Holden Releases Astra Diesel

[Martyvan]

Go Auto Story

Makes interesting Reading........

Now, Come on Ford, The Focus TDI is much better than the Vauxhall..... The time has come

[whippet_zetec]

I want a the Estate Version!

[Kryton]

i dont think they will be a big seller considering Diesel is more exspensive than petrol.
the milage may be better but the initial impact of paying more than you do for petrol will put people off i would think.

[Martyvan]

Originally Posted by whippet_zetec

I want a the Estate Version!

So Do I... Perfect car for me, when i get the Mrs a TDI Territory ;) :

[Martyvan]

Originally Posted by davway

i dont think they will be a big seller considering Diesel is more exspensive than petrol.
the milage may be better but the initial impact of paying more than you do for petrol will put people off i would think.

Well, in the small car domain, I would suggest looking @ the VW golf and their % of Diesel sales to Petrol, I believe (Please correct me if im wrong) that Diesel sales are running around at least 50% of total sales.

As a side track, a VW Jetta Diesel over 3 years (on a lease) is around $500 less to run overall.. that does include all running costs though, on the lease.

(My Boss just purchased a Jetta)

I would certainly pay more for the additional torque available and the longer distance between fills. I mean, you get 6 cylinder torque (and driveability with that) with 3 cylinder fuel economy!

Even if it took me 4 or 5 years to recoup the additional purchase price...

Anyway, enough waffling....

[Ringo]

Yep about 50% of Golf/Jetta and Passat sales are Diesels.

The savings are not huge over petrol but they are there particularly if the resale value of them ends up higher than Petrol versions.

I think the marketing is being very effective and the product is good. These things are not cheap yet people are forking out the dosh to get into them.

Astra was the best seller in its class 18 months ago yet was the most expensive car in the class as well. The diesel will sell well, very well. The demand is there even if a wide range of products is not.

There must be a focus/fiesta diesel from the UK/Europe available.

[silverfocusstar]

Originally Posted by davway

i dont think they will be a big seller considering Diesel is more exspensive than petrol.
the milage may be better but the initial impact of paying more than you do for petrol will put people off i would think.

prices today in north west melbourne area...

diesel [$139.5] unleaded [$145.9] premium unleaded [$155.9]

if i had a diesel focus today i know i would be saving more!

[murcod]

Both the Astra diesel and petrol turbos are listed on www.holden.com.au - IIRC the Astra turbo under cuts the XR5 by $1000. Would be good if it starts a price war!

[Teki04]

I do believe the Astra Diesel is manual - correct me if I'm wrong. That is surely going to impact on sales!

As for the Golf - Diesel sales I think are now slightly over 50%... VERY good considering! Remember that the Golf has 2 petrol engines/models and 2 diesel engines.... and also the GTI.

The Astra will be only a CDTi I believe.... whereas the 1.8L Petrol is a CD, CDX, CDXi and also available in Coupe form.... so the Diesel would account far less then 50% of Astra models

[Martyvan]

Absolutely Agree Teki, Holden would be kidding themselves if they think that they would sell 50% Astra TDi right now. But i would suggest 20% to be a somewhat accurate guestimation.

I guess VW are showing Aussies what can be done with clever marketing, and a reasonably priced Euro sourced product. I would say at some stage they will rationalise their range, and drop the 1.9 tdi out of almost everything and replace with the 2.0 tdi. Out of Golf/Jetta/Passat/Transporter.. etc.

Holden is trying to get in on the TDI craze, but being first to market the 'Affordable' hatch, might be their downfall, Holden seem to sometimes rush into making decisions that they think will earn them more money, and end up crashing and burning... Daewoo Barina, and Daewoo Viva spring to mind. If they resort to marketing an 'Equipe' model less than 6 months after release, well, that to me determines market failure of a particular product....

Anyway, Im jibbering again....

[murcod]

The Astra diesel is available in both auto and manual- check Holden's site. The auto has a less powerful engine though.

The diesel is being marketed as a "premium" model too- Holden have made that clear since they first announced it. It's got plenty of kit standard and isn't aimed at the bottom end of the market. ;)

[murcod]

Originally Posted by Martyvan

Holden is trying to get in on the TDI craze, but being first to market the 'Affordable' hatch, might be their downfall, Holden seem to sometimes rush into making decisions that they think will earn them more money, and end up crashing and burning... Daewoo Barina, and Daewoo Viva spring to mind. If they resort to marketing an 'Equipe' model less than 6 months after release, well, that to me determines market failure of a particular product....

The Barina has been selling very well and was recently quoted as outselling the old model by a substantial amount. Of course that doesn't mean it's a better car....... The Viva was never going to sell all that well given it has to compete against the Astra in the same showroom- it does however get some very good writeups.

[Teki04]

True - Auto would need to be very good if it is running less power and torque... remember the Golf has auto on both the powerful, and less powerful TDi models.

As for the features and price... at $30k, and $1.5k more for Auto, with less power I'm not sure how well it will go. It does afterall only have cloth seats... and lets face it, it isn't a VW Golf.

But hey, good on them for trying! I do like their looks more then the Golf, but the Golf seems better put together.

As for the Barina - there is an article explaining they are losing sales due to recent extensive publicly available information on the Barina's lack of safety

[Teki04]

http://www.carpoint.com.au/car-review/1823082.aspx

[marcosambrose]

One notable error in Holdens release of this car is that it cost $2000 more than a Golf Diesel.

Now hold on, $2000 you say? Thats disgraceful, id never buy a piece of opel crap over a VW beauty that is MORE expensive.

Hopefully Ford releases thier sublime Turbo diesel soon, in estate and hatch version.

*Oh also forgot to point out that in 3 years time the diesel astra will be worth less than the golf diesel which is a big downer for holden and one of the main reasons id take a golf tdi over an astra tdi.

[Teki04]

I thought the Astra was cheaper then the 2.0TDi Golf? I think it is competing against the 2.0TDi Golf as the Astra Manual has similar power/torque. Could be wrong...

[murcod]

Yes, the Golf TDi is $27990 - cheaper than the Astra! No doubt a magazine comparo is in the writing and it will be interesting to see the results. I think you'll find the Astra has more standard gear than the VW - eg. ESP is a $690 option in the VW.

[Teki04]

Price:

Golf Diesel prices as follows;
Golf 1.9TDI Trendline is $27,990
Golf 1.9TDI Comfortline is $29,990
Golf 2.0TDI Comfortline is $32,490
Above were manual models - add approx $2,200 for Auto

The Astra 1.9CDTi is $29,990 (Auto $31,490)

Engine specs:
Golf
1.9TDI; 77kw@4000rpm, 250Nm @1900rpm
2.0TDI; 103kw@4000rpm, 320Nm@1750-2500rpm

Asta
1.9DTH (Manual model); 110kW @ 4000rpm, 320Nm @ 2000-2750rpm
1.9DT (Auto); 88kW @ 3500-4000rpm, 280Nm @ 2000-2750rpm

Weight;
Golf
1.9TDI 1330 (both - according to VW)
2.0TDI 1350 (Both again...)
Astra
1372 (man), 1386 (auto)

[Teki04]

Oh, and apparently the Manual Astra CDTi is sporty oriented - quicker turning response, sport button, and sportier (lower) suspension!

Manual CDTi Vs 2.0TDI Comfortline...

The Astra is cheaper ($2,500), and has more power (although from the 1.9 small capacity). Interesting comparison for sure...

[murcod]

(*add to those prices for the Golf the ESP $690 which the Astra has standard- only the petrol Golf GTi has it standard.)

[murcod]

I had a look at the Astra diesel turbos this morning- I like the exterior but could leave the interior (door trims etc). They didn't really stand out from the normal Astra for the extra money, and the interior was very plain. I imagine the VW interior would look better?

Then I spotted the SRi turbo coupe (petrol)- wow, I want one!!! Visually I much prefer it over the XR5, it looks so much more sporty and the bodykit more integrated and modern IMHO. It even has heated leather seats standard for $34990.

[murcod]

http://www.carpoint.com.au/car-review/1823082.aspx

0-100km/h in low to mid 8 secs for the diesel manual Astra!

[outback_ute]

Don't forget Peugeot also sells a lot of diesel cars too, and often on ads for "deals" they exclude the diesel

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by mondeost24

I had a look at the Astra diesel turbos this morning- I like the exterior but could leave the interior (door trims etc). They didn't really stand out from the normal Astra for the extra money, and the interior was very plain. I imagine the VW interior would look better?

I like the Astra interior, I think it's very well made - better than the Focus. Compare the door trims to the dash - same dimpled grey plastic. Focus - dash is darker than the top door trims, don't match - same whether you buy a CL or a XR5 :( Switch feel is better in the Astra too and it doesn't have that horrid super hard door plastic in the Focus. However the Focus is roomier and the Focus doors shut better.

The design is very edgy though, which could put some off. But personally, I think it's closest to the Golf in interior trim quality, better in some areas.

With a lot of current Ford product, I feel Ford really puts their real effort in the drive, but somehow neglect interior quality and showroom appeal in the process. At 'common man' prices, seems to be a trade off that needs to be made.

[silverfocusstar]

drove my friends astra...didnt like the interior! tacky is pretty much the whole thing in one word...true the focus quality issues are there, but the focus has a more cohesive effect...the astra was all jagged and yuck.