[byramshroff]

I have been a member of this forum since march and during this time I have read a number of discussions about the performance and capabilities of the mitsubishi lancer and honda city vtec etc.but have never seen anyone mention the opel astra [img]http://www.team-bhp.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/***.gif[/img] the astra was the first truely well engineered car to touch indian shores with its mix of power and comfort and I personally feel that it can still give a lancer or a city vtec a run for it's money as far as the power or handling is concerned.

[Shan2nu]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (byramshroff @ June 12 2004,12:01)]I personally feel that it can still give a lancer or a city vtec a run for it's money as far as the power or handling is concerned.

Let me make that a bit more clear.

0-60kmph (in secs)
Astra - 6.05
Lancer 1.5 - 5.20
City Vtec - 4.41

0-100kmph
Astra - 15.66
Lancer 1.5 - 13.69
City Vtec - 9.92

0-100-0 kmph
Astra - 20.03
Lancer 1.5 - 18.09
City Vtec - 14.54

The Astra is a very comfortable car, but no track burner. The Vtec infact can go from 0 to 100 and back to 0 even before the Astra hits tripple digits.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[Rtech]

yup, the Astra is a great car to drive, I've mentioned that many times in here already, but when it comes to power, it was always behind the competition from day 1.

[GTO]

To call an Opel Astra a roadburner is an insult, coz the car was never about boy racing.

Its a very mature car with yet unmatched ride and handling capabilities. The interiors still feel good, 8 years after the launch and the car is extremely comfortable - Front or back. The build quality is teutonic and feels typically german all over.

Overall a car that has aged gracefully. Those special editions still have their own charm when seen on the road.

GTO

[Rtech]

Best of all, you can buy a used one for less than 2 lacs! Thats gotto be a great bargain for someone looking for a sturdy, solid and comfortable car. Imagine, getting a fully loaded Astra in almost new condition for less than the price of a M800!

[Pankaj9]

a friend of mine has a Astra, one from the original batch. even the tail lights are made in spain. almost seven years old the ride,and powertrain are still very good, all he had to spend money on were new front struts.
but i wonder how if this car on maintainance, a usd one .....

[v12]

The Astra is really one good slolidly built car like the Octavia. It still has the best interior compared to the new entrants. It also had features which no other cars in its category had. Power mirrors, a/c glove box. I've had the oppurtunity of owning 2 Astras for about a month each and both of them have left a good impression on me. The Astra failed bcos of 3 main reasons : it was getting outdated [i feel it still looks good], it was expensive and not powerful compared to its competiors, and bcos spares were very expensive.

The Astra isnt about 0-100 or top speed. Its all about solid built and handling. For performance guys , there was the City 1.5. Same way as we wud compare the Octavia and the Corolla. Octavia is all about built and Corolla is a performance car.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]a friend of mine has a Astra, one from the original batch. even the tail lights are made in spain. almost seven years old the ride,and powertrain are still very good,

Your friend is really lucky then. Cos the earlier Astra's had some problem with the gearbox or engine, dont remember which exactly.

[Revvmaster]

Hey V12

The prob with the 95-96 batch of astras was that it had loads of gumming problems and the engine was coarse, power delivery was bad and some homologation problems to Indian conditions. They were rectified with the NZR engine in 1997 which had one more bhp (76) and a better mpfi. If my guess is correct, the first ones had single point fuel injections or was that the escort?

Revv

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Revvmaster @ June 14 2004,03:11)]Hey V12

The prob with the 95-96 batch of astras was that it had loads of gumming problems and the engine was coarse, power delivery was bad and some homologation problems to Indian conditions. They were rectified with the NZR engine in 1997 which had one more bhp (76) and a better mpfi. If my guess is correct, the first ones had single point fuel injections or was that the escort?

Revv

Hey Revv,

speaking as an ex-astra owner of 8 years, (I had a '96 old engine) the problem was never really with the engine or the transmission, but infact the ignition module. This used to fail once every 2 years and costs 4,000/- to fix! If it failed, the car would jsut not start. i was left stranded twice!

Sure the old engine was not gonna win any prizes for its smoothness, but it was a solid workhorse. Things like its clutch was make to last almost 1,00,000 Kms.

When the Astra was introduced, fuel injection had only recently made it to india. The fuel quality was still really bad, and this caused all the older fuel injected cars (Cielo, Ford) to "gum up". With the improved fuel quality, this problem never arose later, but, in the minds of the customer, this stigma remained.

However, maintaining an Astra really sucks you dry, and tis is the main reason i decided to sell it. Parts are just way too expensive, because nothing is manufactured in India anymore (or the rest of the world as this model is 3 generations old), fuel consumption is terrible (6-7 in the city, 9 on the highway) and GM servicing is the worst!

It was a great car in its time though, not for the boy racer, hence not really talked about in here.

Rtech

[GTO]

Rtech,

Didnt they change the old engine in 1997, since the previous powerplant was very rough in idling. I remember driving a friends 96 Astra once, and it really took the award for the slowest revving engine I ever pressed the pedal on.

GTO

[navin]

i have had an astra since sept 96. never had any trouble except the official service centers (the now defunct Shiraz, Fortpoint or National garage) They only seem to know what they are doing however you cant fault the car for that.

I use it every day. I still have the original brake pads, clutch, wheels, upholstery, etc. ALl I have done is regular oil changes and tyre rotation every 5000 km. and yes I did change the battery once.

It survived, with only body damage, a severe blow from the rear from a Hyundai Santro (driven no less, by a Sr. Div. Mgr of an Insurance co.) with only a body dent (the paint was not scratched so i have not bothered to repair it). The Hyundai lost it's radiator and more.

By the standards of Maruti and Hyundai it is a veritable rolling tank.

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Didnt they change the old engine in 1997, since the previous powerplant was very rough in idling.

Yup, they did change the engine for precisely this reason. Also, they moved to MPFI at this time. They also did some work on the gearbox and clutch making for a much lighter pedal.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] really took the award for the slowest revving engine I ever pressed the pedal on.

C'mon man....don't be that mean...afterall, you do drive a Mahindra Jeep!! Surely thats slower!!

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]By the standards of Maruti and Hyundai it is a veritable rolling tank.

I think this line pretty much sums up the car.

Rtech

[GTO]

OKay Okay. Make that limited to gasoline engines. Didnt intend to be mean, actually I am a fan of the astras interiors and ride quality. Typically teutonic.

GTO

[v12]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]They were rectified with the NZR engine in 1997 which had one more bhp (76) and a better mpfi.

Hey didnt the MPFI [Multi-Port Fuel Injection] produce 85 bhp???

[RJK]

Astra's MPFI engine produced 95bhp while the corsa's same engine was detuned to 92bhp