FIRST DRIVE:The Astra GTC Coupé is a beautiful car that would have sold in big numbers a few years ago, writes Neil Briscoe. But Ireland's new financial reality might not offer the market it deserves
So the question, before we even get started, is who will buy a coupé in 2012 Ireland? In the heyday of the now-defunct Celtic Tiger, the Opel Astra Sport Hatch (as the previous coupé Astra was known) made up to a third of Irish Astra sales.
Now though? Who can say? Opel is making the relatively sensible prediction of “less than 1,000” sales of its new Astra GTC coupé in Ireland next year, which seems low for a car as good-looking as this.
The standard Astra five-door hatch is hardly ugly, but this coupé version is really very handsome. Measuring in at 15mm lower, 40mm wider and 10mm longer in the wheelbase, the GTC looks low, lean and very tasty.
Some will still prefer the more understated charms of its closest rival, the VW Scirocco, but it’s a clear nose in front of the over-styled Renault Megane Coupé. It is a bit colour sensitive though. Yellow looks awful. “Mineral White” which is actually more of a matte pale grey, looks gorgeous on a sunny day, but will likely look dreary and washed out under Irish drizzle. Better stick with red.
It shares only three exterior components with the more family-friendly five-door; the radio aerial, the door handle and the door mirror. While you’d hardly mistake it for any other family line, the two cars are actually radically different. Even underneath, they diverge. The basic mechanical package is the same, but the GTC ditches the five-door’s conventional McPherson strut front suspension in favour of the much more sophisticated, and expensive, GM-designed HiPer strut. In simple terms, the HiPer strut is there to make the GTC drive with a great deal more verve than the five-door Astra.
And it does so. Oddly, it’s rather lacking in true sporting sensations.
A car as ground-hugging as this should be more direct about its sportiness. But the Astra GTC instead impresses with a healthy dose of refinement and comfort. The suspension may be lower and stiffer but the combination of HiPer struts and the optional electronic FlexRide dampers mean that the GTC rides with a firm calmness that belies its hot hatch looks. Show it some corners, and it reacts well. The electric power steering robs you of true road feel (whatever the engineers may claim) but there is excellent grip, sharp turn in and real poise. Keen drivers won’t be disappointed, even if ultimately they would be better served in the Scirocco.
One area where the GTC lags behind its rivals is under the bonnet.
The range-topping engine, at least until the 280bhp turbocharged OPC high-performance variant arrives next year, is the 165bhp 2.0-CDTI diesel. With 380Nm of torque working its way through the front wheels, it never feels slow.
The claimed fuel consumption figure of 4.8-litres per 100km and the CO2 emissions of 127g/km mean that even this range-topper will not be too expensive to run.
But boy, is it noisy. There’s a constant diesel clatter at low rpm that never really goes away. Even at motorway speeds, the slightest touch of the throttle pedal will have it grumbling and a distant turbo whistle that sounds like a far-off ambulance siren, makes itself known at urban speeds.
At least the cabin plays a strong hand. With a layout and switchgear lifted straight from the impressive Insignia saloon.
Everything looks and feels much more expensive than the entry price of €22,995 (for the 1.4T 120bhp petrol) would have you think. There’s even decent space in the back and boot. The sruggle of Opel engineers to make the GTC as practical and useable as the five-door are paying off.
So who will buy it? Younger buyers, drawn by its enticing looks and sporty promise, will likely not be able to afford it, or at least not be able to raise sufficient credit. Older buyers, able to pay the sticker price, will probably shun it in favour of a bigger, more practical Insignia. Which leaves an unfortunate middle ground.
Its clever front suspension and sharp-edged looks mean it’s without question the most impressive of the current Astra range.
It’s not quite as satisfying to drive as an equivalent Scirocco, but is cheaper. It’s more expensive than a Megane Coupé, but far more powerful and overtly sporting.
Fix the diesel engine’s refinement and engineer a touch more feel into the steering and it could be a world-beater. But, economic realities mean that few enough buyers will ever realise what a good car it is.
FACTFILE
ENGINE1,956cc four-cylinder turbodiesel. Six-speed manual box, putting out 165bhp @ 4,000rpm and 380Nm torque.
PERFORMANCE0-100km/h: 8.9 seconds; 210km/h top speed
ECONOMY5.9 L/100km (58.8mpg)
EMISSIONS127g/km (€356 motor tax)
PRICES€22,995 for entry level 1.4 T 120 Sport; €25,495 for the 2.0 CDTI 165 Sport as tested
OUR RATING5/10
Terrific styling and a composed, talented chassis. Shame about the noisy diesel and the poor economic prospects.