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There's little doubt that Holden is up against it, with the disastrous demise of its locally manufactured Commodore products looming large on the horizon.
And, as Ford has already found out, the problem the company faces isn't just the practical matter of replacing its product line-up, but the equally important, and far slipperier, battle over public perception. People think that because the Commodore is going away, the whole company is disappearing with it, and it's very hard to sell cars if people think you're dead in the water. (The people selling America as a tourist destination could sympathise; just because they've elected Trump doesn't mean the whole country is actually a giant turd.)
This is obviously not the case, but Holden does have a battle on its hands to convince non-car-obsessed people that it's still a viable alternative to the sea of rivals the Australian car market is awash with.
The German-built Astra is one of the central planks of that strategy, and the company has worked hard to make a product that appeals to the hearts and heads of a new generation of Holden owners. Even the non-car-focused punter knows that German equals good, of course.
Has Holden succeeded? We're testing the mid-range, slightly sporty Astra RS this week.
Holden Astra 2017: RS
| Engine Type | Turbo 4, 1.6L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.5L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 5 |
| Price From | $11,660 - $15,510 |
| Safety Rating |
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Is there anything interesting about its design?
7 / 10
The Astra is a sleek and stylised five-door hatch that manages to set itself apart from rivals like the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf with softer, more subtle lines and less chintz and glam.
A narrow headlight line is set off with a restrained chrome treatment on the grille, while a similarly narrow taillight line does without brightwork at all.
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Its high waist does pinch the rear door glass into a narrow point, and the sloped roofline means that load space is constrained, but the Astra RS is a good-looking car.
Inside, the theme of thin horizontal lines extends across the sculpted dash, with the brightwork again used sparingly. The piano black lacquer-like finish around the gear shifter clangs a bit, as does the chromework around it, but the rest of the interior comes together well. There's not a lot of colour or contrast, but it suits the RS badge well.
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How practical is the space inside?
7 / 10
Once on board, the Astra is a surprisingly roomy hatchback with generous rear-seat proportions despite that sloped roof, even for taller occupants. Headroom is excellent and the deeply sculpted front seat backs allow for plenty of knee room in the rear as well.
The front seats are firm, supportive and comfortable, and are mounted low in the car for plenty of headroom.
Built in Germany by fellow GM (General Motors) company Opel, the Astra is a strange mix of old-school and new-school car making. There's no electronic hand brake, for example; instead it relies on an old-fashioned lever, which takes up valuable space in the centre console.
The low-pressure turbocharger gives the car genuine low-range acceleration, especially in middling gears. This makes it a cinch to drive around town.
Some of the switchgear is also a bit suspect in its movement and feels quite cheap and plastic-ish underhand; particularly the flimsy indicator column and the action of some of the buttons.
The surface of the dash is a hard, scratchy plastic, which does bring down the tone a little. Lifting it again, though, are items like the touchscreen multimedia infotainment system, which is simple to use, while the dashboard is also clear and legible.
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There's a small black and white screen in the centre of the instrument cluster that adds functionality, including a very cool distance meter, which tells you the distance to the preceding car in seconds. We should all be driving at least one second behind the car in front, but it's quite surprising how far that distance actually is in real life.
It's not the most practical interior in the class, however. Two cup holders lie between the front seats, but there's no real pocket or storage compartment to add phones, wallets, keys, and the like. There's an odd vertical slot right in the centre dash that a smaller phone could possibly sit in, but it's not even vaguely convenient, or iPhone Plus-ready. The USB port is also hidden in the small centre console box.
There is storage in all four doors, as well as large bottle holders. Rear-seaters get no charger or vents, but the sculpted door pockets and door cards do give a nice place to rest arms. A pair of ISOFIX baby seat mounts are present and correct.
The rear cargo area has 370 litres of listed space. The seats fold virtually flat, but the raked roofline does limit awkward loads from being carried.
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Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?
7 / 10
The Astra RS is somewhat of an orphan in the lineup. Holden tells us that an automatic version will be available in the middle of the year, but it's currently sold with a six-speed manual gearbox only. It costs $26,240 before on-road costs, with the auto likely to add $2200 to the price when it becomes available.
The RS is equipped with automatic lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera (with a surprisingly poor-resolution screen), engine stop/start, blind-spot warning, cloth trim throughout, a leather-bound steering wheel and gearshifter, LED daytime driving lamps and 17-inch alloy rims.
Holden's Astra also comes equipped with AEB. While its multimedia entertainment system is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
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What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?
8 / 10
The 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual make for a very drivable and entertaining combination.
It's good for 147kW and 280Nm (or 300Nm thanks to a momentary overboost function at full throttle), with torque peaking at a usefully low 1650rpm.
The low-pressure turbocharger gives the car genuine low-range acceleration, especially in middling gears. This makes it a cinch to drive around town; leave it in second or third gear and it'll pull away quite nicely, even from low revs.
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A Sport button in the cabin also sharpens the throttle map a bit, making it a tad crisper at low revs.
The six-speeder in the RS is geared shorter than the equivalent gearbox in the lower grade R, which helps keep the small turbo motor on the boil, too.
How much fuel does it consume?
7 / 10
Over 450 kilometres, we recorded a dash-indicated figure of 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres, and we actually used 38 litres of fuel to drive 450km, which equates to a real-world figure of 8.5L/100km.
Holden claims a combined fuel economy figure of 6.5 litres per 100km.
Its 48-litre fuel tank is good for a theoretical range of 730km, and it requires 95RON fuel or better.
What's it like to drive?
7 / 10
It's becoming a rarity to hop back into a manual front-wheel drive hatch, because the genre is all but dead in Australia. The RS is not what you'd call a ‘hot' hatch, but it's definitely warmed-over.
Holden has spent some time recalibrating the steering for local roads, and the Astra's European-tuned ride is both forgiving and supportive, with good steering feel, great braking feedback and a comfortable ride, even over broken road surfaces.
On the whole, though, it's an easy to use transmission that won't leave you stalling at the lights.
Its stability and comfort also means the passengers are happy, even on longer trips. The gearbox and clutch combination is mostly okay, but a slightly undefined clutch action can mean that gear changes are slowed unnecessarily at times.
On the whole, though, it's an easy to use transmission that won't leave you stalling at the lights.
Downsides? There's a disconcerting amount of wind noise around the top of the driver's door that no amount of radio volume could drown out, and there was also a bit of road roar that got back into the cabin through the rear floor area.
Warranty & Safety Rating
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?
8 / 10
It's a maximum of five ANCAP stars all round for the Astra, thanks to six airbags, AEB, lane keep assist, blind spot warning and forward collision warning.
What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?
7 / 10
Holden offers a capped-price service program for the life of the Astra, with service intervals of 15,000km or 12 months.
Each service up to 90,000km will cost $229, jumping to $289 after that. The 120,000km service jumps to $640, falling to $529 at 135,000km.
A three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty is provided.
Verdict
This particular manual version of the Astra is likely to end up as a bit of an orphan in the range; despite the manual version being quite good, Australians are keeping away from self-shifters in droves. Holden is aware of this and the RS should have an automatic transmission by the middle of the year.
When it comes to the RS as a concept, it adds a bit of firepower to the Astra range. It competes on par with its rivals from Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen, with a ride/handling package that matches and in some cases exceeds its rivals' abilities.
Only time will time if Holden can convince a new generation of Australians to take up the lion badge, but not many of them will want a manual version.
Has Holden got the Astra right? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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