Opel Astra Club Wagon: Practical Fashion

For the conservative but well-to-do car buyer, going European is often the first option. America stands for pop culture and big quantities (care for a Suburban?), Japan is all about efficiency (Civic, anyone?), but Europe speaks of sophistication.

Europe is about fine dining, centuries of world history, and nude beaches. Kidding. When it comes to automobiles, hallowed marques such as Ferrari, Bugatti, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes Benz and BMW come to mind. You want a fine automobile? A car that will transport you in style, one carrying a badge that subtly tells the world of your stature and discerning taste?

European is the choice, never mind that even BMW has to produce a lot of cars these days in George "Where are those silly WMDs?!" Bush’s country. We’re talking pedigree here. A European car — even an old one like a well maintained 240d Benz — has it all over a spanking new Altis when it comes to style.

Which brings us to this week’s car: Opel’s Astra Club Wagon with the 1.6-liter ECOTEC engine that puts out a decent-but-not-exactly-jaw-dropping 100 horsepower at 6000 rpm. I’m sure to elicit some indignant reactions among Opel owners here, but Opel aint exactly a premium brand. No sir, Opel is to Europe what Toyota is to Asia. It is a good, mainstream brand that won’t wow the pants off you but won’t break the bank either. And in the Opel lineup, the Astra is their entry-level car. Compact, reasonably priced; think "Corolla" and you’ll get the picture.

But you can stop the comparison there. For a somewhat dated design, the Japanese could take apart one of these cars to study what exactly contributes to that reassuringly solid "feel" that no like-priced Japanese car can duplicate. Well, I’m sure their engineers already have, but they still haven’t gotten it. The truth of this comes out most when you drive over some of the worst pavement known to man: the North Luzon tollway during tropical storm "Chedeng", which only sounds European but obviously isn’t. The suspension goes thud-thud-thud over ruts and potholes, but no bone-jarring crashes or two-step ka-chunks. It’s not even anything special: just your vanilla wishbones and McPhersons up front and a low-tech twist-beam rear.

I suppose it’s in the body, a solid piece of restrained "suburban Euro" that looks like it was carved from a single block of steel instead of an assemblage of bolted or welded on sheet metal. The wagon weighs in at a portly 1,246 kilos, or about 200 more than your average sedan. This is like having two or three people with you all the time, and the engine and 4-speed automatic have their work cut out for them. But it is a well-matched, hard working duo. The motor moves up the tachometer with silky smoothness, the transmission is a willing accomplice. A "Sport" button on the shifter triggers faster shifting and more aggressive trips to the redline. Pity it’s wrapped in retro 80s-looking shiny plastic.

Aside from this styling faux pas and the functional omission of a gear indicator on the instrument panel, the cockpit is understated yet engaging. Large meters, intuitive dials and buttons, and an information screen that also tells you what the radio down on the console is doing. Perhaps Opel engineers took for granted that tall Europeans would be driving this wagon, and so the steering wheel is not tilt-adjustable to accommodate the little brown natives. I seem to remember driving the Astra sedan, Vectra wagon, and Tigra sports coupe and encountering the same situation. It’s good that I’m 5’8" and therefore can simply adjust the seat to compensate, not so good when petite people like Mother want to drive it to the grocery like a proper suburban-chic wagon.

One can argue that a like-priced AUV or SUV would be the better choice against this wagon, which is currently priced at P968,000 as I write this... although it’s anyone’s guess as to how much it will cost tomorrow (or next week, or next month...) depending on the latest news from the excise-tax roller coaster. An AUV like the Isuzu Crosswind or Honda CR-V will have higher ground clearance, more space (the Astra is...cozy), and will probably be cheaper to maintain, but they will not have the cachet of a European badge. Even a mainstream badge like Opel.

Fortunately, we’d say that the car deserves its entry-level snob appeal. It turns in sharply and understeers predictably. It is a champ at long-distance trips with excellent high-speed stability and precious little wind noise and vibration from road imperfections entering the cabin. Fuel economy at 7.83 kilometers/liter with three persons on board is only average, and space for said occupantsí bags, coolers, bike and other gear was at a premium despite its wagon configuration. Outdoorsy people will likely invest in a roof rack for this baby.

The stereo is only average, but the controls are simple and there are redundant buttons on the steering wheel. It is a welcome break from the visually distracting OEM units of most cars these days. The Astra also has those neat adjustable-angle headlamps so you can angle them downwards if the road’s really bad at night or straight ahead if you’re in personal Attack mode. Other features include foglamps, a rear wiper and demister, and power everything. Cupholders in the glove compartment are standard, but a front passenger is an option. If you need to use those cupholders, the lid has to be down where the passenger would like to place his or her thighs. Or you can make your companion useful by holding your drink. No fancy LCD/VCD system, no leather, no versatile seating configurations, no hi-tech instrument lighting.

In other words, Opel engineers didn’t think of every common consumer concern in designing the Astra Wagon. It drives like it’s made for the autobahn (well, it IS made for the autobahn), it’s built like a tank, and it’s not exactly the most bang-for-the-buck for people looking for a practical people and cargo hauler. But it’s got style, and to the discerning buyer looking for a solid European-made vessel, that counts for a lot. And it’s a station wagon. This alone will tell onlookers that you may be well off, but that doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten the merits of practical transportation on your way to the top of the social food chain.