Opel Astra Review
Weekends with the family is always precious, and together with the latest Opel Astra, our day was made perfect. We took Opel’s 1.0 litre three-cylinder engine out for a spin, and the family thoroughly enjoyed our day, with this piece of German technology. And If you are a Liverpool fan, do keep on reading, as Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp will be weighing in about the car too! 🙂
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Public Transportation always works great for the family, but on the weekends, we love the convenience of a family car, to bring us places! All Dads have a passion for cars, and with Continental Cars offering superior handling and safety, we could not wait to get into the latest Opel Astra. Voted the European Car of the year for 2016, we could not wait to find out how this little hatch, grabbed the headlines of the car industry.
With costly COEs, the 1.0 litre car has practically disappeared from the Singapore market. As drivers need to pay a “bomb” to own a car, and with cars from 1 liter and 1.6 litre being in the same CAT A category, drivers would rather fork out a little bit more, to pay for a bigger car. My parents used to own a Nissan March, and I remember driving my friends around town, in our little march. As most 1 litre cars, lacked power, the March died a natural death. However, the Opel Astra 2016 is the latest game changer, in this small engine market.
Being invited to test the latest Opel, we visited the Opel Showroom in Ubi. and we were warmly greeted by the Opel Astra! Needless to say, our first impressions of the car were pleasant, as the Astra was well sized for a 1 litre car. Talking to the sales team at Opel, we realized that the Opel was being offered in a 1 litre and a 1.4 turbo variant for the more performance driven consumer. As a family who is more concerned about saving every dollar, we were eager to get our hands on the 1 litre Opel Astra.
Review of Opel Astra 5 Door Hatch
First off. the Opel Astra is a 5 seater, hence the kids were able to get into comfortably. There was room for them to move around, even with everyone strapped in. We put the car further to the test when we put 3 adults in the back. With 5 full sized adults in the car, the adults found it was quite squeezy in the back. Taking into consideration, that this is a 1 liter car, the Ope Astra, is still one of the “Roomiest” for its class.
As with most Continental Car, the Opel Astra does not disappoint with its equipment. Blessed with keyless entry and a 6-speed automatic transmission for a convenient, highly efficient ride, one of the perks of the Astra is the ecoflex technology that comes with the car. With Petrol coming at a Premium, the ecoflex drive assist helps all drivers travel with maximum efficiency. As a driver, this was one of the first advantages that I wanted to try out for myself. With every stop at every traffic light and traffic congestion, the engine cut itself, as one steps on the brake pedals, so as to maximize fuel efficiency. Initially, my wife was a bit apprehensive, as the engine cut itself off, but the system was ever reliable, and was quick to activate itself, once the brake pedal was released. I noticed the benefits of this technology after driving a full day of driving, as I realized the fuel gauge hardly moved a level.
When it comes to fuel saving, things like tyre pressure play a very important role. For every 1 psi, that your tyre pressure is “off”, fuel consumption can be affected by as much as 3%. I used to meticulously inflate my tyres weekly, but due to the business of life, I have made fewer trips to the tyre pump. Things become worse when my wife is in charge of the car. The tyres just don’t get inflated at all! With the Opel Astra, technology is here to save the day. From your dashboard, one can check the tyre pressure, and be aware of whether is a need for a tune-up. Together with an application that you can download to your handphone, one is kept informed about the condition of your car. These are definitely not accessories found in small cars!
The Opel Astra comes with lots of technology to give you a safer intuitive ride. One of the features that I liked, is the IntelliLux LED® Matrix headlights. They adjust automatically so you can drive on high beam without disturbing other drivers. I think this is also one feature that all Liverpool fans will like! Jurgen Klopp happens to be a a spokesman for the car, and he left his animated imprint upon the 5 door Hatch and on this feature. Check out the Opel Astra’s latest advertisement, as Klopp highlights the wonders of German technology. This is Opel at it’s best! 🙂
Technology is further utilized to help tired or sleepy drivers. When one is straying across lanes, there is a warning departure warning to assist drivers, and together with Lane Keep Assist, the car gently nudges the steering wheel to guide one back into lane. Together with a forward collision warning system, the car will break out in audio and visual warnings, if one is about to collide into another vehicle, and assist in braking as well! Impressive right! Check out this video to fully understand what I mean!
As the kids get older, I have certain fears when I am moving off from a parked position! Being parents, we have all heard of horror stories, where parents have knocked down kids or pedestrians, as they were either too short, or hidden in the “blind spots” found in every car. With the sensors found in the Opel Astra, there is an extra warning indicator to help drivers. I got the kids to stand at different corners of the car at various times, and the indicators on my dashboard and central panel, indicated the presence of an obstacle. As one can clearly see, these indicators will not just help, when one is parking, but it will also assist drivers when they are reversing. A definite helpful indicator for new and seasoned drivers! 🙂
Thinking about the driver and passengers’ entertinment needs, the Opel comes equipped with Apple Car play, allowing one to stream music to the car sound system. Together with a Navigation module, a speaker phone and lots of USB ports for your electronic devices, the Astra is able to looks into the needs of the everyday commuter. A definite plus, as compared to other cars in this class!
In terms of drive, the 1 litre car does handle well! When one gets behind the steering wheel, one does enjoy the responsiveness of a Continental Car. From a traffic light, the size of the engine does reveal its limitations. It was slow to pull away from a dead stop, and the automatic transmission proved to be slow to assist in this area. However, when I switched the car to manual, the Opel Astra, does prove to be more responsive and enjoyable, when I started from the lights.
Overall, the 2016 Opel Astra does prove to be a worthy winner in the 1 Litre category. I have not seen a small car laden with such technology and frills to excite, and together with Fuel Efficiency, the little Hatch does have much to offer families. As you can see, even the kids are excited about it! 🙂 The Opel Astra 5 Door Compact Hatch does live up to its reputation of having Sculptural Artistry meeting German Precision!
Click to find out more about the Opel Astra!