Road Test Opel Astra OPC

280hp, 400Nm and beautiful styling, the Astra OPC does not match a Megane 3 RS in the dynamic department, but has other charms.

Woaaaaa ! Freeway on-ramp, flat out in second gear, I am not giving up an inch on the M3 E46 ahead of me, and I am overtaking in third. To my surprise, and probably to the BMW’s driver too. I don’t claim encyclopedic knowledge of turbo engines although I have heard two or three already, including a few works of art, but I have never heard a sound like this. Ever. To be clear, we are not talking about sound amplitude, although this Astra is likely to outshine many sport cars, but about sound signature. For the salvation of your soul, and maybe the damnation of your driving license, slot third in – or better fourth, mash the throttle and wait for the 4000 rpm mark and rrrrraaaaaaaasssshhhh !

A divine symphony of induction, turbo and exhaust noise, a system that gets as much attention from bystanders as it most likely did from acoustic engineers at Opel. Based on the A20NFT unit used in the Insignia Turbo, these three elements have been put to task to squeeze 280hp and 400 Nm from the direct injection 2 liter inline 4. Respectable figures, moreover when “front wheel drive” comes in the same sentence. This is where memories of the Astra GTC come back to my mind.

The same annoying details struck me as soon as I got into the car. Thick A pillars, the electric hand brake, the ring on the dash that you have to press to validate screen commands. This interior is otherwise a familiar and happy place to be, even more so since I was shown how to pull the roof lining to uncover this immense optional panoramic windshield. This 1200 CHF equipment is incompatible with the Bluetooth option for obscure reasons, but I would otherwise seriously consider to tick the box. Looking at sky while waiting at a red light has a surprising feel-good effect, something that ladies are seemingly keen to talk about endlessly.

The other reason to feel good in this Astra OPC is the seats, in leather (2500 CHF extra). Their label tells me that they are healthy for my back, they look and smell great, can be adjusted in eight different ways, including the four side bolsters, making for a perfect fit to anyone’s morphology. I spot on the dash a button to heat the steering wheel, an otherwise excellent piece of kit whose diameter has shrunk by 1cm compared to the GTC while it gained an OPC badge and metal-like inserts.

This car is equipped with the free Swiss pack, including satnav, parking sensors front and back, rear LED lights and dark windows. There’s also an Infiniti sound system which, hum, I forgot to test. The exhaust noise is that good. Skipping over a few tiny details, the interior remains pretty close to the GTC and scores points on perceived quality. Finish could be improved, for instance on the disparity between plastic surfaces, but for 44’900 CHF (41’800 with the Euro-flex bonus), you are looking at coherent value for money.

Speaking of the exhaust system, it is surprisingly loud when the car is cold, probably a trick from engineers who adjusted idle rpms right at a resonance frequency. Things get quieter after a minute or so, but that’s plenty of time for neighbors to stick their neck out of the window and yell a few colorful insults, something you may have to get used to with such a car.  This Astra OPC really looks the part, a real esthetic achievement, especially when admired from the side. Undoubtedly a strong selling point. Side skirts, aggressive fascia and rear bumper design, roof spoiler, oversized alloys and the sound presence to match, everything in this car is designed for maximum attention. And that’s a good thing ! If one can’t see, better that others do their part. When I wrote the GTC review, I already complained about the visibility impairment brought by these large A-pillars, but with the OPC, within a week of city driving, I almost “scored” three strikes for a total of five innocent pedestrians. Yet another opportunity for a fresh harvest of insults.

Speaking of city driving, the official spec sheet claims 189g of CO2 per km and an urban gas mileage of 10.8L/100km. Hmmm, yes, but that has to be the freeway fuel economy. Cruising at 120 km/h, I will at best see 10L/100km, climbing to 16L/100km in congested city commutes, in spite of the Eco mode which enables the Stop/Start feature. This system becomes active as soon as water temperature has reached 70 to 75 degC, well before the 90 degC optimal. I also noticed occasional disparities between the analog and digital indicators, for instance a reading of the instrument display at 82 while the analog needle showed 90 degrees. Overall, we computed 11.3 L/100km during our 1522km test.

I regret that the Astra OPC does not share critical vehicle information such as oil temperature or turbo boost, whether in the instrument cluster or on the multimedia/satnav display. Spirited drivers find these information useful, but, sign of the times, they are only available through a smartphone and the OPC Power App (available on iTunes, an Android version is announced for 2013). The app scans the data flowing through the CAN bus and gives access to over 60 parameters.

On the GTC version, three driving modes were available. Normal, Tour (softer damping settings and laggier throttle response) and Sport, with clear differences. On this OPC, we have standard, hard (Sport) or even harder (OPC), and far more responsive, obviously. Other than for showing off, using the OPC mode on a bumpy freeway will become unbearably bumpy after 5km, as the Astra bounces on the smallest bumps like a pebble at the surface of a lake. In normal conditions, the standard setting is a safe choice, filtering most irregularities. For more committed driving, switching to Sport or OPC is recommended to give the OPC a composure that the GTC never exhibited.

Make no mistake: the difference between GTC and OPC is colossal. Chassis engineers were hard at work, on the brake system for instance. The Brembo components are beyond criticism. I never switch off driving aids before I fully trust the car reactions, and I never got there with the OPC. Weather not cooperating, I never even switched the “competition” ESP mode. I experienced pronounced understeer at multiple occasions, even at moderate speeds. Even with straight wheels, you need to be on your game. I only got a full afternoon of relatively dry road conditions and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of grip available. This however does not make up for the lack of feel. No matter which mode is selected, the steering feedback remains soft and vague, telegraphing too little information from the front wheels. The work of the limited slip differentrial is perceivable, especially powering out of country side roundabouts at good pace, but the amount of grip left is hard to sense.

Damping has been significantly improved, but weight must be factored into the equation, we measured 1577kg on our scales, or 100kg more than the GTC. The other significant factor is the tires, a set of 245/35R20 Pirelli Sottozeros on this test car, designed to perform in wet and snow conditions. While 19” rims are standard equipment, rumor has it that the 20” alloys would be lighter. The tire walls are however so thin that lateral work becomes symbolic. This trend towards ever larger wheels leads to counter-productive results. Some will be attracted to the gratifying visual impact, but it does not come at a price in the handling department, to the extreme of falling prey to far less ambitious cars.

I resolved myself to brave biblical rain conditions, I invited an Impreza STI on suitable playground. Turned out that the man behind the Subaru’s wheel had a pleasant and relaxing time following me as I sweated abundantly in the Astra OPC. I piled on the next day with a Megane 3 RS, a direct competitor, with interesting findings. In spite of a shortfall in torque and power, the Renault catches up on the Astra OPC from fourth. The tall gearing of the Astra is the clear culprit, the ratios of the Astra are immensely long, at the detriment of acceleration. The Megane has a better gearbox, with a precise stick and shorter throw and it is overall far more communicative than the Opel. It also has a more vivid upper rev range, with a second surge from 4000 rpm that sends you straight to the limiter. The Astra seems to run a bit out of steam in the last 500 to 1000 rpm in comparison. The steering wheel of the Megane is however far too large and the gap in perceived interior quality is enormous in comparison with the Opel.

In conclusion, as with many sports cars, you can’t have it all. Every car is a compromise, and choice all too often comes down to your priorities and preferences. If exterior styling, gorgeous seats and a magical exhaust note rank high in yours, and that you favor occasional track outings to play in safe conditions, go for the Astra OPC. It is worth it on these grounds alone.

Main options

Facing competition

Our thanks to Opel Switzerland and to Garage Milliet in Crissier for the loan of this press car and logistics support.

Photo gallery

Links

Forum topic – Opel articles – the list of tests – recent or related road tests: