WTF!?! - Astra SRi Now a 1.8

[Red AH SRI T]

They aren't getting rid of the Astra. Man you talk some shit.

Its just a regular upgrade to the models to make the more competitive as smaller cars is what's selling now, so Holden wants a bigger slice of the pie.

[bones]

I wonder how they expect to get it by reducing the range? Although at least they finally put the diesel into the wagon. Man, I've seen a lot of Astra wagons in the past few months. They must be selling pretty well.

why would the 2.2L engine be very expensive to make?
cant be that high tech/expensive if it only produces 110kW.
a 20 year old prelude makes 110kW with 200 less cc.

Yeah, but basically the same engine in an Alfa159 makes 136kW so its not incapable. I would also be surprised if the Honda engine had half the torque [210Nm] and was anywhere near as tractable as my SRi [see below].
[quote=Wraith;331744]Agree...
Even the 2 decade old Calibra N/A 2.0ltr 4 banger made 110kw !!!/quote]
Having moved from one straight into the other, I can promise you it is a much better engine in every way. It feels way quicker, especially off the mark, and pulls more strongly across the rev range. Despite the extra weight over the Calibra, my SRi at least feels like it goes much harder. I love it!
Its also quite possible that it got too expensive for Holden, as the 2.2 is not available in any other market [except in the TwinTop]. That makes those of us who bought one a very rare breed. It would be interesting to know how many they sold in the 18 months or so they had it. On a global scale, it is probably more exclusive than an Aston-Martin.

[cbrmale]

I've only seen three other SRi 2.2 hatches in Canberra, so it's an exclusive car indeed! On one hand it was quite expensive for 3kw extra power, but on the other hand the extra torque and smoothness of the 2.2 made it a special motor. I can understand why it didn't sell, but I also suspect that if more prospective purchasers had test-driven the 2.2, more would have been sold.

For me, the engine is the best part of my 2.2. It's effortless, and liquid-smooth from 2,000 and above. And economical too, which is important these days.

[USC]

They aren't getting rid of the Astra. Man you talk some shit.

Its just a regular upgrade to the models to make the more competitive as smaller cars is what's selling now, so Holden wants a bigger slice of the pie.

I was saying..I "think" they are trying to sell this current model out quicker by offering better value..since the new one will be coming soon.



** edited for the child on this forum

[bones]

In any event, I think the new one is still at least 18 months away, probably more like two years. After all, the refresh is less than a year old. I also think they would want to be a little quicker in filling out the range next time, I think that stalled the Astra's sales momentum as much as anything.

[Vectracious]

:wall:

and back to the 1.8 SRi Astra.............

[cbrmale]

:wall:

and back to the 1.8 SRi Astra.............

A sheep in wolf's clothing

[KingOfAstras]

What's wrong with the 1.8's ... your all so mean.

[USC]

yeh exactly..just be content. in the uk/france/germany, they get 1.6L wagons

[cbrmale]

yeh exactly..just be content. in the uk/france/germany, they get 1.6L wagons

They drive differently in Europe. It's all congested cities and motorway cruising; they don't have to climb steep hills and overtake b-doubles on the Newell Highway.

Put four people in a 1.8, some luggage, it's a hot day so turn the airconditioning on, give it a northerly headwind and it'll struggle to maintain cruise speed, let alone overtake anything! The SRi 2.2 will get past quite nicely, and get up the hills without too much trouble either.