Comparing Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport and Ford Focus 1.6 H/B

[Ivan96935sg]

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I would like to compare the abovementioned models.

1) Pricing

2) FC

3) Handling

4) Size

5) Appearance

6) Maintenance Cost like spare parts.

 

I like both the car design especially Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport. Was considering of Toyota Altis and my friend strongly reccomend on Ford Focus in terms of handling.

 

The pricing is higher than Altis if I'm not wrong. But how much higher? Astra got all the cost rebate, free insurance, etc. So in the end not sure of the selling price. Too confused.

 

Can anyone enlightened me on the pricing as well as commend on the cars.

Thks alot.

 

IMHO, I'll go for Opel Astra. The make is from Germany and is also equipped with better equipments level than the Ford Focus. The handling and power of Opel Astra would also be better. My heart will vote for Opel Astra.

 

As for resale value, both cars would be relatively low even for Toyota Altis cos these days every cars will lose alot of sell too early. Try driving it for a longer time frame.....depreciation would be even out.

[Adam251]

mazda 3 engine sound it wasn't sweet to me ... more like roaring ... maybe for some its sound sweet ... one man's meat another man's poison thing I guess ... my colleagues have mazda 3 ... look nice and feel nice but took a ride and both sounds nasty and loud ... unless boths cars are lemon but what are the chances of that ??

[Felipe]

ok..other than the 3's looks, i never really tot highly abt it. the 6 would be a different story though. guess for me, the astra is a no-brainer. wen i see it on the road, it has a pretty striking presence. i know opels WERE known to be boring, but things have been abit more exciting of late. the only reason i didnt get it was bcos i was poisoned by the serpent. but an astra anyday compared to a focus for me.

[Accenture]

Oi King how have u been? 146 - 120hp still not enuff power

 

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the only drawback for focus is the engine....not enough power....

remind me of my 146.

[Darth_mel]

Any1 tried the astra 1.8l yet ?

[King]

enough power.. more than focus

try b4 with 1 focus...first 2 gear we pull together cause our car same weight.but after third gear i pull away

[Soleution]

Go for the Astra 1.6, got sport mode and a lot of gadgets, focus a bit too simple IMO, sharing platform with M3, FC is also considering...

 

But are you sharing your car with your other half? or you are driving alone? Then Astra 1.6 MTA will not be a good choice if other is driving, get the 1.8, must straight foward driving pattern.

[Deathsythe]

My wife and me will be driving the car. 1.8l is out of my budget.

Will test drive the car soon together with Altis and Focus.

Will update u guys on the final decision.

[Soleution]

Good luck and happy driving, choose the one with your heart!! Don't get affected by us.

[Deathsythe]

Another thing to clarify. Wat's the difference between ESP and Traction Control as offer on the Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport?

[Darth_mel]

Just test drove the 1.8l this afternoon. Never bothered with 1.6l cos with that solid chasis, it will be severely underpowered. Just my opinion.

 

I must say the car feels luxurious and stable ! The computer is nice to have too. Power can be felt although sounded a little rough (normal ecotec, I think). Brake is very, very sensitive to bite. Seats are a bit hard for my liking. SE kept stressing the ESP and traction control.

 

One funny thing I noticed is that the brake and gas pedals are not aligned. Always missed the gas pedal when taking off.

 

But all in all, an impressive ride though a bigger boot and a lower price would be nice.

 

Cheers !

[Showtime]

traction control limits the engine power to the front wheels when traction is lost. esp detects driving flaws/anomalies, and applies brakes on the respective wheels to maintain stability of the whole chassis.

[Ahem]

I'm only supposed to be test-driving but i ended up signing on the dotted line.

The Sports mode can be quite addictive.

 

Have fun test-driving!

[Sony]

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mazda 3 engine sound it wasn't sweet to me ... more like roaring ... maybe for some its sound sweet ... one man's meat another man's poison thing I guess ... my colleagues have mazda 3 ... look nice and feel nice but took a ride and both sounds nasty and loud ... unless boths cars are lemon but what are the chances of that ??

 

Mz3 engine is noisy, esp when it go above 100km/h. Moreover it's 4 speed auto compared to 5 speed for the conti like focus and Astra.

 

So both their cars are ok, not lemon.

[Sony]

Oh Brother, you are quite wrong to say that 1.6L is underpowered. I have just got back from a 1 day trip up Malacca with my opel convoy, 13 cars in all, including Saaber (if you know him).

 

My Astra got no problem maintaining 180km/h and catching up with the Astra H Turbo. We also have 3 Meriva 1.6 L and at one point, they were leading the way for our convoy.

 

Having said that, the 1.6 may seem underpowered unless you know when to upshift and downshift. Moreover, the MTA-5 does need some practice, i.e. you need more than 1 test drive

 

1.8L is using Ecotec, i.e. the older engine while 1.6L come with twinport, so it's considered newer and smoother. I find the brake quite ok and not as sensitive as you make it out to be. Maybe it's personnal preference but if you had test drove the previous generation of Cefiro, I'm sure you will really know what is "sensitive to touch" .

 

And is the pedal not aligned properly? Strange... when did you test drive har? Since the SE keep talking about ESP, i think it shd be at least 1-2months back since ESP is going to be taken out in the later shipment.

 

 

Ya, agreed with you that boot space is small but it's a hatch lar. can't expect the roominess of an SUV or normal sedan.

 

Cheers..

[Sony]

So which car did you buy har?

[Phalanx]

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Just test drove the 1.8l this afternoon. Never bothered with 1.6l cos with that solid chasis, it will be severely underpowered. Just my opinion.

 

I must say the car feels luxurious and stable ! The computer is nice to have too. Power can be felt although sounded a little rough (normal ecotec, I think). Brake is very, very sensitive to bite. Seats are a bit hard for my liking. SE kept stressing the ESP and traction control.

 

One funny thing I noticed is that the brake and gas pedals are not aligned. Always missed the gas pedal when taking off.

 

But all in all, an impressive ride though a bigger boot and a lower price would be nice.

 

Cheers !

 

After you run-in the engine and change the engine oil to say, Mobil 1 Gold, wah nice....not rough anymore.

[Darth_mel]

Er, I tot I stated the test-drive was yesterday afternoon ? SE who served me was Dororthy Ting.

 

Why take out the ESP ? If dat's the case car should be cheaper, shouldn't it ?

 

How far can this Astra be modded ? Any sites/forums to recommend ?

 

BTW was told that the new facelift Vectra will be shown at Raffles City today. Delicious-looking car ! Wonder why don't they bring in the 2.0l Turbo ?

Edited November 3, 2005 by Darth_mel