Hyundai Coupe vs Astra Coupe

Bluehair

Well following on my thoughts about changing the Rover 75 for something a bit more fun I took both of these for a test drive today, both 02s, the Hyundai 1.6 and the Astra 1.8.

Although the Hyundai Coupe looks really great from the outside (I much prefer the facelifted model to the olded one) it's not much to look at on the inside and the performance was underwhelming. I know it's only a 1.6 but I found myself having to ride it a bit to get anything happening at all. Not much room in the back too and my 6'2" mate wasn't thrilled about being jammed in there for the test drive

The Astra though was exactly the opposite. Nice enough looking but not exactly eye-catching from the outside but very comfy and pleasant on the interior (had cream leather and heated seats). Definately a lot more pokey too with light steering that inspired confidence that the car would go where i pointed it Plus a reasonable about of back seat space with a decent and useful boot too.

I'm eager to hear others opinions on these cars since I'm looking to have a go on the Hyundai 2.0 and see if that makes much of a difference plus the Astra 2.2.

colm_mcm

I've driven the 2.0 Coupe, and it doesn't feel that much quicker than the 1.6, the same unit is used in the Santa Fe and Trajet, and should really be quicker than it is.


try a Celica

C_Breeze

colm_mcm wrote:

I've driven the 2.0 Coupe, and it doesn't feel that much quicker than the 1.6, the same unit is used in the Santa Fe and Trajet, and should really be quicker than it is.


try a Celica

all the hyundai coupe engines should be faster than they are.
top of the range is a 170bhp , but thats a 2.7 litre ffs!!

those cars are gorgeous , pity about those crap engines. Oh if only the learned a thing or 2 from honda and Mitsubishi.

Imagine a 2.0 ltr coupe with a vtec/ mivec eqivalent and 200bhp :rolleyes:

Is1ldur

Hyundai's are underpowered. Even the V6 puts out dreadful HP figures. That is what always put me off them. I do like the look of them from the outside though.

Bluehair

Is1ldur wrote:

Hyundai's are underpowered. Even the V6 puts out dreadful HP figures. That is what always put me off them. I do like the look of them from the outside though.

Thanks for the feedback so far folks it's kind of confirming my suspicions. Nice looking as the Hyundai is I'm drawn towards the Astra so far as driveability is concerned.

bazz26

How about a Mazda MX-5 like this one as an alternative?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=333463

No better time of the year to buy a used rag top.

colm_mcm

The Astra's alright, but it's a bit old fashioned now.

Bluehair

Mx-5s are great no doubt but I need the flexability of 4 seats plus I'm not too sure of a soft-top for full-time use from a security pov.

Astra Coupe isn't going to set the road on fire or anything but is the option I'm leaning towards right now. Must try out a Celica which I believe is a great drive but there's something about the looks I getting get used to, too many angles or something.

colm_mcm

check this Astra out, in the gorgeous exclusive gold colour, and it's 2.2

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=324487

or a Peugeot 406 2.0 Coupe with leather. gorgeous car

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=276803

TempestSabre

I'd go astra. Nice car to drive. Test drive one.

Fabritzo

It's a no brainer, go for the Astra.

Eoin

Fabritzo wrote:

It's a no brainer, go for the Astra.

Between the Coupe and the Astra definitely, but the 406 Coupe is probably the best of all of them. It's based on a saloon rather than a hatch, so should be roomy enough for a coupe. Apparently it is an excellent drive and I think the styling of it is very nice.

Darwin

Yes, 406 Coupe is a fab looking car, Peugeot know how to do style. On the other hand I think the Astra Coupe looks quite bland - in the coupe market looks are everything. Also, don't rule out the Hyundai - a 2.0 coupe will have all the toys (leather, climate, sunroof etc) and give great reliability (Hyundai were rated as the most reliable non-Jap car manufacturer in What Car survey last year).
You should also factor in running costs/insurance etc.

Bluehair

Darwin wrote:

Yes, 406 Coupe is a fab looking car, Peugeot know how to do style. On the other hand I think the Astra Coupe looks quite bland - in the coupe market looks are everything. Also, don't rule out the Hyundai - a 2.0 coupe will have all the toys (leather, climate, sunroof etc) and give great reliability (Hyundai were rated as the most reliabile non-Jap car manufacturer in What Car survey last year).
You should also get insurance quotes on the three...

Funnily enough was just chatting with a mechanic mate today who reckons the Hyundai deserves a second look too, full of praise from a reliability point of view. I always did like the look of the 406 coupe too so will definately give that a go. Insurance shouldn't be a deal breaker having phoned around it's not too bad (but then I'm 30).

Eoin

Bluehair wrote:

Funnily enough was just chatting with a mechanic mate today who reckons the Hyundai deserves a second look too, full of praise from a reliability point of view. I always did like the look of the 406 coupe too so will definately give that a go. Insurance shouldn't be a deal breaker having phoned around it's not too bad (but then I'm 30).

I don't think there is much doubt that the Hyundai is reliable, but the concensus seems to be that it just doesn't deliver the performance that it looks like it should.

I think the Astra Coupe is more understated than bland, but the 406 still would be streets ahead for me personally. It should have lots of features, and it's styling is so refined and subtle (much more so than the 407 coupe - before and after).

ds20prefecture

I drove an Astra convertible for two weeks and I found the experience awful. Poor interior, wobbly body, appalling handling - how can a car so firmly sprung roll so much in corners? It had the 1.8 engine which seemed willing but not able to the task of hauling this lard ass about. I suppose the experience might be quite different in the coupe.

I'd go 406 Coupe with a HDi engine, unless you can spring for the V6. Or a Corrado, if you can find an unmolested one. Or an Alfa GTV V6.

colm_mcm

ds20prefecture wrote:

I drove an Astra convertible for two weeks and I found the experience awful. Poor interior, wobbly body, appalling handling - how can a car so firmly sprung roll so much in corners? It had the 1.8 engine which seemed willing but not able to the task of hauling this lard ass about. I suppose the experience might be quite different in the coupe.

Cabriolets are inherintly wobbly, I'd have to go for the Peugeot, The hyundai is seen as a 1.6 car, even if you get a 2.0 or 2.7 people will presume its a 1.6.

Darwin

Anoraks will spot the twin exhaust on the 2.0/2.7

colm_mcm

yeah, but anoraks will also know how slow the 2.0 is

UberNewb

Try this Celica 1.8ltr pushing out 190bhp and rev's all the way up to 9,000rpm

Pisses over the crap engines in those cars!

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=247939

colm_mcm

In fairness the Celica is a bit of a pain. in real life is no more powerful than the 140bhp version.

only when you lose any mechanical sympathy and absolutely cane the engine to 9,000 rpm. hop it off the limiter, change up and repeat the process until you're going incredibly fast, do you get the best out of the engine. it's all a bit tiresome, sure it's fun sometimes but an added turbo/supercharger would be a more likeable engine.

would love a drive in the limited edition supercharged VVTL-i Corolla T-Sport, that'd at least have some mid range grunt

Darwin

yeah, but anoraks will also know how slow the 2.0 is

Toyota Celica 1.8VVTi, 0-60: 8.7
Hyundai coupe 2.0:, 0-60: 9.2
Astra coupe 1.8, 0-60: 9.8
Peugeot 406 2.0, 0-60: 10.4

colm_mcm

drive a 2.0 coupe, a 0-60 time can be misleading. they really don't feel quick, i drove one yesterday, and a 1.8 Celica T-sport will do 0-60 in 7.2

Bluehair

colm_mcm wrote:

drive a 2.0 coupe, a 0-60 time can be misleading. they really don't feel quick, i drove one yesterday, and a 1.8 Celica T-sport will do 0-60 in 7.2

Hmm i'm driving a Hyundai coupe 2.0 tomorrow so hopefully will get to see what thats like compared to the 1.6 but I really had to rev the crap out of the latter to go anywhere at a reasonable pace.

Don't get me wrong I'm no boy-racer and not hugely bothered about 0-60 etc but I do like 'real-world' performance when it matters i.e. pulling out at roundabouts, 50-70 etc..

I'll get a look at a 406 coupe as soon as i can but so far i like the looks of the Hyundai but the handling/performance of the Astra Coupe.

PauloMN

Bluehair, I can personally recommend the Astra Coupé. Bought one new in 2001 and still have it - 50k miles and not a single single problem. I think it's a great mix of being a good drive, practical, safe, economical/cheap to run, reliable and different enough without being OTT.

I've replaced one full set of tyres - about to put two new ones on the front again, had the car serviced each year and got the timing belt/water pump done - all standard work on a 5 year old car. That's it, nothing else.

They're good value for money used now also, and there's a reasonable selection without them being common.

I've the 1.8 which is fast enough but the 2.2 is the real gem if you can afford the tax/insurance/petrol etc.. Lots of lovely torque and not wayward as the Turbo can tend to be.

Astra-bashing seems to be a popular sport among "motor enthusiasts" on forums at the moment, all I can say is take everything with a pinch of salt and all I can do is give you my experiences with the car. IMHO the Astra is as good a car as the Focus, and better in some respects. Regarding the Hyundai - no experience of it, not my cuppa to be honest.

Any info you want on it, just let me know. Good luck with your search.

Bluehair

PauloMN wrote:

Bluehair, I can personally recommend the Astra Coupé. Bought one new in 2001 and still have it - 50k miles and not a single single problem.

Fantastic Paul thanks for that, it's great to get a review straight from someone who's owned one for some time. My mechanic mate was kinda putting me off it a bit but then he was thinking about it from a servicing/reliability point of view versus Hyundai.

PauloMN wrote:

I think it's a great mix of being a good drive, practical, safe, economical/cheap to run, reliable and different enough without being OTT.

This was exactly my thinking, it's like there's a mind meld going on here or something . I'd like a car thats fun but forgiving to drive, performs reasonably well but still have those two rear seats, plenty of boot space and comfort galore.

PauloMN wrote:

I've the 1.8 which is fast enough but the 2.2 is the real gem if you can afford the tax/insurance/petrol etc.. Lots of lovely torque and not wayward as the Turbo can tend to be.

Yea i wasn't really giving the turbo much consideration tbh but having phoned around about insurance the 2.2 should be grand.

PauloMN wrote:

Astra-bashing seems to be a popular sport among "motor enthusiasts" on forums at the moment, all I can say is take everything with a pinch of salt and all I can do is give you my experiences with the car. IMHO the Astra is as good a car as the Focus, and better in some respects.

Cheers for that mate i feel a bit more reassured about the Astra Coupe now. Though the Hyundai is better looking from the outside thats part of the mistake I made with the Rover 75, beautiful car to look at just not a very involving drive.

PauloMN

No problem buddy, if you ever want a look around it you're more than welcome.

Personally I think leather is the best to go for (as you've been looking at). Mine's cloth, just couldn't justify the extra when buying new - used is a different matter. INSIST on getting the timing belt/water pump done, or if already done, insist on getting the paperwork showing when/mileage etc.. Check the wheels carefully for buckles, damaged tyres. Check around the front, inside of the bonnet, and back for crash repairs.

I'd go for the 2.2 from the point of view of driving, but 1.8 from the point of view of cost and selling on - I reckon a 1.8 would be easier to shift than the 2.2 (insurance etc.). It's a tough call, the 1.8 is a great engine nonetheless and returns me around 360 miles for €40 with mainly city driving. Hard to beat given the reasonable performance. The 2.2 will definitely hit you in the wallet regarding petrol, especially around town, but the smile on your face may well make up for it...

The boot is great - we took the Astra away to the UK a few years ago, took a lot more in the boot than my wife's 307. You'd be surprised at how much you can fit in the boot. There's no similar size coupé that compares for back seat space - it's as simple as that - two 6 foot+ adults in the back no problem.

Gripes:
- Seats a little on the hard side, but that's not a bad thing when driving enthusiasticly on windy back roads. I'd prefer a little softer though (leather may help).
- Bootlid: I'd have preferred a hatchback like on the Calibra - just to help practicality. Boot is great, but hatchback (or fastback rather) would have been even better. Would have given us a rear wiper also.
- Interior: Quality is good, but they could have made it more different to the saloon/hatch. Silver middle section is nice, as are the little touches like the badges and leather wheel/gear knob, but some other distinguishing features would have helped. The white dials with silver surrounds are nice, and are very clear.
- Weight/size of doors: Unavoidable in a coupé I suppose, but the doors weight a ton. Fine for me, a bit difficult at times for the missus. Can be awkward in car parks as well.

I'll have had mine 5 years come May, and I intend keeping it for another while yet. Given that my previous best was around 2 years, it shows what I think of the car. I did think about selling it last year, but chickened out.

PauloMN

Jsut remembered - there was one thing I needed to get done - the NCT failed the car on the rear shocks. Dunno why/how they were worn out 'cause there was only around 40k miles on them at the time - I'd expect more out of them.

Anyway got them replaced from around €120 the set fitted, and it passed on those.

Any idea what colour you like in them? I went for the signature colour (the goldy/orange colour) - I think they look well also in the dark metallic blue and black. Not wild about red, or other solid colours in them. I'd personally avoid silver, as from the front they look like any other Astra then.

UberNewb

colm_mcm wrote:

In fairness the Celica is a bit of a pain. in real life is no more powerful than the 140bhp version.

Make's it mush easier to drive around on a daily bases and it's 50bhp and 1.7 seconds faster to 100km than the 140bhp version

colm_mcm wrote:

only when you lose any mechanical sympathy and absolutely cane the engine to 9,000 rpm. hop it off the limiter, change up and repeat the process until you're going incredibly fast, do you get the best out of the engine. it's all a bit tiresome, sure it's fun sometimes

There's a reason why the Celica can rev up to 9,000rpm. It's a Toyota! it's bullet proof. Bet you the other 2 car's engine's couldn't get near 9,000rpm

colm_mcm wrote:

but an added turbo/supercharger would be a more likeable engine.

Now that would be like the good old GT4 Celica's! :v:

Anyway to the OP as you can see I'm a bit of a celica fan but whatever car you chose to go for I hope it give you many miles of enjoyable trouble free driving!

Bluehair

PauloMN wrote:

I'll have had mine 5 years come May, and I intend keeping it for another while yet. Given that my previous best was around 2 years, it shows what I think of the car. I did think about selling it last year, but chickened out.

Cheers for all the feedback, the above says it all really. Whereabouts are you based? If you're serious I may well take you up on that offer to have a closer look/chat about your own car sometime.

Bar the shocks problem for the nct how are you finding servicing costs?

There's a 2.2 in the gold I'm going to try and see tomorrow as well. I actually like the colour but my fiance hates it(thinks it's a bit too 'bling' ).

I'd like to keep the car for a good few years so am not thinking too much about resale, interestingly a dealer I spoke to yesterday said they'd never take a 2.2 as a trade-in or offer a derisory value since they're very hard to sell on for all the reasons you mention (insurance/tax/running). It's still a normally aspirated engine though and I don't mind the extra insurance costs etc. so am looking forward to seeing how it performs.

unkel

Bluehair wrote:

I'd like to keep the car for a good few years

Yeah, right.

Let us know anyway when you sell the Rover and how much you're getting back for it

Bluehair

unkel wrote:

Yeah, right.

No REALLY this time

It's funny though cause I longed after the high-spec Rover 75 that I now own for so long it's been a bit weird to find out I actually was a closet petrol-head all along

The Rovers a beautiful car and whoever gets it will be very lucky I guess it just wasn't the car for me in the end of the day.

I'm trying to take more time this time though to find something I'll be happy to hang on for a while, at least until I can justify buying a classic 911

SouperComputer

Don't get me wrong I'm no boy-racer and not hugely bothered about 0-60 etc but I do like 'real-world' performance when it matters i.e. pulling out at roundabouts, 50-70 etc..

Get yourself a nice TDi then. Golf GT TDi comes to mind, only 130BHP but enough torque to pull down a house!

Usually these can be chipped to great advantage too.

PauloMN

Cheers for all the feedback, the above says it all really. Whereabouts are you based? If you're serious I may well take you up on that offer to have a closer look/chat about your own car sometime.

No problem, I'm located in Dublin 15. Your more than welcome to call out. Just drop me a PM.

Bar the shocks problem for the nct how are you finding servicing costs?

Servicing costs have been ok, everything has been done at the dealer bar one service (a friend of a friend who is working in an Opel garage did that one for me). Dealer servicing is on the dear side regardless of what car you get, so you're looking at probably €200 for a full service. At this stage, given the car is 5 years old now, I'd use an independent mechanic to do the servicing once I knew a good one.

interestingly a dealer I spoke to yesterday said they'd never take a 2.2 as a trade-in or offer a derisory value since they're very hard to sell on for all the reasons you mention (insurance/tax/running).

That's the thing about the 2.2 - you'll probably get one cheaper than the 1.8 actually. Ireland is a base model market as I say - the smallest engined variant of each model is the one that sells, and it's mainly the daft engine cc based road tax system is the cause of it. Just puts people off, and especially company/fleet car buyers. I mean, 1.6 litre Vectras? Come on!!!! You can't even get a 1.6 litre Vectra in the UK.

Anyway re. the 2.2 - I know that one on Carzone has been up there a while - if I was looking to buy it, I'd actually go in a few grand under the asking price to chance my arm. You might get it for a lot less if you're buying with cash. Unfortunately if trading the 75, you probably won't be able to do this. Can you sell the 75 privately?

ambro25

Just to throw a Joker card on the pack

You looked at a Cougar yet? Or is the styling too off-putting?

That's about the most metal I've seen for €€€s in a very long time, speaking of second-hand value. Especially the 2.5 V6 (same power plant as Mondeo ST).

It's very roomy (Mondeo base), well-specced and you won't need to rev the nuts out of it to get going.

And it's a Ford, so reasonably cheap to run/get spares for.

My €0.02

v10

colm_mcm wrote:

In fairness the Celica is a bit of a pain. in real life is no more powerful than the 140bhp version.

only when you lose any mechanical sympathy and absolutely cane the engine to 9,000 rpm. hop it off the limiter, change up and repeat the process until you're going incredibly fast, do you get the best out of the engine.

It's easily more powerful than the 140bhp model .. and not a pain at all. Once you get used to it (which doesn't take long) , it's quite easy to drive these cars very fast.

As for mechanical sympathy .. there quite obviously built to be driven like this .. if not, they wouldn't have lift so high in the revs.

Must try out a Celica which I believe is a great drive but there's something about the looks I getting get used to, too many angles or something.

You need to get them with a bit of kit on them .. beautiful car.


Personally, I wouldn't touch the Astra ($hite resale value) and the Hyundai does look good, but disappoints everywhere else.

PauloMN

Personally, I wouldn't touch the Astra ($hite resale value)

What do you base this on? The fact that Celicas are more expensive 2nd hand than Astras? Erm... there's about €12k in the difference between a new Celica base model and a new Astra Coupé base model - this may explain the difference in 2nd hand prices.

Matter of fact, you'll find the rate of depreciation pretty identical if you compare the 2nd hand prices of each with the new price of each. So the "$hite resale value" thing is not really valid in my book.

In any case, by your logic surely a car with poor resale value would be the perfect 2nd hand choice from a financial perspective, no?

Not saying anything against the Celica mind you - it's a beauty, and no doubt would be ultra reliable as well as fun. However a similar year (say '02 model) will cost maybe €5k or more than the Astra - is the extra power worth it? That's a question only the OP can answer.

v10

PauloMN wrote:

What do you base this on?

Just my opinion of opel resale trends in general really. We're not talking about new cars so forget new price. I just think that if you bought a 2002 model Astra and Celica, 3 - 4 years down the road the Astra would be worth very small money where the Celica would probably still fetch reasonable money. Just my opinion really.

PauloMN wrote:

In any case, by your logic surely a car with poor resale value would be the perfect 2nd hand choice from a financial perspective, no?

Not really, some cars tend to hold on to there value reasonably well for a few years, then lose value very quickly. The Fact that the 2002 Astra is already a old shape Astra would only cause it to depreciate faster now.

PauloMN wrote:

However a similar year (say '02 model) will cost maybe €5k or more than the Astra - is the extra power worth it?

In my opinion your not paying €5k extra for the power alone. The whole package is definately worth the extra... in my opinion

Anyways, to answer the OP's question, I personally would go for the Hyundai over the Astra .. simply because it's equally as good a car, looks better and is in more demand. But for me to buy either of those cars would have to be because there were no other options. Luckily there is.

PauloMN

We're not talking about new cars so forget new price.

Well we're talking about cars that were new when there was a €12k gap, so it is sort of important. Of course a Celica is going to be dearer second-hand, it cost a shed load more new. The depreciation percentage is the important figure to compare, and it's the same for both if you care to do the sums. I'm not trying to be pedantic here, but off-the-cuff remarks like "$hite resale value" need to be shown up for what they are and that is simply untrue.

Anyway, the point is whether the extra performance/package is worth the extra €5k+ (in fact more like €6k or €7k looking at what's available). You think it is, I think it's insane extra money for the extra you'd get. The OP has to decide that based on driving all of them and how much he's willing to spend.

colm_mcm

v10 wrote:

It's easily more powerful than the 140bhp model .. and not a pain at all. Once you get used to it (which doesn't take long) , it's quite easy to drive these cars very fast.

i suppose it's fun in a raw racy way, but it'd be nicer to have something you don't have to trash to get the best out of

Bluehair

colm_mcm wrote:

but it'd be nicer to have something you don't have to trash to get the best out of

This would suit my style of driving too, I prefer low-down torque readily available rather than having to rev the arse out of it.

On that I didn't get half the time today that I thought I'd have to do a few test drives but did get to take the 2.2 Astra Coupe for a spin (that gold one Paul).

I must admit I really liked it, very smooth, easy and quick clutch change, plenty of power in every gear on tap, light steering yet feels very solid on the road. The 1.8 I drove a few days ago was very nice indeed but this car was just a pleasure.

Nicely kitted out car at the 2.2 level. Air con, leather, heated seats, cruise control, sunroof etc.. nothing left wanting from a comfort point certainly. The only shame was the colour, I actually kinda like it but my better half swears she'll never be seen in it with me I'd happily bring one in from the UK though if it comes to that (which is what I did with the 75).

Should be getting a chance to drive the 2.0 Hyundai Coupe tomorrow so will have a better comparison by then. Will be trying the Celica too but so far the 2.2 Astra Coupe is my favorite.