2001 Holden Astra SRi 2.2 from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
A stylish, comfortable and sporty hot hatch that doesn't have many compromises
Faults:
So far few rattles, driver's seat belt housing, seat belt pre-tensioner, back seat and parcel shelf. Rear brake makes funny sounds (sort of like the sound the bicycles make when their braking pad are not aligned properly to the rim) when braking while reversing, or moving at a slow speed. Annoying, but not major, not sure if the brake pads are dragging, will have it checked by the dealer.
General Comments:
The suspension setting is a good compromise between comfort and handling, though I would have preferred it to be firmer to have more feedback from the road.
Long engaging clutch and notchy 1st & 2nd gear, not very suitable for sporty shifting.
Steering should be sharper.
Brake pedal could have better feedback.
The sport seats are not bad, but a little bit firm and lack support around the thigh (maybe I have long legs, the extended thigh support didn't really help)
The doors are quite heavy (but feel safe).
Getting around 9~10L/100km fuel consumption.
Big boot, lots of room for rear passenger apart from leg room. (generous for 2 door hatch, but only adequate for 4 people) Rear seats are more comfortable to sit in than front.
Apart from the minor comments mentioned above, generally I am quite happy with the car itself, it is well build, getting close to Japanese build quality. It is more suit to relaxed high way cruising and high speed corners than tight twisty left and right hand corners (in stock suspension form, though it is still pretty capable). It has enough torque to pull uphill in 5th gear, though I would have preferred more feedback from the car when driving.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 8th April, 2002
28th May 2002, 07:52
I think that this is a fair and accurate review. I also seem to have the same problems lately about the noises with something. I'm not sure of it is the rear brakes, but definitely there is something with low forward and reverse speeds. Too bad that I own an automatic version, but there IS an immense amount of torque available when needed. One thing that the writer missed out is that the car generates huge amounts of brake dust that stick to the wheels. Probably caused by the disc brakes close proximity.