2001 Holden Astra TS City 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A fun car to drive

Faults:

As yet nothing major has gone wrong with the car, due to the car not being very old and only having travelled low kilometres.

Slightly squeaky brakes and black brake dust on the wheel covers is annoying.

Has slight wind noise inside the car.

General Comments:

A great looking car which rides and handles well, looks good and has a solid feel about it.

A fun car to drive.

The seats are a little bit too firm.

The wheel covers look dirty all the time due to the excessive amount of black brake dust.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th August, 2001

26th Oct 2001, 01:09

It's normal and expected to have excessive brake dust on a new Astra.

3rd Apr 2004, 03:51

Agree that the Astra TS is a sound drivers car, but it can be expensive to maintain. At just 35,000 my front rotors and disc pads are up for renewal at up to $680 as per a quote from a GMH Dealer. The rear rotors and pads are not far away I am told. The battery has just been replaced at $135. So while ownership is a positive experience it comes with European parts pricing and in fact the car is more expensive to maintain (other than petrol) than my VT Berlina.

6th Oct 2005, 18:03

The Astra TS is a very good car for long distance driving, very stable at high speed and is actually more economical to use high octane premium unleaded. We can get Perth to Kalgoorlie, which is about 600km from a single fuel tank with 2 adults, 2 kids, full boot, air conditioner on, sitting at 110-120kph. Make sure you check and replace the timing belt at 60,000km. This was missed by my Holden service centre and at 105,000km, the timing belt failed whilst the car was cruising down the freeway at 100kph, resulting about $5,000 worth of damage to the engine. Not very good, considering the car is now only worth about $10,000 or less. Also, need to replace the alternator after 5 yrs as the battery won't get fully charged, and you will get all sorts of electrical disturbances whilst driving with a low volt battery. The Astra goes through brake pads real quick and the tyres are pretty expensive to replace. Great European quality, at European cost to maintain. Get rid of the car just as the warranty about to expire, becomes very expensive to maintain otherwise.

2001 Holden Astra City 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

An excellent car for a reasonable price

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I test drove the Pulsar, Laser and Suzuki Baleno and in the comparison the Astra felt superior in nearly every way. The Holden people were also very polite and low pressure.

The power assist steering has very good feel.

Fuel consumption has been exceptional and has been consistently better than 40 mpg (or approximately 7 litres per 100 km).

One problem is the indicator stalk is on the opposite side to most other Australian cars.

The only other (slight) negative is the gearing is a bit low so that highway speeds the engine is revving a little high. But then the engine always feels responsive even from 1500 rpm in 5th gear.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2001

2001 Holden Astra TS 16v EFI from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The Astra is a quality car with zippy performance, but an overly zealous computer management system

Faults:

My main concern is the lethargic throttle response. It seems that the 2001 Holden Astra is fitted with a slightly different motor to its 85 kw predecessor. It has a drive-by-wire throttle and an engine management computer set to hold the throttle open on decelerating.

I find this annoying and a little unsafe. Any tips on how to rectify this would be appreciated (kcole@iprimus.com.au)

I noticed water in the driver's side headlight, but a smear of silicon around the joints fixed that.

The key remote is too chunky.

General Comments:

Very little has gone wrong with my car and its build quality seems very high.

It doesn't handle like my 1990 BMW 525i, but it is agile and sure footed with a pleasant steering feel unlike most front wheel drive cars. If you let the tyres down a little it jiggles less on the road. The Michelin tyres roll along like a push bike.

The controls are all slick and easy to use, although the stubby gear shift takes a little time to adapt to.

It is very quiet with under-bonnet sound deadening rarely seen in cheap cars.

It is amazingly frugal for its weight. Much better than the last Barina. It seems to always give 39 mpg + regardless of how you drive it.

The radio is of good quality, but it is hard to replace the mediocre door speakers which appear to have surround glued to their in-door supports.

The engine is all a bit too electronic and everything is adjusted by the computer including timing and idle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2001

11th Jul 2001, 20:49

An interesting point was made about the drivers side headlight. I have two other friends with the same problem.

Manufacturing problem?

They had their headlights replaced by the dealer.

2nd Sep 2001, 21:33

I also find the way the engine holds its revs annoying, have you had any luck addressing this?

I have also noticed mysterious creaks from the passenger door area that appear to come and go, after mentioning this to the Holden service department they managed to eliminate it for a while but it appears to have returned.

Lastly I also have an annoying rattle that comes from the high stop light mounted at the top center of the hatch that is still persisting after two attempts at stopping it.

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2001 Holden Astra City 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Pocket rocket

Faults:

Annoying rattles throughout the back section of the car.

Disc brakes also give off an annoying sound.

General Comments:

The performance and handling of the car is very impressive. Very quick off the lights, especially with a good exhaust system.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st July, 2001