What about the Redline?

This has been released in Australia and Europe 2 years ago... whats with GM releasing their crappier cars in the U.S?. Looking at the car selection in the U.S, this should of been released there first.

Tsk tsk... it always seems to be the case.. outdated.

Why is everyone going to hatches? I mean Mazda 3, Subaru STI, and now Saturn? I hate hatches, and would really just prefer a coupe. I don't care about the "storage" aspect. If I wanted that I'd buy an SUV, crossover thing, or a truck. Just make a coupe an option.

Besides I don't see it doing well aganist the Mazda 3 in the states; it's been out way to long.

Hatches are practical, because its like a wagon, only shorter. You sacrifice style and sometimes weight for the practicality of a huge door on the back. Which is understanble if you have only one car, or if you don't want a wagor or a small SUV. But why not? Would you put your whole family in an Astra on a trip to Yosemite? I don't think so.

Europeans love hatches, because their small garages can't fit even a medium SUV like the Ford Explorer. But that's the only reason. If they got cheap real state like we do, they wouldn't mind bigger cars like a Huyndai Santa Fe (as long as they were diesels, or relatively economical), or so I tend to think.

Astra seems good, but I think there was a sedan Astra, previous generation I guess. That one looked nicer. I don't get this generation front headlights, they're ugly!

We've had the Holden (our branding of GM in Australia) Astra for some years across several generations. They're essentially the same as the Euro models. The latest one is an excellent car for quality and features and decent performance with a wide range of petrol, diesel and turbo engines available. I can believe it's taken you Yanks this long to figure out what the rest of the world has known for years - US cars just don't cut it against many of the overseas offerings Enjoy, America ... welcome to the real world

What's with the little tiny information screen on the dash? Looks like they originally planned a big screen but changed their mind.

I drove an Opel Astra in Germany last month as my rental car. It was an eye awakening experience. For a cheaper car, this thing handled like no inexpensive car here in America. I drove on the Autobahn with it. My driving speed was around 190 KPH (115 MPH) and it was rock solid. You do that in any affordable car here and you'll swear you're going to die. Great gas mileage and acceleration. It did have a little hesitation (hiccup) when pushing the gas pedal from a complete stop, but once you got past that little burp it was fun to drive, and good looking too. Interior was European style and satisfying to look at, but not upscale. It had a switch to aim your headlights higher or lower. I didn't use it but I can see the advantage of adjusting the lighting for your driving style. After I drove this car for a week, it made me mad that GM gives us CRAP here in the U.S., while every other country gets really great handling cars. I can't afford a BMW or INFINITY or LEXUS, I drive a 2003 Pontiac Gram AM GT. Let me tell you, it was like driving in quicksand when I got home to my car. Heavy car, sloppy handling and worse gas mileage. American car companies have to WAKE UP and stop shoving CRAP down our throats.

Why are you hating on hatches? I admit that the STI is a complete miss (and not just because it's a hatch) but in general I like them a lot better than coupes. they seem sportier. Astra was long overdue and so are some other Opels.

With small cars I'd rather have a hatch. The trunks on most subcompacts are pretty useless.

"American car companies have to WAKE UP and stop shoving CRAP down our throats."

What do you think GM is trying to do here? They are bringing the Astra, which you just complemented as an excellent low-priced car, stateside. They've been incorporating some Opel and Holden designs recently, and this positive trend is likely going to continue as long as those designs are still winners.

I'm hoping they'll release an Astra Redline with a 2.0L turbocharged drivetrain like the Saturn Sky Redline (like Holden's 2.0L turbo - only faster).

Phillip: If there was no GM, where would that put Holden? Oh that's right, if GM never was, there would be no Holden! GM, even GM in the USA, has produced a lot of fantastic cars and engines which end up in your Holdens. Show some respect to the old general, damnit.

you guys in usa don't know what is a good looking car like the astra. That's a great car! i drove it last week and wow!! Super handling, great quietness, gas millage... Not like the big boat that you seems to like in usa....

The crappy Astra has crappy cupholder, crappy info display, and a stupid silly giant sunroof thingy (waste-of-money). The Astra is WAY overpriced. GM needs to offer a small, low priced Saturn with a trunk (if they want to sell more than just a dozen units). The ION was much better on power and price.