With its sporty, good looks, comfortable driving experience, innovative technology and a full fuel efficient powertrain line-up that now includes Start/Stop technology, the latest generation Opel Astra is Europe's compact class car of choice.
The Astra brings many comfort and safety features to the compact class that are usually only found in the upper segment. These include exceptional technologies like an all-new mechatronic chassis, the most advanced lighting system, a front camera that recognizes traffic signs and seats with the best ergonomics are available.
Opel's new design language reinterpreted for the compact class
The new Opel Astra brings into the compact class its own interpretation of the brand's award-winning design language of combining "sculptural artistry with German precision" first seen in the Insignia. Its strong coupé-like silhouette and elegant details give the car a fresh sporty look. Elegant proportions provide a strong, cab-forward silhouette, with a steeply-raked windshield and falling rear roofline, adding visual excitement to the traditional hatchback format.
The flank of the Astra receives a dynamic inverted blade that visually connects to the powerful movement of the rear window and the C-pillar. In the back end, double wing-shapes in each of the rear lights make it immediately recognizable.
The interior echoes the flowing forms of the bodywork: sweeping lines, curvaceous shapes and the quality of the execution are all part of Opel's design language. A signature design cue is the wraparound wing shape of the instrument panel that arcs into the top of the door moldings. The effect is a warm embrace of the occupants, providing a welcoming ambience that is enhanced at night by a red diffused light that illuminates the base of the center stack and the front door panels.
For this model year, Opel has added Fresco blue and Silky Shadows grey to the palette of eleven exterior color choices.
New mechatronic chassis system with Watt's link in rear axle
Driving dynamics and stability are improved by a wheelbase that is 71 mm longer than the previous generation, for a total of 2,685 mm. The Astra has a 1,544 mm wide front and 1588 mm wide rear and the tracks are increased by 56 mm and 70 mm respectively. This gives the car a wide footprint, contributing to stable handling and excellent road-holding capability. Moreover, a stiff core body structure also translates into a quiet cabin interior.
The Opel Astra's chassis has been developed as a mechatronic system that fully integrates mechanical functions and electronic controls. The new Astra retains the dynamic, fun-to-drive character of the previous model, with significant improvements in steering response and ride comfort. While the chassis has the proven McPherson strut layout at the front, Opel engineers are the first in the world to combine a compound crank with a Watt's link in the rear axle. This construction keeps the advantages in size, weight and overall efficiency of the compound crank rear axle layout design. At the same time, the Watt's link supports lateral forces during cornering and makes the car dynamic and agile without compromising on stability and comfort.
Like the Insignia, the new Astra can come with the Opel FlexRide adaptive suspension system, which continuously adapts to changes in driving style and cornering speed. In addition, it offers a choice of three settings – Standard, Sport and Tour – and additional personalization.
Line-up of super-efficient engines
The new Astra features a wide choice of nine engines with a power bandwidth ranging from 70 kW/95 hp to 132 kW/180 hp, giving drivers affordable, real-life efficiency. Six-speed manual gearboxes offering a wide spread of ratios and a long, fuel-saving top gear are a standard fit across the range, with the exception of the 1.4/1.6-liter naturally-aspirated and the 1.3-liter turbo diesel engines which have five-speed gearboxes. All gearboxes feature triple cone synchronization in the first and second gears for easy engagement. An all-new, six-speed automatic transmission with an ActiveSelect function is available as an option with all gasoline engines except the 1.4-liter naturally-aspirated unit, which is manual only.
The gasoline line-up:
- The 1.4 ecoFLEX gasoline engine, with 74 kW/100 hp, has CO2 emissions of just 129 g/km.
- The 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated engine develops 85 kW/115 hp at 6,000 rpm and has an even higher specific power output (72.5 hp) per liter than its 1.4-liter, naturally-aspirated cousin. Maximum torque of 155 Nm is generated at 4,000 rpm, with more than 90 percent of this value available from 3,000 rpm. The combined cycle fuel consumption is 6.3 l/100 km.
- The 1.4-liter turbo develops 88 kW/120 hp at 4,200-6,000 rpm, requires 5.9 l/100 km and emits 138 g/km CO2.
- The new, downsized 103 kW/140 hp 1.4-liter turbo engine that replaced a naturally-aspirated 1.8 engine of similar output is focused on strong performance with high elasticity, enabled by 200 Nm of torque available between 1,850 and 4,900 rpm.
- The most powerful gasoline engine is the 1.6-liter turbocharged which exceeds 110 hp per liter in delivering a maximum power of 132 kW/180 hp. Developed for customers focusing on dynamic driving characteristics, it is the most powerful production engine in its displacement class.
The four diesel engines which power almost half of new Astras sold in Europe deliver 70 kW/95 hp to 118 kW/160 hp. With the manual transmission, they all consume under 5.0 l/100 km and do not emit more than 129 g/km CO2. The full diesel line up:
- With Start/Stop technology as standard, the 70 kW/95 hp, 1.3-liter CDTI ecoFLEX offers outstanding fuel economy of just 3.9 l/100 km over the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of only 104 g/km. Strong torque of 190 Nm between 1,750 and 3,250 rpm belies the small capacity of this engine.
- The 1.7-liter CDTI comes in two states of tune, providing 81 kW/110 hp and 260 Nm, or 92 kW/125 hp and 280 Nm of torque. Combined cycle fuel consumption in both cases is 4.5 l/100 km and 119 g/km CO2.
- The 2.0-liter CDTI which debuted in the Insignia packs 118 kW/160 hp with an impressively strong torque of 350 Nm from just 1,750 rpm.
Innovative technologies brought to the compact segment
Many of the innovative technologies introduced last year in the Astra are unique to the compact class or bring a sophistication not seen before in this segment:
- The Opel Eye recognizes road signs and warns the driver when the car inadvertently departs from its lane.
- Ergonomic sports seats feature a 6-way adjustment range, the widest in the segment, a 4-way adjustment of the lumbar support and extendable seat cushion. Available at all trim levels, this driver's seat comes with enhanced support and overall body comfort. It is the only one in the compact class to receive a seal of approval from Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (Action for Healthy Backs), an independent panel of ergonomics experts and doctors in Germany.
- The most advanced lighting system in the compact class, a new generation of Opel bi-xenon Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL+) changes its intensity and reach to suit prevailing driving and road conditions using nine different lighting functions.
- FlexFix, Opel's novel bike-carrier, is integrated behind the rear bumper and offered as an option on the new Astra hatchback. It makes transporting bikes easy and convenient because it slides out of the rear bumper like a drawer when a release lever near the lip of the trunk is pulled.
- A creative idea from Opel engineers and designers, FlexFloor allows for easy-to-use stowage of a wide variety of cargo. The trunk floor is moveable and can be positioned at three levels by engaging ergonomically-designed fixing channels near each corner of the trunk.
Source: Opel
