Opel Astra GTC Coupe review (04/04/2012)

THESE are edgy times at Opel AG, the German-based arm of American giant General Motors. In recent weeks there has been considerable speculation about the future of Opel which, of course, also plies its trade in England as Vauxhall, and central to all that talk has been the consolidation of the company’s European operations, particularly its manufacturing capacity.

There has been serious focus on the future of company plants in England and Germany and it may be that a decision on their future will be made by today. Last week the decision on the future of the manufacturing operations at Bochum in Germany and Ellesmere Port in the UK was postponed despite pressure from the parent company in the US on Opel/Vauxhall to shift production from high-wage European factories to less expensive emerging markets.

While Opel has been making some decent cars in recent times — the

Astra was the most popular new car in the UK in 2010, after all — they have not been selling in the sort of numbers that keep the bean-counters happy and for the last few years the story for Opel has not been a happy one.

Yet, I am delighted to report on the best Opel I have driven for quite a while — the Opel Astra GTC Coupe. The model we drove recently was the Astra GTC Sri 2.0 CDTi and I have have not driven a car from the company which was as driver-focused, technologically advanced or just plain enjoyable as this one.

As when I was driving the GTC to West Cork one damp afternoon when I happened to pick up a hitchhiker.

Turns out he was a German guy somewhere in his 40s and he seemed to immediately like the Opel. Not only was he taken by the classy, sporty exterior looks, but he was soon impressed by other aspects of the car.

The road we were travelling is one of the best tests of a car’s handling ability that I know and, despite the presence of an unsuspecting passenger, that was exactly what I was doing.

After about half a mile he realised I was not hanging around and he reached anxiously for the grab handle.

However, after a couple of miles he relaxed visibly, turned to me and said: ‘Zis is a good car, ja?’ I could not but agree. The GTC hung on to the road better than a banker to his bonus package.

I left the man in Goleen village and as I drove away (having been relieved of a couple of cigarettes — typical hitcher), I could see him in the rear view mirror looking on admiringly as the chunky rump of the Astra vanished quickly into the distance.

The main reason why this Opel is the car it is, is that it is fitted with Opel’s new HiPerStrut suspension system. Not unlike the high-tech trick differential system seen on Ford RS models, the aim of the system is to remove the effects of torque steer under heavy acceleration in tight corners.

This system, Opel tells us, isolates the steering from the effects of engine torque, while also boosting steering precision and grip levels. And it works.

One might have expected that the two litre turbodiesel fitted here might not test the system unduly, but that was not the case as the 121 kW (165 bhp) output was well able to provide enough motivation to allow you explore the capabilities of the suspension. With a top speed of 210 kph and an 8.9 second 0-100 kph time, the Astra is not blindingly fast, but there is more than enough mid-range grunt (350 Nm of torque at between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm) to test even the most sophisticated suspension arrangement.

What really impressed was the agility of the chassis, allied to serious grip levels and truly crisp steering. The combination of all these things makes the GTC a genuine drivers’ car and one which should impress even the most demanding peddler. And, the addition of the Opel ‘FlexRide’ system, which allows you adjust the suspension setting from Tour to Sport which varies the damper settings as well as sharpening up accelerator and steering reactions. It also changes the colour of the ambient instrument lighting from ‘cool white’ to a more dynamic red.

Away from the performance side of things the GTC’s standard equipment package is fairly extensive, what with 18” alloys, rain sensing wipers, daytime running lights, cruise control, air con., seven speaker stereo, but the test car added leather trim, front and rear park assist and 19” alloys, amongst other things.

The competition for this sort of machine is fairly hot, but the GTC has enough ability to compete with the best around, while not breaking the bank either. I was really impressed with this car and I think a certain German hitchhiker was too.

I hope the level of general engineering improvement Opel has demonstrated with the GTC is not lost in the ongoing fight to put the company on a more stable footing.