Test drive: Opel Astra 1.6 CDTi 136 CV Excellence, the touring compact

Look how far it has come! That is the first thing that comes to mind as soon as I get behind the wheel of the Opel Astra with the 1.6 CDTi 136 CV diesel engine we have tested. The Astra has always been a compact that was well received by the market, and even had a sportier response than similar French rivals, but it had one enormous problem: its weight.

With the new generation launched in 2016, the car’s weight was considerably reduced, it adopted new engines that retired the old Isuzu unit (which was as rough as it was reliable) and was completely updated, even with equipment not usually seen in the compact segment.

If you are looking for a well-equipped compact with good road manners and extremely low running costs, stay with us as we go through all the details of the test of the Opel Astra with the 1.6 CDTi 136 CV manual diesel engine in the top-of-the-range Excellence trim.

Exterior design

The sense of lightness begins with its exterior design, now more sculpted than the previous generation and with the new front end that showcases the brand’s design language. The slit-shaped headlights with LED technology for all lighting functions stand out, as does the grille that seems to extend the lines of the headlights. The bonnet features several creases that add character and a sporty touch, as do the shapes of the front bumper where the front fog lights are housed.

From the side it continues the upward line of the previous generation but now more pronounced, highlighting the black C-pillar that gives the impression of a floating roof (a hallmark of the brand’s new launches). At the rear, the lights define the tailgate, with straight shapes in keeping with the front and LED technology.

Interior design

Inside, the flowing exterior lines are reflected in the contours of the centre console, simple with far fewer buttons than the previous generation and with the touchscreen as its most prominent element. The only buttons are those for the climate control and some shortcuts to the multimedia functions just below the screen (a real success, as it lets us move from one menu to another quickly and intuitively).

The quality of the materials is decent, mixing soft, pleasant-to-the-touch plastics with glossy black plastic (a true epidemic in car interiors, regardless of whether they cost 10,000 or 100,000 euros) or hard plastic in the least accessible areas. Even so, the fit and finish are good and no creaks were noticed in our unit.

The driving position is very comfortable, and our unit was equipped with special seats with AGR certification (optional, but highly recommended for those who spend many hours behind the wheel). The letters AGR stand for Aktion Gesunder Rücken, a German association specialising in back health, which developed these seats in collaboration with General Motors. They feature multiple electric adjustments to suit any driver (leading the segment in adjustability) and even passive climate control, maintaining the ideal seat temperature and allowing breathability thanks to the materials used. On top of this, heating, ventilation (unusual in a compact) and massage are available.

What does this mean in practice? We can travel and cover long distances (in our test, 700 km of motorway in a single day) without our back suffering, with a comfort more typical of large saloons, and an almost perfect fit where our back rests completely relaxed and without tension.

In the rear seats there is enough room for feet and head, as long as passengers are not very tall, with two very comfortable side seats and a slightly firmer centre seat, which also has less foot room because of the transmission tunnel. What surprised me again is that the rear seats have heating (once again unusual in a mainstream compact) and even have a USB charging port for our devices.

In terms of storage it does not particularly stand out: it has storage spaces in the centre tunnel and door bins, although they are small. In fact, there is a trim piece that seems to hide a glovebox in the centre console, but unfortunately it is just a design feature that hides nothing. The main glovebox is of normal size, in addition to the centre console box. The boot has a capacity of 370 litres.

Engine and performance

The diesel engine is another key point of the Opel Astra. Gone are the blocks made by Opel (1.3 and 2.0) or by Isuzu (the ancient 1.7). The new 1.6 CDTI, which in this unit produces 136 CV, is a General Motors in-house design.

This engine stands out for its power delivery: it is very performance-oriented, with strong pull from 1,500 rpm up to beyond 4,000 rpm, while being much smoother than the earlier engines from the German brand, and it is currently one of the smoothest 1.6 engines in Europe.

Its torque of 320 Nm is available from 2,000 rpm, which is more than enough to move this 1,350 kg compact with great ease (a considerable weight reduction compared with the previous generation). In fact, the 110 CV variant is more than sufficient to move the Opel Astra comfortably.

The engine is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox which does not particularly stand out for precision, but otherwise has plenty of travel. Another area for improvement is the engine noise, which is rather high.

Handling

Behind the wheel, the Opel Astra is a nimble car, very stable on country roads and motorways, with firm, agile cornering. The lower weight is noticeable, it is not afraid of a mountain pass and, combined with this performance-oriented diesel engine, it can even be fun to drive.

On the motorway at 120 km/h the engine sits at around 2,000 rpm, smooth and comfortable. Although the engine is not very quiet, the interior has good soundproofing. In the city, the Astra’s size becomes an ally when manoeuvring or moving around busy streets.

Overall, it is a compact with dynamic behaviour that surpasses that of other rivals leading the sales rankings, while standing out for its smooth steering and stability.

Fuel consumption

Another area where the Astra excels is fuel consumption, reaching figures more typical of a city car than a compact. In our motorway test (over 700 km at legal speeds), the average consumption was 4.4 litres per 100 km.

In fact, on country roads, if we are careful with the accelerator pedal, it is relatively easy to achieve average consumption of around 4.1 litres per 100 km, while with more carefree driving the average rises to 4.5 litres per 100 km, still a very good figure.

In the city, on our usual route (around Vigo), the consumption we obtained was 5.9 litres per 100 km.

Equipment

The equipment of the Opel Astra has recently been restructured. In fact, the Excellence trim of our test unit is no longer available (in terms of equipment level it corresponds to the GSI Line). The trim levels are now three: Selective, Dynamic and GSI Line.

The base Selective trim already comes with: multiple airbags, stability control, emergency brake assist, light sensor, halogen headlights and LED daytime running lights, IntelliLink radio with four speakers, climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, among other items.

The next level, Dynamic, adds as main equipment sporty front seats, lane departure warning, automatic city braking, traffic sign recognition, dual-zone climate control, front fog lights, among others.

The GSI Line trim, in addition to its specific sporty design with the OPC pack, also adds other items that were present in our test unit, such as matrix LED headlights (with excellent lighting), navigation, tinted rear glass, blind-spot warning, rear camera, parking assistant and 17-inch alloy wheels.

On top of this, you can optionally add seats with AGR certification which, in our unit, were leather with heating and ventilation function for the front seats. Another extra on our unit was the winter pack, which adds heated rear seats (unusual in a compact) or a heated steering wheel.

In short, a level of equipment more typical of a premium saloon than a mainstream compact, with options whose prices are very reasonable (such as the AGR seats) or standard equipment such as the Opel Eye, which brings together several safety systems, or the matrix LED headlights.

Personal opinion and price of the Opel Astra

For those looking for a compact for covering long distances, the Opel Astra is a very interesting option to consider. Personally, I found it a car with an excellent balance of price, equipment and performance, standing out for its standard and optional equipment, which in many cases is more typical of a premium saloon than a compact, all at very reasonable prices for the items that are not standard.

Its 136 CV diesel engine is very performance-oriented and has very low consumption, which encourages long journeys, without us suffering over those kilometres thanks to interesting features such as the ergonomically certified AGR seats.

The starting price of the Opel Astra starts at 15,280 euros (promotions included) with the 105 CV petrol engine, while the diesel range starts at 16,469 euros with the 110 CV diesel. In the case of our test unit, the final price was around 26,000 euros including all extras.

Photos | Diego G. Moreira