Affordable High-Tech: New Opel Astra Tough on CO2 and Prices

◾Gasoline power: Most fuel efficient model in the compact segment

◾New generation whisper diesel: Fuel consumption as low as 3.4 liters

◾Outstanding, affordable innovations: IntelliLux LED®, Opel OnStar and ergonomic seats

Rüsselsheim. Making leading technologies and features available at affordable prices: Opel set itself a very ambitious goal when developing the new Astra. As a result, the new Opel Astra makes a quantum leap: it is light and agile, it is the pinnacle of the segment in terms of efficiency thanks to new, high-tech engines, and it introduces innovative technologies and services previously only known from higher categories in the popular compact class.

The new Opel Astra introduces full matrix LED lighting in the compact segment – a technology so far only available in luxury models. Its price is truly sensational – Opel offers its new revolutionary adaptive IntelliLux LED® system from euro 1,150 (all prices RRP including VAT in Germany), 100 euro below the price of the BiXenon AFL+ of the previous generation. The new Astra is also the first car to be launched with the premium Opel OnStar service. The personal connectivity and service assistant provides Astra occupants with a 24/7, 365 days a year guardian angel. The system will be standard in Astra's upper trim levels Dynamic and INNOVATION and the first year of use will be free of charge. The new Astra also benefits from the new generation IntelliLink infotainment system: the new R 4.0 IntelliLink featuring a 7-inch touchscreen and allowing extensive smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard from Enjoy. Opel's new generation ergonomic seats, tested and certified by independent back and health specialists from the German AGR (Campaign for Healthy Backs) organization, are yet another highlight. Continuing its tradition of making the best in seat engineering affordable to a wide audience, Opel offers ergonomic driver seat from 390 euro.

When the Opel engineers and designers set about their task of continuing the brand's 80-year long Kadett and Astra tradition in the compact class segment their main focus was on propelling the new Astra to the top of segment as far as overall efficiency is concerned. Every component of the vehicle architecture was engineered for compact design. The lightweight materials and processes resulted in each new Astra being at least 120 kilograms and up to 200 kilograms lighter than their corresponding version of the previous generation. Combined with new generation powertrain technology, these measures benefit fuel economy and CO2 efficiency. But they also give the new Astra a dynamic temperament: it is more agile, more precise, corners better and provides a more direct overall driving experience. It has also livelier performance and benefits from a better responsiveness.

Only the best: The latest powertrain portfolio

Only engines of the latest generation power the new Astra with outputs ranging from 70 kW/95 hp to 100 kW/150 hp and displacements of 1.0 liter to 1.6 liters. All these engines, gasoline and diesel, have three things in common: they combine outstanding efficiency with excellent responsiveness and an exceptional smoothness.

At launch this fall, the new Astra's base engine is the three-cylinder 1.0 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo that was previously introduced in both ADAM and the Corsa. So far, it has stood out with its vitality and silence. In the new Astra, it sets new standards in fuel economy for a gasoline engine: with a consumption of only 4.2 liters per 100 kilometers in the combined cycle and emissions of only 96 grams of CO2 per kilometer - the best values for a gasoline powered compact car – when combined with Start/Stop and the Easytronic 3.0 automated five-speed transmission. And even when it is combined with a conventional 5-speed transmission, the CO2 emissions of this 77 kW/105 hp strong and lively engine remain at only 99 g/km (4.3 liters/100 km). This entry version is available from a very reasonable euro 17,960.

A completely new four-cylinder gasoline engine from the same family as the smaller one-liter, three-cylinder also makes its premiere in the new Astra: a 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo with outputs of 92 kW/125 hp and 110 kW/150 hp. With Start/Stop technology and a 6-speed manual transmission, its fuel consumption in the combined cycle is just 4.9 liters per 100 kilometer (114 g/km CO2) – an impressive 11 per cent improvement compared to the previous generation 103 kW/140 hp Astra. Performance has also dramatically improved: equipped with the 110 kW/150 hp unit, the new Astra requires 4.3 seconds less than its predecessor for the sprint from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth gear – an improvement of an incredible 32%.

The 1.6 CDTI 'whisper diesel' with three outputs starting at 70 kW/95 hp covers the diesel offer. Prices for the entry-level diesel start at euro 20,260 – euro 650 less the current entry-level diesel. CO2 emissions of all variants equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission are at the very most 99 grams per kilometer. So far, the efficiency champion in the new Astra family is the 81 kW/110 hp model, with fuel consumption of a mere 3.4 liters and CO2 emissions of 90 grams. As for the top-end diesel version of the new Astra, it is powered by the 100 kW/136 hp 1.6 CDTI that was introduced last spring in the current model. Thanks to its substantial weight reduction, the new Astra consumes and emits less than its comparable predecessor – with only 3.7 liters per 100 kilometers in the combined cycle (vs 3.9 liter) and 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer (vs 104) respectively. At the same time, it also boasts more powerful accelerations: it requires 9.6 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standstill (minus 0.7 seconds) and, more importantly, 8.2 seconds to get from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth gear – a full second quicker than its predecessor.

Outstanding connectivity and infotainment

Elsewhere the new Astra is a prime example of Opel's ambition to democratize technologies and innovations from higher segments and make these innovations affordable. The next generation Astra is the first new Opel model that will be available with the personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar from its launch. Opel OnStar offers customers a broad range of safety and comfort services including automatic crash response, roadside assistance and a 4G LTE mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. The Dynamic and INNOVATION trim levels receive Opel OnStar as standard equipment (optional in Essentia and Enjoy), and the entire OnStar portfolio of services will be free of charge for subscribers for the first 12 months.

Furthermore, a new generation of IntelliLink infotainment systems will celebrate its debut in the Astra. The Radio R 4.0 IntelliLink is standard in all trim levels from Enjoy upwards. It comes with a 7-inch touchscreen, a Bluetooth interface and is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which greatly facilitates bringing the world of smartphones into the car – a premiere in the compact class segment. A new, upscale Navi 900 IntelliLink system with a large, 8-inch touchscreen and embedded navigation for over 30 European countries is offered as an option on all variants.

Premium technologies at affordable prices

And, there is another absolute novelty and safety highlight in the new Astra. Opel's new star introduces the ground-breaking, Opel patented full-LED matrix light of the next generation, IntelliLux LED® for the first time in the compact segment. So far, this technology has been reserved for upmarket cars from the luxury and premium segments. It enables driving with glare-free high beams and is offered for prices starting at euro 1,150. Given that over 200,000 Astra from the previous generation have been equipped with the BiXenon AFL+ adaptive lighting system (a euro 1,250 option), it is extremely likely that customers of the new Astra will be attracted by the even more capable IntelliLux LED® technology and its benefits in safety and comfort.

Apart from Opel OnStar and IntelliLux LED®, future Astra owners can look forward to a string of further safety, driver assistance and comfort systems – many of which are unrivalled in this segment. The third generation Opel Eye front camera with Traffic Sign Assistant and the Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning along with Following Distance Indication and the Forward Collision Alert with Collision Imminent Braking make driving the new Astra more comfortable and safer from euro 500.

The AGR (Campaign for Healthy Backs) tested and certified ergonomic front seats of the new generation are also available for extremely competitive prices starting at euro 390 – for the driver seat. These seats continue Opel's tradition in leading, affordable ergonomics and now optionally come with additional comfort features such as a massage function, ventilation and seat-width setting – a unique combination in the compact class.

The all-new Opel Astra is therefore not only lighter, more agile and more efficient. It is also more economical, more comfortable, safer, and more attractive than ever before, thanks to the high tech innovations it introduces at very attractive prices in the compact segment.

Photo credit: Opel
posted on conceptcarz.com

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