2008 Holden Astra - Car Advice
Car Advice have published a review and road test of the 2008 Holden Astra CD. 'The only Astra I’ve driven in the last twelve months is HSV’s sizzling VXR Turbo three-door hatch, which I labelled “a point-to-point weapon” due to its ferocious in-gear acceleration. But the Astra CD is a long way down the mountain from the VXR in fact; it doesn’t have a Turbo or even a 2.0 litre engine. No need for panic though, with 1.8-litres mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox; it’s still a sporty drive. 103kW and 175Nm doesn’t seem like a lot and frankly, you might get the wrong impression. It’s a lot better than that. Up to 90% of available torque is on song from 2200 to 5500rpm, so the Astra pulls hard very soon after you punch the throttle.'