Reveling in the Astral plain of Saturn's latest

William Agnew | For The New Mexican

8/6/2008 - 8/7/08

Scientists tell us the stars of the universe are born when intergalactic hydrogen, blasted by radiation and crushed together by gravity, bursts into a nuclear firestorm that lasts billions of years , casting starlight outward across the galaxies for time unimaginable, falling onto Earth and our mortal eyes, twinkling away in the galactic firmament. It's a heroic and high-energy image of all creation.

General Motors' latest star creation, the Saturn Astra line of hatchbacks, comes from a much more humble origin: an Opel assembly line in Belgium.

Astras follow a long line of midpriced European-made cars that America's domestic manufacturers have brought to our shores over the last 60 years, hoping to find a market here for their typically smaller and more fuel-efficient visions of everyday transport.

The Saturn brand, that hit-and-miss attempt to change the way GM builds and sells cars in America, has finally been repositioned as its way to catch the eye of the import-minded — in other words, just about anybody who lives in a metropolitan area or is under 70 years old. That's a good calling for the brand, having been the recipient of the thoroughly competitive Aura sedan and stylishly cool new Vue crossover.



Astras cost about $18,000, comparable to Civics, Corollas and Hyundais with similar equipment. They are competitive cars with a sporty edge and, given the price of fuel here, they come to America at a time that could lead to their long-term success. Saturn offers three hatchback models: a stripped XE five-door on which even air-conditioning is an option, a more fully equipped XR five-door and the sportiest, a three-door XR.

The challenge for Saturn, in gaining a bargain model built under a strong currency — and the answer for shoppers who wonder why we don't get more of these wonderful European small cars — comes down to money. The class of vehicle Americans think of as economy cars is considered enough family car for many on the Continent. As such — and because the market is so saturated with similar small cars from a staggering list of makers, like the crossover is here — they come with premium equipment, upscale materials and prices to match: Think an extra $10,000 to get this Saturn with an Opel badge.

Similarly, for those who wonder how Europeans can live with gas prices that have long been higher than ours, a foreign Astra is offered with a choice of eight engines: four gas and four diesel.



In the States, all Astras have a 138-horse 1.8-liter four-cylinder rated at 24/32 mpg with the manual; remember, where you choose gears yourself with the aid of a third pedal? No? Well, then you are definitely an American, but the hit with the four-speed auto is minimal: 24/30. That's actually pretty darn good.

The numbers sound OK, but the engine itself has little to offer in the way of revving sporty glee. To accelerate, just plant your foot on the gas and hope; there's not much feel of climbing power, of open breathing coming online. It's all sorta dull and one-note, both in noise and the feel of speed.

The 1.8-liter is also lacking in refinement, to these American ears. It has been many years since people have gravitated en masse toward little four-bangers, and it might be hard to get over the instant power and cathedral-like isolation we got used to in our heavy guzzlers.

GM seems to have chosen for the Astra an engine from some past era of development. Above 75 mph, or while accelerating under full throttle, the racket from under the hood can start the whole car vibrating.



While its efficient use of fuel will be the Astra's primary selling point, other features further differentiate it from the competition. The trendy good looks are edgy and taut — less rounded and effacing than other economy cars, with an expensive-looking crease down the center of its body from the hood, over the roof and down the hatch, a classical flash it shares with the handsome Cadillac CTS coupe.

The useful hatchback is a bodystyle that product marketers have long believed would be a poor seller in America, but that should change, for there is nothing more useful than a hatchback if one has stuff to carry around. Young families, the ones who previously (and mistakenly) shopped for heavy crossover vehicles in search of capacity, might well look at an Astra five-door as an efficient alternative.



The quality driving feel is a characteristic typical of even modest European cars: more feedback from the steering, brakes that are more easily modulated, handling that is less tipsy and a feel to all of the controls that is more consistent than American and Japanese counterparts. Even though the layout of the Astra's dashboard will seem strange to Americans, drivers are bound to notice a better sense of command of the movement of the car.

The universe of small cars available to Americans is tiny compared to the dazzling variety found on the streets of Europe. The Astra's a welcome addition to this limited field, and it's not just like the offerings from Japan and Korea.

Will the Astra be a real star in America's automotive firmament? In its price bracket, there's no reason it shouldn't be ... as long as you keep it under 75.

It sure is different in here

Despite being a Saturn and relatively inexpensive, the Astra actually is fun to drive. It's not the most powerful car, but it has great handling and a solid feel on the road. So what's the problem? That Euro style brings an equally Euro interior.

So, the stereo is convoluted, with too many buttons that have pictograms but no clear purpose, and a large-ish monochrome screen in the dash has menus upon menus. Just inserting a CD into the changer takes way too many button presses and knob rotations. And forget about an aux input or satellite radio.

Cupholders are an afterthought, the sole example far back in the center console so that the driver has to reach behind himself. The upside to this is that one could rest an elbow on a large drink, making up for the lack of a center armrest. — Alexander Usatine

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While I like the look of the three-door Astra much better — it comes only in the uplevel XR package with some spiffy alloy wheels — I found myself having much more fun while driving the more reserved five-door. Call it a matter of lowered expectations.

Starting at $16,495, the base XE five-door comes with the same engine as the sportier models, disc brakes all around with ABS, six airbags, a six-speaker CD stereo and power everything, including keyless entry.

Granted, there are plastic wheelcovers, but you can pay twice as much for a Toyota with those, and the alloys are a reasonable $350 option. Opt only for the $960 air-conditioning (though $250 for heated cloth seats would make me happy, too), and you have a competitively equipped $17,455 car that'll likely serve well for many years.

My biggest complaint was that a dark interior was the only color scheme available, increasing the solar gain when parked; for 2009, tan seats and door inserts are available. In that case, then, make mine silver. For only another $600, you can move up to the XR five-door, which gets you A/C and the alloys and opens the door to a six-CD changer and a leather package.

Since all Astras get the same engine, the slightly unfocused base model seems the most pure of them; the XR three-door is ostensibly the sporty model — with "StabiliTrak Stability Control, lowered sport-tuned suspension, electrohydraulic quick-ratio steering, 17-inch alloy wheels with performance tires" — but that all added up to not much.

I found myself disappointed with how un-sporty that one is, how flat and unemotive the engine note remains even as the noise increases to a drone. Shifts with the nice-enough manual transmission change only the tone of the noise, don't not increase forward speed in any way I could feel, in any way that might be considered sporty.

But, in the base Astra, I felt more in tune with the latest mileage and utility zeitgeist: I shifted gears with an ear toward maximum efficiency, filled the Astra with recycling and organized my trips to save gas. This worked for me, the idea of Astra as stylish, U.S.-branded metro transport. It's not a hybrid, has none of the superiority complex(ity), but it's easy to live with, satisfying to look at and likely to last. And the price is in the thick of things.

If GM is somehow making a profit on the Astra, I hope it sells as many as it can build. — Jay Binneweg