Road TestCar reviews - Holden - Astra - CDTi 5-dr hatchHolden modelsOverviewHolden's first diesel Astra qualifies for hot-hatch status - and a great sub-$30K buy25 Aug 2006 By CHRIS HARRIS HOLDEN’S six-speed manual Astra CDTi has so much thrust, thrift and verve, it probably qualifies as a ‘hot’ hatch. However, as complimentary as that sounds, it might be selling the diesel edition short, seeing as it also seats five, has six airbags, ABS brakes and stability control as standard, and boasts a hunkered-down Euro style and quality to it. Spend an extended period of time in one and you might be shocked to learn that it may rate as the best ‘real world’ new car you can buy for under $30,000 in Australia – as long as you don’t mind changing gears, that is. Model release date: 1 June 2006 to 1 April 2007 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelHolden has been here before, with the AH Astra’s original rear-drive ancestor, the 1975-1984 T-car Gemini. Rushed to Australia on the tail-end of the last big oil crisis, this Isuzu-sourced diesel engine was very much of the old-school design, offering a paltry 40kW of power and just 105Nm of torque from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder unit. Despite boasting a five-speed manual – a rarity at the time – the Gemini diesel was very slow, very noisy and, apart from a few country folk with easy farm diesel access, very unpopular. |
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