New Chevrolet Astra designed here in Brazil

[Val]

Powertrain and chassis: Four engines, pronounced agility and high safety reserves

Equipment highlights: Advanced technology in compact class

Four state-of-the-art ECOTEC gasoline and diesel engines are available for the four-door Astra, with displacements of 1.3 to 1.8 liters and output from 90 to 140 hp. The top-of-the-line 1.8-liter, 140 hp gasoline engine with variable camshaft phasing promises plenty of driving fun.

The transmission range includes one manual five-speed and one six-speed manual gearbox (THANKS GOD! ) a four-speed automatic, as well as an enhanced automated Easytronic manual transmission.


Beautiful car, don't you think?

[aloha]

looks like a pretty family car

[Samson The Cat]

Hmm. Here they have a picture of the car from 2006. But I've never seen a sedan version of an Astra H, only the hatchbacks. I've read the sedan is only for the American market.

Originally Posted by Val

The transmission range includes one manual five-speed and one six-speed manual gearbox (THANKS GOD! )

I know what you mean. The 5-speed gearbox has the transmission ratios too tight together. They should have named the gears 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3. I always skip gears when accelerating. This allows to drive the 5th down to 40km/h without making the engine stutter. The bad side: I get the desire to shift another time when the 8V engine is at 3000rpm at 100km/h. But it's already top gear. Darn, I want a 6th gear!

[edawg99]

I agree with aloha it is a nice family sedan.

[open32]

I saw the astra on the street for the first time today, an Opel version, very rare here.


They dont have the sedan in America only the hatchback, the 2008 model will be the first one in the US. I think the 4 door hatchback and the sedan are very nice. Unfortunately its coming out under Saturn, they have been getting better lately but is an arm of GM thats not known for great performance or interiors.
http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/astra/5door/overview.jsp

My family needs 2 new cars around the same time so one has to be cheap, 4-doors, decent quality, and fuel efficient.