New Opel Astra is definitely worth the wait

The new Astra is a car that a lot of people have been waiting a very long time for. Opel itself has been craving this car for years; so too the company’s dealers; and, most of all, Astra fans Europe-wide, have been waiting yonks for a car actually deserving of their long-term support.

For far too long now what Opel has been serving up with its’ Astra models has been a lukewarm competitor for the giants of the small family car segment, Ford’s Focus and Volkswagen’s Golf. Opel’s efforts have been at best moderate and at worst derisory and, in short, completely unworthy of the continued support of its’ loyal customer base.

To be fair GM’s European arm — which also, of course, includes the Vauxhall brand and which, amazingly, still lures UK customers under the illusion it is a British car — has been starved of investment cash from the American parent company and the slow financial strangulation of Opel through much of the ‘noughties’ very nearly caused corporate asphyxiation.