Test drive Opel Astra Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi: Opel, the most reliable

What is advertising and what is truth? Four decades ago, reliability was a key element of Opel's watchword. At 100 km, the Astra Sports Tourer has proven that the promise it made earlier is fulfilled today.

We recently saw a black man on Leopoldstrasse in Munich's fashionable Schwabing district. The Audi A8, which moved at a noticeably lazy pace, attracted attention. On the back there was an inconspicuous, but easily readable sticker with the words "I'm lucky I'm not an Opel". So far, everything has gone with a traditional brand from Rüsselsheim, whose reputation has not won in any of the tumultuous events in and around General Motors. An old saying immediately comes to mind: "As soon as your name ...".

But is this attitude justified? But not. That's why the Astra Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi, which entered service on April 21, 2011, was given the chance to prove itself in the 100 km marathon test. And let's start from the very beginning: at least in terms of reliability, the car went the whole distance with a standing ovation, confidently stormed and took first place in its class in terms of damage index. The orchestra plays with ink! The Opel station wagon has never received serious damage, never once had to go to an unscheduled service station. This was not achieved even by the reliable Audi A000 4 TDI in the marathon two years ago. As for the car with the sticker, the A2.0 8 Quattro - oh my! - then, in 4.2, he was forced to make as many as five unscheduled visits to the workshop.

However, another comparison is compelling: Back in 2007, the Astra 1.9 CDTi, which at the time still carried the brand's traditional Caravan model, completed its tour quite well in marathon testing, but not as flawlessly as the current model. Since its debut in December 2010, it has been called the Sports Tourer - which not only sounds more modern, but also obviously brings a qualitative improvement. In fact, this corresponds to the generally accepted idea of ​​improving the model.

Rich equipment

The car presented to the editorial office for the marathon tests was far from poorly equipped. The level of innovation combined with the then-developing 160 hp. The 2.0 CDTi engine was the tallest and most expensive, including amenities such as bi-xenon headlights, alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning, trip computer, light and rain sensors, and cruise control. In addition, the comfort package was ordered with heated seats and parking assist sensors, a navigation system with DVD, a glass sunroof, chassis with adjustable Flex Ride dampers, digital radio with sound system and USB input, ergonomic seats and much more. a few nice things that raised the price from the then base 27 euros to 955 euros. Today, a car with such equipment will cost almost 34 euros more.

In this situation, it is understandable why the estimated cost at the end of the test, equal to 15 euros, sounds rather sobering: obsolescence is almost 100 percent. But there is a phenomenon here that is known from previous experience - although DAT appraisers include expensive pieces of equipment in their calculations, they bring almost no additional revenue when they are sold.

However, these things, of course, make life more pleasant - this applies, for example, to the Quickheat system. Since modern diesel engines have recently become so efficient that they generate almost no excess heat, the interior often stays quite cool in sub-zero temperatures. This is effectively compensated by an additional electric heater, as stated in a friendly note in the test diary. However, the device costs an additional 260 euros.

Long distance car

The same motif runs like a red thread through the records of testers - for the first time you get behind the wheel, you immediately make friends with the Opel station wagon. This is primarily due to the front seats, which cause only praise. The representative in this regard is a colleague with an otherwise rather sensitive back, who writes with inspiration about “extremely comfortable seats, with which even an 800-kilometer transition can be made without problems.” The only notable downside was that the driver's seat proved to be a little unstable after 11 kilometers, which was easily fixed with a fastening tape.

However, it was not possible to eliminate the lack of rear legroom, which causes constant discomfort to passengers taller than 1,70 meters. Even children's legs constantly rest against the backs of the front seats. And for the most part, drivers with small children were constantly annoyed by the fact that the Isofix clips for attaching child seats are too hard to reach. They are so deep in the upholstery of the seats that a young colleague, quite advanced in the field of family planning, was forced to fasten the seat with a seat belt, despite the Isofix system. This does not make things easier because the belt buckles are not easily accessible. His brief conclusion is that such a situation is unacceptable for a family car.

So it turns out that when moving from front to back, light and dark tones alternate. But behind, in the luggage compartment, the Sports Tourer is again presented from the most beautiful side. It easily fits all the vacation luggage of a family of four, and the net, which requires a fairly fine setup, provides a clear boundary if necessary. The basic volume of 500 liters can be easily expanded to 1550 liters, while still providing a long load area of ​​1430 mm. And the fact that the joy of driving is added to useful qualities is constantly recognized by various testers. This is primarily due to the chassis with the Flex Ride system, which modifies the characteristics of the shock absorbers, power steering and accelerator pedal response and allows you to choose between three modes: normal, tour and sport. Whichever one the testers choose, they always confirm that the Opel model has “more suspension comfort”.

The rating of the engine is not so unambiguous. It is true that they acknowledge the power of the powerful intermediate thrust, which at the end of the test even improved the measured acceleration figures, but some of the testers identified the turbo's lagging responses as the cause of a slight weakness at start-up. And diesel, of course, is not an example of elegant acoustics. However, the front-wheel drive model always guarantees good traction – even on snow and under full load.

With an average fuel consumption of 7,3 liters per 100 km, the Opel model is among the unofficial class leaders. Austrian motorways (with speed limits) offer additional savings – you set the pace to 130 km/h and the journey begins. Then Astra rewards you with an exemplary 5,7 liters per 100 km. Without topping up oil.

Traffic accidents? There is no

That the Astra Sports Tourer has not crashed or had to visit an off-schedule service in all of its two-year testing is undoubtedly the biggest achievement of this model. Therefore, it ranks first in the damage index ranking. Even with a thorough search, we find only the aforementioned seat upholstery and a squeaky clutch pedal in the marathon test notes. As part of the company's service campaign, changes were made to the rods in the wiper mechanism - and that's it. Even the cost of regular maintenance did not go beyond the permissible. The largest one-time cost was the replacement of brake discs and pads during maintenance after 60 km. All in all, an extremely happy balance.

Shortly after the end of the marathon, the test car still received another damage - a screw was stuck in its rear right wheel. But a good Astra really can not be blamed.

FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THE READERS

And the practical experience of readers with their Opel Astra is largely positive.

With the new Astra J, Opel has already surpassed the already well-engineered and reliable Astra H. So far, in almost two years, I have covered 19 kilometers with my Astra 500 Ecoflex – with no problems and extremely reliable. I especially like the seats, which can safely travel long distances. The cost of the first service was absolutely acceptable. Unfortunately, many kilograms of Astra are felt, although the average consumption of 1.4 liters per 6,3 km is absolutely normal.

Bernt Breidenbach, Hamburg

My Astra 1.7 CDTi with 125 hp. has already covered 59 kilometers extremely reliably. Traveling over 000 kilometers for the holiday with three people, a dog and luggage was also stress-free and stress-free. The average consumption is 5500 l / 6,6 km, despite the fast driving on the highway and the frequent inclusion of stationary heating. After a run of 100 km, a service stop was required due to a faulty injector and a damaged turn signal lever return mechanism, otherwise the car is a very reliable companion.

Han Christopher Senjuisal, Dortmund

Since August 2010 I have driven 51 kilometers in my Astra J 000 Turbo Sport and I am very happy with the car. The adjustable chassis is great, I like the sport mode the most. With its 1.6 hp the car rides very well and consumes an average of 180 liters per 8,2 km.

Jean-Marc Fischer, Eglisau

I bought my Astra Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi a year and four months ago and have been using it quite heavily ever since, sometimes driving 2500 kilometers a week. With the exception of an issue with the torque converter automatic transmission, which caused the car to run in emergency mode until the service center left, there were no problems. At first it was annoying how the machine switches, but during the repair it was corrected. However, the noisy motor tires the senses a little, it would be possible to put additional insulation. Still, it's a great car with good visibility, the engine is fun, and the driving is unloading.

Markus Bjoesinger, Wielingen-Schweningen.

CONCLUSION

Nearly two years and 100 miles later, the Astra Sports Tourer is undamaged and with few signs of use. For this achievement, the Opelers deserve a serious compliment. It is true that serious accidents have become quite rare these days - with today's state of the art, we have reason to expect this even over such a long period. However, the fact that Astra only had to visit the service center for three scheduled inspections, in any case, speaks of a high level of its quality.

Text: Klaus-Ulrich Blumenstock

Photo: Conrad Beckold, Jurgen Decker, Dino Eisel, Thomas Fischer, Beate Yeske, Ingolf Pompe, Peter Falkenstein