Opel Astra 2016

[Johnny86]

are u looking at 1.4  with 6 speeds slushbox?

 

its a firm steady drive. it feels best on well maintained roads. those rough spots on lousy roads will kill ur ears and can feel it on ur arse. otherwise cruising on highway is very good.

 

cornering is quite OK, ie u can drive sporty but dont expect it to be AWD smooth >60km/h on sharper bends. i tend to use the braking method to shift the weight to the nose so u can ease out the turns. turning radius is like a sedan with a shorter nose..!!

it actually brakes pretty well for me although some owners feel otherwise. the brake booster (servo) can react faster or slower depending on brake pedal input which i find quite smart on new cars.

 

from stop it has ample torque wanting to push your seat forward. once at speed its fun to rev and engine's pretty refined and quiet up to 3krpm where u already get max torque and some good horsepower. at that range the 6AT gearbox shifts smoothly. its a lot less desirable at low speeds though (Gear 1/2) especially moving in slow city traffic.

 

 

love the shape of the DRL although the mokka x and new insignia have it better, cruise control (rarely used), speakers are clear and punchy for me. 

 

cabin space is still one of the best in this segment (hence sedan feel). boot space normal.

 

paintwork is meh. dont expect too much. 

 

 

no DSG was number 1 winner for me. not much to worry about.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Johnny86

[peng61]

Please read all my previous posts in this thread - I shall not say anymore.

 

if you really want "100%" reliability, I should say buy a Toyota Corolla Altis. The Japanese brands so far are the most reliable, but not so solid as continental makes. I would have bought a Cat A Japanese car if I do not need to drive to Malaysia often.

 

When I was car hunting in December 2016, the Altis was about the same price as the 1.4T HB. Maybe because the Cat A and Cat B COE was quite close.

 

I just want to be different this time.

 

Cheers

 

Reliability over safety???

[Westguy]

All is good with my ride so far. 

 

Edited May 9, 2018 by pChou

[kelaihoyin]

Please read all my previous posts in this thread - I shall not say anymore.

 

if you really want "100%" reliability, I should say buy a Toyota Corolla Altis. The Japanese brands so far are the most reliable, but not so solid as continental makes. I would have bought a Cat A Japanese car if I do not need to drive to Malaysia often.

 

When I was car hunting in December 2016, the Altis was about the same price as the 1.4T HB. Maybe because the Cat A and Cat B COE was quite close.

 

I just want to be different this time.

 

Cheers

 

 

It is true at around 105k price point is hard not to shortlist this car especially with all the features and that engine. 

[Redlance]

First time posting after reading 100plus pages of this thread. TBH, let's ignore those writers bashing this model. We are here to share and learn. I'm a potential buyer as I test drove it and really like the drive. Aka VW Golf but without DSG issue? Keen to know and learn more on this new Astra

I am driving a 1.0 ST since Jan. Had enjoyed the ride so far.

If you are familiar with a manual car the 1.0 MTA gearbox will suit you.

[Friendstar]

Try to go for the 1.4 6 speeder auto. It's really good

[Miczaq]

are u looking at 1.4 with 6 speeds slushbox?

 

its a firm steady drive. it feels best on well maintained roads. those rough spots on lousy roads will kill ur ears and can feel it on ur arse. otherwise cruising on highway is very good.

 

cornering is quite OK, ie u can drive sporty but dont expect it to be AWD smooth >60km/h on sharper bends. i tend to use the braking method to shift the weight to the nose so u can ease out the turns. turning radius is like a sedan with a shorter nose..!!

it actually brakes pretty well for me although some owners feel otherwise. the brake booster (servo) can react faster or slower depending on brake pedal input which i find quite smart on new cars.

 

from stop it has ample torque wanting to push your seat forward. once at speed its fun to rev and engine's pretty refined and quiet up to 3krpm where u already get max torque and some good horsepower. at that range the 6AT gearbox shifts smoothly. its a lot less desirable at low speeds though (Gear 1/2) especially moving in slow city traffic.

 

 

love the shape of the DRL although the mokka x and new insignia have it better, cruise control (rarely used), speakers are clear and punchy for me.

 

cabin space is still one of the best in this segment (hence sedan feel). boot space normal.

 

paintwork is meh. dont expect too much.

 

 

no DSG was number 1 winner for me. not much to worry about.

i am one of the few that encounter issues for my 1.4hb and whats truly disappointing is AG inability to resolve the issue and shrug it off.

[BoyWonder15]

i am one of the few that encounter issues for my 1.4hb and whats truly disappointing is AG inability to resolve the issue and shrug it off.

Sounds like AG is an untrustworthy AD. I love the Opel cars and think they're great but ultimately you need a responsible AD to help with issues. Right now, it's a bit of a lucky draw - everyone who buys Opel just hopes that the car they get won't have any issues. That's crazy.

[Miczaq]

Sounds like AG is an untrustworthy AD. I love the Opel cars and think they're great but ultimately you need a responsible AD to help with issues. Right now, it's a bit of a lucky draw - everyone who buys Opel just hopes that the car they get won't have any issues. That's crazy.

i agree. buying new car , regardless of make, there are bound to be some that will have defects. however if the AD doesnt step forward to resolve it , then in my opinion , better to avoid it. simply put , you can be promised even 10yrs warranty but when things happen... they claim its normal in their opinion or nothing they can do ... the whole process then need to escalate via litigation. This kind of scenario ...better avoid Edited September 10, 2017 by Miczaq

[Sdf4786k]

according to this AM, dont buy Astra

 

https://youtu.be/13TBZ8OggAY

[merc280v6]

according to this AM, dont buy Astra

 

https://youtu.be/13TBZ8OggAY

Inconvenient Facts!

[Heartlander]

according to this AM, dont buy Astra

 

https://youtu.be/13TBZ8OggAY

But are all the allegations valid in our context? I know for one his first point does not really stand here. Also, I am not awars we have many Opel owners trying in vain to claim warranty issues over the years.

 

So which points stand here? Really abit of pain to listen to the rumblings.

[Johnny86]

Just an update my status to be fair to AG:

 

Apart from the "free play" sounds from 6AT GB which has no conclusion yet apart from factory standard reply, I'm confirmed to be on priority waitlist for steering rack replacement regarding creaking sounds. Anti roll bar side checked and found to I be OK. Of course we will only find out after rack is replaced. Still waiting for shipment which was "affected by PSA buyover".

 

Also sent in with complaint of intermittent rough idling. Although nothing was said about what was done (also forgot to ask), past few days idling has been really calm (with start-stop off). At 14.5K Mileage the difference is apparent to my paranoid self. So either something was done, or engine is finally settling in.

 

Having to send in my car at 8am for the third time before rushing for work is not a great experience for me. Luckily Latiff did not brush my concerns off and addressed them professionally as I requested for him to call me directly on the outcome instead of getting the general call to "pickup the car".

 

Am back to enjoying the car, still driving it happily in the mid range enjoying the stability of 17" tires at a firm 260kPA.

 

Sundays too precious for brand bashing. Time to let go , get outside and enjoy the cool day.

[AndrewLee72]

Hi johnny... Yr tyres pump so high presure ? Whats yr tpms reading..?

[Johnny86]

Hi johnny... Yr tyres pump so high presure ? Whats yr tpms reading..?

252kPA cold, 260kPA on roads, 270+ on highway

 

I find anything less than 240 sluggish on acceleration and turns...250 and above gives a firm heavy feel yet not lethargic.

 

Guess this is subjective...

[AndrewLee72]

Ok heng ah.. My tpms reads 252 front oso.

 

Did u repump at petrol kiosks tyre pumps so far ?

[Johnny86]

Ok heng ah.. My tpms reads 252 front oso.

 

Did u repump at petrol kiosks tyre pumps so far ?

yes once in a while I'll go pump. Not that u would need to do it often.

 

AG has tendency to give 240kPA which is not my preference

[BoyWonder15]

Just an update my status to be fair to AG:

 

Apart from the "free play" sounds from 6AT GB which has no conclusion yet apart from factory standard reply, I'm confirmed to be on priority waitlist for steering rack replacement regarding creaking sounds. Anti roll bar side checked and found to I be OK. Of course we will only find out after rack is replaced. Still waiting for shipment which was "affected by PSA buyover".

 

Also sent in with complaint of intermittent rough idling. Although nothing was said about what was done (also forgot to ask), past few days idling has been really calm (with start-stop off). At 14.5K Mileage the difference is apparent to my paranoid self. So either something was done, or engine is finally settling in.

 

Having to send in my car at 8am for the third time before rushing for work is not a great experience for me. Luckily Latiff did not brush my concerns off and addressed them professionally as I requested for him to call me directly on the outcome instead of getting the general call to "pickup the car".

 

Am back to enjoying the car, still driving it happily in the mid range enjoying the stability of 17" tires at a firm 260kPA.

 

Sundays too precious for brand bashing. Time to let go , get outside and enjoy the cool day.

 

Guys - i'll be honest here for the benefit of those looking to buy an Opel because i have been lurking around different car groups in FB trying to determine which car to buy for my family at the sub 100k mark.

 

I first started looking for a car about 2 weeks back and chanced about the $96,888 advert for the Astra ST. I test drove this car and also the Honda HRV. I was very impressed with the car because of its features and good looks. I told myself - i should sign to lock in the price because this car is amazing. But thankfully, wisdom caught up with me, and i told the SE that my wife and I would like more time to think and discuss.

 

That night, i joined the Opel SG owners' FB groups and i read through every single page of this forum. I looked at online reviews and watched a crazy number of Youtube videos. The majority of the reviews were good but there were also reports of issues with the changing of gears, strange sounds coming from the car, the lack of insulation. But hey, every car (even BMW and Merc) has its issues right? You just need to resolve this with the AD. That's when my decision turned - none of the posts had anything positive to say about AG. Quite a number have attested to the poor quality work at AG's workshop and the poor attitude of the SE.

 

This would not be an issue if the car is a Japanese make or a popular conti - unfortunately, the hard truth is that this is an Opel and i do not know of any external workshops that can fix the car at an affordable rate. Owners of Opel are reliant on AG and its workshop. (Happy to be corrected on this point).

 

I ended up buying a Japanese car because i just could not get past the AG issue.

 

Those who like me - have a limited budget and are seeking for a family car, my advice is to give Opel a miss. I mean, its a great car with alot of features but do you really need them? Also, are you willing to take the chance of issues cropping up with your car? Of course, if nothing happens, we don't have to worry but unfortunately, we live in the real world and chances are - every car (even my Japanese one) will have issues.

 

For those who have bought the car, i think you should keep hounding AG if you have issues (use social media to name and shame them if you have to) because this is their responsibility. Also, it would be good for all owners to band together to find a workshop that does good repair work for Opel cars and try to bargain for reasonable pricing.

 

Just my 2 cents worth because this weekend and the next, i am sure many people will be looking to buy cars. And hopefully my post is helpful. Feel free to disagree as the views are mine. Thanks all.