First Drive Review
The front-drive Saturn Astra is nimble, roomy, comfortable, versatile, thrifty, and affordable—but that's not what's really remarkable about this new compact hatchback.
What's remarkable is that all these positive attributes come through essentially unfiltered from the Opel Astra, which is what you'd be calling this vehicle if you lived in Europe.
The only differences between the Astra built by GM's German subsidiary for sale in Europe and this new Saturn edition are its badges, minor exterior trim, a rear-seat cup holder, and tuning for U.S. emissions standards.
Well, okay, there's the matter of choices. The Opel Astra comes in more body styles and offers a number of additional powertrain options, including diesels.
Only a Hatchback, and Only One Engine
Our Saturn Astra is available only as a hatchback—three or five doors—with one engine, a 138-hp, 1.8-liter Ecotec four, and a choice of a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission.
Nevertheless, the fact that a car attuned to European dynamic standards is hitting U.S. showrooms with no softening or other compromises imposed by product planners with some misconceived notion of what's best for American drivers is a good thing. Not to mention rare.
We'd like to report that the reason for this restraint by Saturn was some new and enlightened perception of what's really important in terms of ride and handling, but that's not really the case.
The reason for this unexpurgated treatment—this naturalized American with a distinct German accent—was much more pragmatic. Saturn marketing execs wanted the Astra in showrooms ASAP, to shore up its small-car market presence in the wake of the ill-conceived Ion.
Consequently, haste, amplified by cost containment, was paramount. Getting a federalized Astra ready for market took less than 21 months, and it follows that any tinkering with the car would only add to the lead time, as well as the project's cost.
This explains the single engine choice. The Saturn people knew they'd need an automatic-transmission option for the car in the U.S., but the only engine that offered that choice in Europe was the 1.8-liter. End of discussion.
That leaves the Astra at a power disadvantage versus its target hatchback competitors, the Mazda 3 and the VW Rabbit. (Saturn would like us to forget the Pontiac Vibe as a competitor, for obvious reasons.)
The Mazda 3 is similar in mass to the Astra (about 2800 pounds), but the Mazda's 2.3-liter four delivers 156 horsepower.
The Rabbit is heavier—more than 3000 pounds—but its standard 2.5-liter five-cylinder is rated at 170 horsepower.
