2013 Opel Astra OPC Launch Review
2013 OPEL ASTRA OPC REVIEW
What’s hot: Fantastic cornering grip and ride, sweet turbo engine, massive mid-range punch.
What’s not: Dashboard ergonomics, cheap switchgear.
X-Factor: Ride comfort with a thumping punch? OPC finds the elusive double.
Vehicle style: Hot hatch | Price: $42,990 (plus on-roads)
Power/Torque: 206kW/400Nm
Fuel consumption listed: 8.1 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Megane RS. It’s the yardstick by which all other hot hatches are measured, and surely now the target for every manufacturer who wishes to lay claim to the title of “world’s best performance hatchback”.
The Megane RS 265 finds grip where other FWD performance cars cannot, it conveys brilliant feedback to the driver’s fingertips, feet and rump, and it’s just plain fast. If you want to build a quick front-driver, the Megane RS 265 is the template to copy.
Or is it? Five months after the launch of the Opel brand into the Australian market, there’s a new challenger to the Megane RS. The Opel Astra OPC.
Like the Renault, it’s got a shapely three-door body and a sleek silhouette, as well as a turbocharged four-pot underhood and a circuit-tuned suspension.
But the Opel Astra OPC also has a fair whack of luxury to go with it. And, as we were pleasantly surprised to find, is a more comfortable machine to drive.
After a day of punting one along both road and track, we think the Megane RS may finally have a genuine rival.
THE INTERIOR
If you’ve been inside an Astra GTC, you’ll notice there’s a lot of similarities between it and its OPC-badged big sister.
There’s an overwhelmingly black interior, red ambient lighting, chrome-effect trim highlights and one of the most confusing button layouts around.
But the true standout feature of the Astra OPC is its seats. The Nappa leather racing-style front seats feature a composite frame to reduce weight, and are mounted 17mm lower than the Astra GTC’s seats. They’re also 18-way adjustable.
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