Holden Astra 1997 News

The Commodore VF, Holden Colorado 7 and Opel Astra GTC have all been caught on camera in recent weeks during test runs out of Melbourne. The hottest hit was scored by Ben Williams, who shot the camouflaged Commodore (below) during country runs with a group of current cars and - surprisingly - a full-sized Dodge. "I saw the car in country Victoria. It was with a group of Commodores. There was also an American car (above)," says Williams. The Colorado 7, which plugs a giant hole in Holden's SUV lineup later this year, is caught wearing a different style of disguise in a Melbourne carpark. "I saw this car at my local shopping center car park. I think it's a new SUV for Holden," says Jon Walker. Holden has already announced preliminary details on the car, which is based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer and will be the first full-sized SUV for the brand in almost a decade." “Australians are buying more SUVs than ever before. The Colorado 7 will be a perfect fit for customers looking for the increased packaging flexibility and lifestyle benefits of clever interior storage, seven seats and rugged off-road performance," says Holden's John Elsworth. But there is nothing yet on the exact specification or the crucial pricing. Mathieu Lewis only manages a quick glimpse at a speedy yellow coupe but he knows what he's got.  "I spotted the new Opel Astra GTC on Punt Road in Melbourne. It's a rough photo I managed to get of it through the mirror," he says.  Opel has no details yet on its sales plan for the hot hatch, but is surprisingly happy it has been snapped.  "Yes, it is one of our GTCs, the very first to arrive in the country," says Michelle Lang, spokesperson for Opel Australia. "I'm not surprised it was spotted - it's a head turner."  

It has styling that mimics the larger Insignia and is expected to break cover at the Paris Motor Show in September, although there is no confirmation - yet - for Australian sales.

Opel Australia has confirmed the three-door sports turbo compact will be completing the launch line-up. It will run possibly a 1.4 or 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine the former with around 100kW, the latter with 132kW and six speed manual only. Following its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt last year, the Astra GTC presents an ultra-sporty and stylish model to Australia, joining the exciting launch range comprising the Astra Hatch and Tourer, Corsa 3 and 5 door, and Insignia Sedan and Tourer. The Astra GTC will be the "hero" of the range. According to Opel, GTC designers wanted the car to be the ultimate expression of Opel's design language `sculptural artistry meets German precision'. The new Astra GTC stands out with sharp design and driving capabilities. On the outside, sculpted shapes with precise accents add drama to clean, sweeping coupe lines. And on the road, all Astra GTC versions benefit from a premium front axle layout with HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) that combines with the clever Opel patented Watt's link rear axle to provide stability and the sharpest driving precision. Few sporty cars in the segment offer such a sophisticated front axle architecture.  

Switching from Holden to Opel badges from early 2012 also means there will be more emphasis on cars with pace and panache. So the upcoming Opel Astra GSI, caught by Carparazzi during pre-launched trials in Europe, is likely to be a pacemaker and a hero car for the start-up brand. The GSI is developed from the Astra hatch already previewed in Europe as the Opel response to the latest Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The Astra is promised as a benchmark small car and the GSI will be the headliner for the badge, taking up the slack from the current car not sold in Australia. Carparazzi shots reveal a GSI, even with camouflage, that trumpets a bolder front end with a different bumper, air intakes and daytime   running lamps. At the rear there is an extra exhaust pipe and a massive rear bumper,   and the pictures also show the car rides up to 10 millimetres lower than the regular Astra. Carparazzi says the new GSI will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo motor delivering 141 kiloWatts, be good enough to top the current model's speed of 230 km/h and its sprint of 8.2 seconds from standstill to 100 km/h.

Looking for a safe used car? Think German. The 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings suggest that German-designed cars are among the best choices.Volkswagen's Golf and Bora, Holden's German-sourced Astra TS and Mercedes-Benz's C-Class all rated well for occupant protection and safety for other road-users.With improvements to occupant safety, coupled with reduced risk to other road-users, smaller cars have replaced large family cars as the pick of the litter.In previous years the BMW 3 Series and the family-friendly Holden Commodores and Ford Falcon have been the star performers.This year the researchers highlighted the Golf, Bora, Astra TS, C-Class, Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord.The ratings show that if you make the wrong choice of used car, you could be up to 26 times more likely to be killed or seriously hurt in an accident.The research, by Monash University with the RACV, TAC and VicRoads, shows a staggering difference between used cars.As new-car safety has improved, it has widened the gap between the safest cars on the road and the most dangerous.The latest data shows that a Daihatsu Hi-Jet made from 1982-1990 is 26 times more likely to leave occupants dead or seriously injured than a Volkswagen Passat built from 1998-2005.Two criteria were used: crashworthiness, which is the car's ability to keep its occupants safe; and aggressiveness, which is the likelihood of injury or death to unprotected road-users.TAC senior manager of road safety David Healy says the ratings will play a crucial role in reducing the road toll.“It's going to make a huge difference” Healy says. “We know that by producing safer vehicles we can reduce the road toll by up to a third."“It is another piece of the jigsaw puzzle fitting into place. We now have reliable information on 279 second-hand models on the Australian market."“That means we have real-world data to tell the consumer the car to buy that's safer in a crash as well as safer for other road-users involved in the crash.”Of the 279 models covered by the study, 48 were rated “significantly worse than average” for crashworthiness. Another 29 were rated “worse than average”.On the flip side, 38 models performed “significantly better than average”. Another 48 recorded “better than average”.It means plenty of safe models are available. You just have to pick the right one.Australian New Car Assessment Program chairman Ross McArthur: says: “That, for me, is an important bit of information.“People need to know that picking a car that meets the minimum standard is not enough. You have to be more careful.”Buying a used car often means there are budget considerations, but that shouldn't rule out safety.McArthur says the study highlights affordable models and consumer should arm themselves with that knowledge.“You can get safe cars that are cheaper, and more expensive cars that don't perform as well,” McArthur says. “The key is to be selective. Look around. Don't make the decision on the first vehicle you see.”And don't always trust used-car salesmen.“You need to be properly informed. If you are informed, you are in a much better position to make a decision.”Small cars such as the well-performing 1994-2001 model Peugeot 306 start at $7000.Family cars such as the Holden Commodore VT-VX and Ford Falcon AU also score well and start at reasonable prices.The study clearly shows advances in car safety, with newer models being progressively better.For example, the Holden Commodore VN-VP series received a “worse than average” crashworthiness rating; the later VT-VZ range scored “significantly better than average”.With stricter safety standards and improved crash-test ratings, McArthur is looking forward to a time when all cars are as safe as they can be.Until then the Used Car Safety Ratings is a crucial tool to protect drivers.“I hope we get to the point where every car is a five-star rated car,” McArthur says.“But as a general rule, the newer the car, the better it performs."“But that's not always the case, so you need to look at the Used Car Safety Ratings.” The hit listHow the cars performed in both criteria - crashworthiness (occupant protection) and aggressiveness (risk to pedestrians). Best performersVolkswagen Golf (1999-2004, below)Volkswagen Passat (1999-05)Holden Astra TS (1998-05)Toyota Corolla (1998-01)Honda Accord (1991-93)Mercedes C-Class (1995-00)Peugeot 405 (1989-97) Worst performersMitsubishi Cordia (1983-87)Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-88)Mitsubishi Starwagon/Delica (1983-93/1987-93)Toyota Tarago (1983-89)Toyota Hiace/Liteace (1982-95) Crash course in car safetySmall carsBest performersVolkswagen Golf (1994-2004)Volkswagen Bora (1999-04)Peugeot 306 (1994-01)Toyota Corolla (1998-01)Holden Astra TS (1998-05, below) Worst performersVolkswagen Golf (1982-94)Toyota MR2 (1987-90)Mitsubishi Cordia (1983-87)Nissan Gazelle/Silvia (1984-86)Nissan Exa (1983-86) Medium carsBest performersBMW 3 Series E46 (1999-04)BMW 5 Series E39 (1996-03)Ford Mondeo (1995-01)Holden Vectra (1997-03)Peugeot 406 (1996-04) Worst performers Nissan Bluebird (1982-86)Mitsubishi Starion (1982-87)Holden Camira (1982-89)Daewoo Espero (1995-97)Toyota Corona (1982-88) Large carsBest performersFord Falcon AU (1998-02)Ford Falcon BA/BF (2002-05)Holden Commodore VT/VX (1997-02)Holden Commodore VY/VZ (2002-05)Toyota Camry (2002-05) Worst performersMazda 929/Luce (1982-90)Holden Commodore VN/VP (1989-93)Toyota Lexcen (1989-93)Holden Commodore VB-VL (1982-88)Mitsubishi Magna TM/TN/TP/ Sigma/V3000 (1985-90, below) People moversBest performersKia Carnival (1999-05)Mazda MPV (1994-99) Worst performersToyota Tarago (1983-89)Mitsubishi Starwagon/L300 (1983-86) Light carsBest performers Daewoo Cielo (1995-97)Daihatsu Sirion (1998-04)Holden Barina XC (2001-05) Worst performers Daewoo Kalos (2003-04)Hyundai Getz (2002-05)Suzuki Alto (1985-00) Compact 4-wheel drives Best performers Honda CR-V (1997-01)Subaru Forester (2002-05) Worst performers Holden Drover/Suzuki Sierra (1982-99)Daihatsu Rocky/Rugger (1985-98) Large 4-wheel drives Best performers Ford Explorer (2001-05)Nissan Patrol/Safari (1998/04) Worst performers Nissan Patrol (1982-87)Toyota Landcruiser (1982-89)