- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
206kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 8.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2013 Opel Astra Opc Review
Bought my Astra OPC in may of 2013. Mine is from the very first boat load of cars. You can tell by the silver grill rather than body colour that the next boatload and Holden branded cars have.
- Goes, stops, handles. , Looks to die for, Magnificent cabin
- Some aspects of build quality, Electrical gremlins, resale, Holden service
Good points first. Goes like a rocket when you want it to and the noise the exhaust makes when reving hard is music to the ears. Should come with a warning on the sun visor.... "If you drive this car the way it likes to be driven you will loose your licence instantly" lol.
After two and a half years ownership have had no mechanical / driveline problems at all. But the gearbox does feel fragile and does not like to be rushed or it will crunch. The gear wine in 3rd and 4th are also surprising in a modern car.
The interior is well made and the nappa leather is fantastic. Seats are comfortable but you can get numb bum on long trips. All the controls are logical and easy to use once you know them. When new there were many complaints from motor noters that the infotainment and HAVC controls were button heavy and confusing. I don't think this is the case once you know what is what it's all good and easy to use.
On the road the three selectable suspension modes really do make a difference.
Normal is excellent around town with a comfortable ride. Sport livens things up a bit and I have found best when on a highway or punting it on a smooth back road. OPC really is for track work only or new tarmack. I do like the way the dash goes red when in this mode.
Brakes are fantastic, but the discs seem to be wearing alarmingly fast. I don't need to say any more there. Fuel economy is only avaerage, my previous astra sri turbo was better on fuel surprisingly. Finally for good things it just looks outta this world fantastic.
Now for the bad things.
Since I took delivery of the car I have had the following problems.
The auto lights take for ever to turn off after say coming out of a dark car park. The temp displays randomly change between degrees c and degrees F. Both issues the Local Holden dealer can't or won't fix. The satnav maps are at least 4 to 5 years out of date and the voice control for telephone etc really doesn't work well at all, I've given up trying to use it.
And now the big two which really upset me. The front and rear bumpers are slowly falling off the car. They are dropping with large gaps appearing under the headlights and between the front panel and bumper. Holden says I've hit something damaged them when I have not and point blankly refuse to address the issue.I have been complaining about this since delivery.
And finally if you hit a grain of dust while driving the car it will chip the paint. Never in my life have I seen such poor paint quality. I have purchased touch up paint and the whole car is covered with touch ups from the roof to the side doors and front.
This is dissapointing from a car that has travelled only 15,000 klms.
Overall it is a great hot hatch and I do love it but the service from Holden has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.
Thank you for reading.