2017 Holden Astra sedan breaks cover with Aussie suspension

Meat pies, kangaroos and, er, Holden (Astra) cars, are now as Aussie as Uluru at sunset.

After months of work, the Korean-made Astra sedan – the latest Astra model to cement Holden's fresh vehicle range – has driven out of Holden's Lang Lang development centre with big changes designed to make it fit perfectly into the Australian scenery.

The sedan, on sale in Australia around the middle of this year, is a rebadged version of the US-market new-generation Cruze and is based on the same architecture as the existing Astra hatchback.

Designed and engineered in Germany, it is the only one of the Astra trio – hatch, coupe and sedan – to be made at the GM Korea plant that previously made the Cruze.

To 'Australianise' the new sedan, Holden Engineering took it to the Lang Lang complex south east of Melbourne for extensive tuning work.

Astra has always had a really distinct feel and this new car is no different.

Holden's lead dynamics engineer, Rob Trubiani, said the Astra sedan was subjected to "really intense" development and tuning during its testing.

Over more than 20,000km of pavement, gravel, rail roads and rough country backroads, Mr Trubiani said the sedan was tweaked to improve occupant comfort and ensure it displayed precise road manners.

"Astra has always had a really distinct feel and this new car is no different," he said.

"We've developed a unique steering tune for Astra which gives it a more balanced and responsive feel and, ultimately, adds to the drivers' confidence in the car.

"We also tuned the car's suspension dampers and chassis controls to make sure Astra feels safe and comfortable on long journeys, but inspiring to drive through the corners.

"We're still doing some real world testing which includes a handful of cars on Melbourne roads so keep an eye out for them in the next few months."

The Holden Astra sedan is a clean-sheet design that though based on the hatchback platform, allowed the chance to shave 120kg off the equivalent weight of its predecessor, the Cruze, and lower the aerodynamic drag coefficient to 0.295cd, one of the lowest production figures for a small car.

The sedan will share the hatchback's 110kW/245Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmissions, but will not be offered with the 147kW/300Nm 1.6-litre turbo petrol.  

Pricing and model line-up will be announced closer to its mid-year launch.

Will Holden's new small sedan have what it takes to compete against the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla? Tell us what you think in the comments below.