2008 Holden Astra CDTi Wagon (Diesel)
May 28, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
With desire for diesel cars rising rapidly, GM Holden is working hard to bring more oil burners to the Australian market. We know they are serious too, given the recent announcement that hybrid and diesel variants of the Commodore are only two years away.
But if you can’t wait that long, Australia’s favourite brand has added another model to its growing diesel line-up.
The Holden Astra, which has not had a shape change since 2004, was still the biggest-selling European imported car last year. So far 218,725 Astras have been sold in Australia alone, but in order to keep the momentum flowing, Holden has added a new turbocharged diesel wagon, making it the fourth diesel car in Holden’s line-up.
Powered by a 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine with 88kW (3500rpm) and 280Nm of torque (2000rpm), the Astra CDTi Wagon comes with ESP as standard, but is only available with a six-speed automatic transmission. This setup allows fuel economy figures of around 7.1 litres/100 km.
“The Astra CDTi Wagon will appeal to customers in search of something a little roomier as well as a vehicle that offers outstanding performance, combined with great fuel economy and safety,” GM Holden’s Director of Marketing Philip Brook said
Additionally, buyers get traction control, ABS, EBD, BA driver, front passenger and front side impact airbags, full length curtain airbags, four 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, cruise control, semi automatic climate control and trip computer all as standard equipment.
The car is available in six different colours, Casablanca White, Power Red, Star Silver Metallic, Black Sapphire Metallic, Pannacotta Metallic and Metro Metallic.
The Astra CDTi Wagon will go on sale at the beginning of June with a starting price of $32,490.
Click through to read our Holden Astra review.
Print it: 
Not changed for 4 years – due for a facelift then but Opel are not big on face-lifting cards like Ford seem to.
That auto box seems to blund performance poorly this should be doing about 6.2’s/100km. The bigger Vectra 1.9CDTi 112Kw does 5.6’s on a otorway run at 130kmh. Now be sensible Holden and bring in the manual for real economy.
and performance
33grand for an 88kw diesel? That does 7.1 litres per hundred?
Try again holden not good enough.
“We know their serious..?” I think you mean THEY’RE.
Why only offer the detuned motor with the auto?
Tons of room inside these things btw
My son’s Ford Focus (petrol) does 7.5 litres per 100kms and was $10,000 cheaper. I think Holden is just trying to fill a hole in their product range with a “B” grade option. I think “No Name’s” comments are to the point.
I was taught in management and I wounder if Holden execs were absent. “You always do the right thing right not the wrong thing right or the wrong thing wrong.”
Or the right thing WRONG.
They’ve taken forever to release this vehicle in Australia and still they get it so very wrong.
Why not the 110 kw with the 6 speed manual or at the very least a manual option
with the 88 kw diesel? The auto adds $2000 to the cost and makes it unviable to many who would otherwise consider it .We all seem to be in agreement here for once which should say something to Holden.
i was right to suggest that 7.1 was too thirsty for this size vehicle, it appears Holden has really stuffed up with this one……..Oh no we’ve just criticised someone other than Toyota i wonder if the Toyota guys will give us the recognition that’s due……some how i doubt it!!!
Still confused about the opening line RE: Australia’s Favorite Car…then Toyota listed as Australia’s Best selling car….One can be backed up with figures (Toyota) the other (Holden) can’t.
Holden have NO right to use that line unless they can back it up with hard evidence.
Fuel economy is not good enough
Australia’s favourite brand? About six years ago it was. Now the gap is widening every year and it’ll soon be large enough to fit all of Ford inside that gap.
JW Says:
May 28th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
“Australia’s favourite brand? About six years ago it was. Now the gap is widening every year and it’ll soon be large enough to fit all of Ford inside that gap.”
Holden is still Australia’s first car owned companie (now its american owned GM) and favourite (with car sales) ahead of ford (at the moment anyway). But Toyota cant compete with that.
Still disagree on that one Duck….
Toyota would have to be the Consumer’s Favourite Brand…
Holden have NO evidence to back up their claim…
If there is, prove me wrong :)
^Who ever said that it was Holden’s claim?
Oh, bring back those halcyon days when it was every Aussies dream to have a new Holden Special, Kingswood,Commodore in their drive. Those innocent days of a decent Australia.
Lets get this straight…. $33,000 for a smallish car that gets only so so fuel economy on very expensive Diesel with very high maintenance costs.
What you don’t save in fuel you will spend on brake pads, rotors and cam belts. No thanks
People complain about the price of vehicle and the price of parts, because it is a European vehicle, yet complain about the other Holden alternatives of Korean product being cheap and insuperior to its European equal (which I’m not disagreeing to). But make up your minds, you can have it both ways.
Yes we can have it both ways
Holden’s Euro cars are well engineered and dynamically very good on average. They just cost the earth to keep on the road as they have very high maintenance costs and questionable long term reliability.
Holden’s Korean cars are just crap from start to finish and have almost no redeeming features apart from their price and badge in my opinion.
I think the petrol version isn’t selling that well here! How are they going to sell the diesel at a premium? Don’t get me wrong I think the wagon looks great, but paying extra for a diesel engine, lower power and now paying up to 30 cents/litre more…….pass!
This must be the closest forum in terms of sentiment. Well done CA! Bringing about the unity :o)
I just have to put in my $0.02 for the sake of agreement. Its just not diesel, small car with 7L + consumption and a lazy 88KW.
Time GMH borrowed from BMW, VW or Peugeot diesel tech, or at least head-hunt a few of their engineers!
Has anybody done the comparo’s between; The money saved on buying a petrol model? The money saved on the price of petrol over diesel? And, the money saved on the service costs that people seem to oh-so-forget about when plugging the virtues of diesel?
Car advice, your comparo (petrol vs diesel) on the I30 was a good start, but upon ringing a few dealers I find that the diesel was again a lot dearer with one of the ’service advisors’ informing me that it’s not worth buying the diesel if you dont exceed 20000km/yr or keep the cars for more than 4 years. Can we see this sort of comparo with something like this Astra and the myriad of other diesels invading our roads.
Myke:
You hear it in 90% of Holden propaganda…its how they sell commodores….The naive Aussie Patriot gullible to swanky marketing gets sucked right in.
The astra wagons a great car to have!
Excellent on the Fuel and is great to drive.
Also with the turning signals on the right and
the wipers on the left,like a normal aussie
car is,makes it a more appealing.
The trip computers great as is the Temperature
reader too(comes up in the Trip comp. screen)and MP3
player too.
Best thing about it is the Bluetooth connectivity,
comes in extremely handy in my kind of work.
Well done,nice sporty little wagon!
If it had the 110kw engine mated to a 6 speed maual I’d buy one, right now. Instead I’m looking at several alternatives.
Yet another crazy marketing move by GMH.
HAHA I got a Astra new Hatch MANUAL for WITHOUT any of the crap these guys talk of for $19500. You guys need to TELL the The General how much your gonna pay and get ur ass UP and walk! Trust me, the beancounters at GM KNOW how many problems they have on their hands trying to sell an overpriced car, just take a look in US. Meanwhile the car is sensational, keeps pace with a WRX and constantly provides 17km/L fuel consumption. Find better value.
Maybe not be as good as some other brands but still great value and performance.