New Opel Astra

cena

What do you think about the new astra?

I really like the new look.

https://int-media.opel.com/en/07-13-the-new-opel-astra#prettyPhoto

3d4life

But will it garner the same fan base as the previous model ?

Stallingrad

It's neat in an unlikely to offend way. That 'Visor' grille is very minimalist/bland, at a time when the face of a car is becoming so important to distinguish a brand, not sure what they are thinking there.

AMKC

I think it needs a new name. Maybe the Opel bland or Opel Boring or how about the Opel Square.

I think it is very boring both inside and outside. The current model is a far nicer far more classy and stylish car that make almost everything else in its class look old.

AMKC

bazz26

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117620148#Comment_117620148

What now?

The current model is far from classy or stylish, it looks like it was designed for and by rental companies.

DubDani

Good to we all have different taste, or there would only be 1 or 2 cars out there. 😀

I agree that the current one is the absolute definition of boring and I can't see why anyone would buy it with some of the other great options available. Said that, I find this new model quite nice. But the real question will be how it looks in a bog standard trim and colour on a dull Irish day, as it won't look anywhere like that one in the promo shots.

Mitch Connor

I had a Astra GTC as my previous car, loved it and the look. Crashed it and totalled it...

I don't think this is as nice looking - but then I didn't think the 5 door was that nice in the older model. it was the 'sporty' 3 door I had, and really liked the look of it.

ShadowHearth

In my opinion it looks pretty good and better then normal MK8 Golf.

I sow new Mokka on the road with white/black/red exterior and it looked decent too. Waaaaay better then previous one. Maybe Opel finally got finger out?

JoeA3

Opel have almost gone the way of the Dodo here and I don’t see that car bucking that trend.

15-20 years ago they were among the best sellers. These days if you see one it’s likely to be a rental. My nearest Opel dealer took to selling premium used cars in recent years - I suspect new Opel car sales weren’t anywhere near enough to keep the doors open. It seems like the likes of Hyundai and Kia have completely hoovered up the market that Opel and Fiat used to have here.

My wife had a 2011 Astra a few years ago and it was not a good car. It felt old and creaky long before it should have. Multiple little annoying issues with it. Build quality was poor at best.

bazz26

I think the main reason they were very popular here 20 or so years ago was of their sponsorship of the Irish soccer team when Jack Charlton was in charge. Some people would have believed Opel were an almost Irish brand back then.

fatbhoy

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117623232#Comment_117623232

While the sponsorship of the Ireland team was quite a factor, before that, from the '70s to the early '90s, Opel was perceived as being synonymous with quality: German engineering, build quality etc..

bazz26

"Perceived" being the important word there.

fatbhoy

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117636520#Comment_117636520

But they were good quality up till the late '80s. We had an '82 diesel Kadette. Were you around back then?

R.O.R

It is a German Car, from Germany. 100% German, not anything else, as German as Bratwurst and beating England on penalties.

bazz26

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117636640#Comment_117636640

Yes I was around back then, be it very young. My father had one or two of them back then but they were never anything special according to him. I bought a brand new Vectra B in 1999 and it was just junk.

colm_mcm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117620148#Comment_117620148

Everybody’s entitled to their own view, but I’ve never disagreed with one persons views as much as yours!

L1011

Considered the previous one. Not a chance for this one.

The late 00s one looked fantastic for its time, particularly the three door - the one I had was a company one so its not a personal defence of that era of it!

alias no.9

The Vectra A and Astra F (first Opel Astra) were very competitive offerings when they launched but the competition improved dramatically during their life cycle.

With the possible exception of the Astra H 3 door, there hasn't been a competitive offering in any segment from Opel since but I do like the look of the new Astra and Mokka in the images I've seen but until I see the base spec in the flesh, I won't be convinced.

GeneHunt

I like the look of the new Astra and Mokka, my neighbour has a new Mokka SRi (212-reg) and it looks very good in the metal, smaller (lower) that the out going model. However, when I see the Astra and the Peugeot 308 in the metal here in a few months, I'll decide if I like it or not. Personally I think the two may look too alike, similar to the Corsa and the 208. The Mokka doesn't really have a family resemblance to a cousin and the Corsa was developed at speed to replace the older GM Corsa.

beachhead

I stopped buying Opel Astra when they reduced the dimensions.When was that? Long long time ago.That small astra is referred to as the new astra by posters here.

Montage of Feck

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117623232#Comment_117623232

As a child I actually believed Ford, Opel and Hino were Irish brands.