rear foglights, and adjustable headlights. A good trip computer display is added to the standard Astra digital panel that sits at the top of the middle dash, with a fingertip stalk-mounted pushbutton used to scroll through this data. Cruise control, ABS and Electronic Stability Control are standard. The seats are heated, with five different levels of warming available. Unlike the heated seats in - say - a Saab, the Astra convertible's seats can get really warm; in sunny Queensland we didn't get a chance to try them out in cold conditions but they certainly feel like they'd be good at zero degree C outside temps. The convertible is fitted with what Holden call 'sports tuned suspension' and 16-inch alloys wearing 205/50 Michelin Pilots. The ride is good and the handling is adequate - perhaps if we hadn't been spoiled by the excellent on-road abilities of the Astra SRi, we'd have classed the convertible's handling as 'good'. Unfortunately, like the SRi, the cornering abilities are lessened by the difficulty of steering the car on the throttle - when feeding-in the power from a lifted-throttle situation, the electronic system has a perceptible delay before operating. So if you're a full-on driving enthusiast, the convertible has some deficiencies. But - and this is a much more likely scenario - if you're after a delightful car to lighten your day, a car to cruise Bondi or Surfers or Glenelg or Freo, a car where a cool sunny Sunday morning can be explored in a way enjoyed by few others - but you need a car that still has to competently do the practical and the mundane... in that case you'll go a long way to find something better. |
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Fast Facts Price: $45,990, $47,990 (automatic transmission option) Warranty: 3yrs/100,000km Body: steel, 3 doors, 4 seats Drivetrain: front engine (east-west), FWD Transmission: 5-Speed Manual (4-Speed Automatic is optional) Engine (type / capacity / power / torque): L4 / 2.2 litres / 108kw / 203nm -------------------------------- Home Holden wallpapers Commodore information Useful car-related info -------------------------------- New Holden car reviews Used Holden car reviews -------------------------------- Wheels COTY winners -------------------------------- Guestbook Contact Technical difficulties? -------------------------------- |
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