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Opel-Vauxhall Astra (H) Sport Hatch
The Astra Sport Hatch has just been added to the Vauxhall price list, and it’s good news for style conscious buyers. Despite the new model’s coupe-like styling, the range is no more expensive than the equivalent 5-door versions, starting at just £13,795 for the 1.4SXi.
What’s more, the Panoramic Windscreen option, which has become the year’s most talked about automotive innovation, will cost just £850 when it becomes available in May. With a huge section of glass stretching from the top of the bonnet over the passengers’ heads, it’s set to bring a whole new dimension to driving, especially on scenic roads.
With looks which are little changed from the stunning GTC concept car, which starred at the 2003 Geneva motor show, the Astra Sport Hatch’s bold styling has taken the industry by surprise, and makes rivals’ offerings look instantly dull. But despite its coupe-like looks, the Sport Hatch still offers the practicality you’d expect from an Astra, with five seats and a 302-litre boot capacity.
"With the new Astra Sport Hatch we are introducing a model that breaks away from the traditional 'two doors less than a five-door' approach," says Kevin Wale, Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director. "The Sport Hatch will particularly appeal to drivers who want expressive design, innovative technology and exciting driving, but have a lifestyle which still requires an element of practicality. With the Sport Hatch there are no compromises."
Because of the Sport Hatch’s unique position, only the sporty SXI, SRi and Design trim levels will be offered, all fitted as standard with lowered sports suspension and alloy wheels. Petrol engines range from the tax-efficient and sprightly 90PS 1.4i up to the 170PS 2-litre turbo. The diesels – a 1.7-litre and a pair of 1.9-litres – are all EuroIV emissions compliant to minimise tax liability for company car drivers, yet the 150PS unit can offer hot-hatch like performance, with a 0-60mph time of just 8.3 seconds combined with a 42.2mpg average economy figure. The stunning flagship for the Sport Hatch range, the 240bhp VXR, will go on sale in the summer.
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Opel-Vauxhall Astra (H) GTC 2005-2010
New Opel Astra GTC – Gran Turismo Compact
· Striking looks: Dynamic and expressive design
· Power and speed: Up to 200 hp output, up to 234 km/h top speed
· Agile: Innovative chassis technology offers high safety reserves
· Exclusive: Unique panorama windshield for new sense of space and visibility
Rüsselsheim. With the new Astra GTC (Gran Turismo Compact), possibly the most exciting Astra ever comes to market. The new model has been available for order since the end of 2004 and will be available at dealerships in March. The third unique model in the new Astra generation is the most dramatic interpretation yet of Opel’s new design language. While the GTC boasts output up to 200 hp and a top speed up to 234 km/h, its striking design includes sporty proportions, a sleek silhouette with an arched, sloping roofline and pronounced tapering of the front and rear overhangs. Its body is 15 mm lower, magnifying the car’s powerful look. The expressively designed body is completely new - only the hood and front fender were taken over from the five-door Astra. The GTC’s unique character is accentuated by an optional panorama windshield – offered for the first time in a production model – which extends from the hood up to the B-pillar and creates a whole new sense of space and visibility. The panorama windshield makes its world premiere in the GTC and is available beginning in April.
The Astra GTC’s dynamic looks turn into action on the road, thanks to its specially tuned IDS chassis (Interactive Driving System) with ESPPlus, traction control and ABS brake system with brake assist. The adaptive chassis system IDSPlus, with electronic damping control (CDC - Continuous Damping Control) and the networking of all electronic chassis systems, is available as an option. With IDSPlus, GTC drivers can also activate a sport set-up at the touch of a button located in the cockpit. This regulates damper adjustment as well as accelerator-pedal and power steering response. In conjunction with automatic and Easytronic transmissions, gear shift points are also modified.
Wide range of engines: Nine ECOTEC units from 90 to 200 hp
At market launch, the Astra GTC comes with a wide range of fuel-efficient and powerful ECOTEC engines to choose from: five gasoline units (1.4 – 2.0-liter displacements, 90 – 200 hp) and four CDTI common-rail turbo-diesel engines (1.3 – 1.9-liter displacements, 90 – 150 hp). Both the 2.0-liter top-of-the-line power unit, with output of 147 kW (200 hp) and the 1.9 CDTI diesel with 110 kW (150 hp) are a perfect fit to the Astra GTC’s dynamic character. These two engines come with a six-speed transmission and are really fun to drive. The 200 hp Astra GTC Turbo sprints from zero to 100 km/h in just 7.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 234 km/h. The 150 hp 1.9 CDTI is among the most powerful diesel engines in the compact class. The unit develops maximum torque of 320 Nm at only 2000 rpm, has a top speed of 210 km/h and goes from zero – 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds.
All ECOTEC engines comply with the Euro 4 emissions standard, and the two more powerful CDTI diesel units are also available with an optional maintenance-free diesel particulate filter (DPF). Innovative TWINPORT technology, for the Astra GTC’s 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter four-valve gasoline engines, is a further plus for the environment, reducing fuel consumption by up to ten percent under normal driving conditions. All gasoline engines up to 1.8-liter displacements and the 1.7 CDTI come standard with a five-speed manual transmission, while the 1.3 CDTI, the two 1.9 CDTI turbo-diesels and both 2.0-liter turbo gasoline units are delivered ex-works with a six-speed transmission (optional for 1.7 CDTI). Easytronic automated five-speed manual transmission (1.6-liter gasoline models) or a four-speed automatic (1.8-liter gasoline models) are available on request.
Customer-oriented: Comprehensive safety and comfort equipment
The new GTC is offered in four model lines – besides the entry-level version these are Edition, Sport and Cosmo. Standard equipment includes the comprehensive SAFETEC safety system with IDS chassis including ESPPlus, TCPlus, ABS and brake assist as well as front, thorax/pelvis side and head curtain airbags. SAFETEC also features de-coupling pedals (PRS - Pedal Release System), active head restraints in front and three height-adjustable head restraints in the rear. All GTC versions also boast comfortable features like Easy Entry and memory function for the front seats, adjustable and heatable power exterior mirrors, power windows, cruise control, remote-control central locking, a pollen filter and 16-inch wheels.
Unique: Dynamic and expressive design
The new Astra GTC owes its unique, powerful look to its sporty proportions (length/width/height: 4290/2033/1435 millimeters). The dynamic, V-shaped front end with the Opel logo on a crossmember in the radiator grille, along with the characteristic crease flowing from the hood into the passenger cabin to the rear, clearly identify the GTC as a member of the Astra family. V-shaped tapering much more pronounced than the five-door model’s, the newly designed bumper, a modified radiator grille and larger air inlets give the GTC an individual and unmistakable face. Although the front appears wider, thanks to a reduced frontal area and a slightly improved drag coefficient (cD =0.32), the GTC is roughly four percent more aerodynamic (cD x A = 0.66 m2) than its five-door counterpart.
The newcomer is no less distinctive from the rear. Here lamps consisting of two blocks mounted on chromed surfaces are among the GTC’s striking features. The chromed surfaces magnify the taillights, making them even more clearly visible to drivers approaching from behind.
The Astra GTC’s profile is dominated by its broad shoulders and strongly contoured side sills, as well as the characteristic arched sloping roofline. Together with the angular rear side windows, this creates a particularly taut profile. All this is further underscored by black B-pillars, which blend in with the side windows, giving the impression of a single uniform surface.
The GTC achieves its sporty look without compromise in terms of everyday functionality and spaciousness. Thanks to a sporty low seating position, headroom is only slightly less than in the five-door model. The GTC has the same wheelbase (2.61 meters) and luggage compartment volume (380 liters) as the five-door Astra. The rear seat backs can be folded down in a 60:40 split (optionally 40:20:40) for more flexible use of interior space. Even though the designers snugly pulled in the side windows to give the body-shoulder more tightness, the GTC seats three adults in the rear.
Quality from day 1: State-of-the-art production facilities
The new GTC is manufactured in the Belgian Astra plant in Antwerp. Like the other two Astra plants, located in Bochum (Germany) and Ellesmere Port (England), these production facilities were modernized at a total investment volume of one billion euro, to also ensure the carmaker’s high quality standards for the newest Opel model.
The fact that GTC buyers – like all Opel customers – get a top-quality product is underlined by the two-year manufacturer’s warranty that Opel offers instead of the customary compulsory version. Opel also grants a 12-year anti-perforation warranty.
Cost of ownership is further minimized by high value retention, long service intervals, low maintenance volumes and service-friendly design.
For 2005, production of the Astra GTC is planned at a capacity of around 60,000 units. Opel´s marketing experts expect that the GTC will make up 13 to 16 percent of total Astra sales, depending on the country.
