User talk:84.45.219.185/Holden Astra testing article

Note: 2nd Chance article posted below

The Holden Astra is a compact car sold by General Motors in Australia and New Zealand.

First generation (1984-1989)
Between 1984 and 1989, the Astra was a rebadged Nissan Pulsar, built and sold in Australia only. Nissan Pulsars sold in that market were related to the Nissan Langley while the Astra had a Pulsar-like grille (designed by Australian stylist Paul Beranger) with the Holden lion badge.

These versions were known as the LB and LC series Astras, and were powered by a 1.5-litre engine only. The LB and LC series were offered in two trim levels, the base and GL.

There was a five-door hatchback bodystyle only, and no three-door hatchback, four-door sedan or wagon variants, unlike its Nissan counterpart.

Second generation (1987-1989)
In 1987, the Nissan Pulsar continued to be used as a basis for the Astra. It was sold in Australia but not New Zealand. It was sold between 1987 and 1989.

There were 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines, both sourced from Nissan, and they were "Family II" series engines. From 1989, all associations with Nissan were severed, and a rebadged Toyota Corolla, known as the Nova was its replacement.

There was even a HSV-badged version, called the Astra SV1800 - and this was a sedan-only model.

Third generation (1995-2006)
In New Zealand, the name was first used on imported versions of the Opel Astra F from 1995, with Australia following suit in 1996. These did not differ much from their European counterparts in aspects other than name. In Holden terms, this was the TR series.

In 1998, the Astra was replaced again with a German sourced version - however, it only had 1.6, 1.8 and 2.2 16V petrol engines, and was hatchback, sedan and wagon bodystyles were available - until 2005, when the wagon was no longer sold there.

Trim levels were marketed as Astra, City, GL, CD and SRi. The SRi was three-door hatchback only, and Astra was only available as a 1.6-litre 16-valve model.

This was similar to the Chevrolet Astra of South America, although the styling was slightly different, but the curves remained, although it was softer in design, and not as sharp as the South American counterpart.

The TS Astra model change followed that of the Opel Astra G range, but the Coupé by Bertone was not offered with a Holden badge, though the convertible was; its drivetrain is the same as that on the rest of the Astra range, and as such, it is not a bona-fide sports car. Like the Astra A, the Astra B was available as a wagon in New Zealand, but not Australia. In 2003 a 2.0L Turbo was available - but

The AH Astra (based on Opel Astra H) five-door was sold in Australia, from December 2004, selling alongside the Polish-built Astra G, which carried 'Astra Classic' badges. However, the Astra Classic was dropped in late 2005, and replaced by the new Holden Viva, a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti. It continues in Poland as the Opel Astra Classic.

In August 2005, the Astra Wagon was released in Australia, but not in New Zealand. Diesel variants of the Astra were released in June 2006, a first for the Astra in Australia. 2 versions were offered: a 6-speed manual option with a 110kw 1.9 litre CDTi engine, and a 6-speed automatic model with an 88 kW version of the same engine.

In January 2007, Holden released the Astra SRi and Twintop. Both come with a 2.2 litre petrol engine producing 110 kW, available in 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. The SRi is available in hatch and coupe bodystyles.

The current line-up consists of: CD, CDX, CDTi, SRi and SRi Turbo, the CDXi was dropped after the arrival of the CDTi, which is similar to the CDXi physically but is higher-specced inside.

Mid-2007 the Astra line-up received a facelift including tweaked front grille and lights on all models, and a power upgrade with the 1.8 litre petrol engines from 92 kW to 103 kW, meaning a power increase of 11%. The engines available in the SRi, SRi Turbo and CDTi remain unchanged.

Safety
In Australia, both the 1996-98 Holden Astra TR and the 1998-04 Holden Astra TS were assessed in the 2006 Used Car Safety Ratings as providing "better than average" protection for their occupants in the event of a crash.

AH models come with front and side impact airbags as standard inclusions. From mid-way through 2006, the MY06.5 revision was released which has head-protecting curtain airbags as standard for CDX variants.

The SRi and CDTi variants have standard ESP.