New Astra steers the way ahead

Several elements of the new Opel Astra vie to be the one that frames your first impression of it... The sleek looks you take in as you approach it get first go, and they do a great job - the Astra is a beautiful car, one that stands out from the crowd in the car park - but they have to compete with so many other factors when you climb inside and start driving. The high seating position strikes you once you slip in behind the wheel, and it gives you a confident view of the road ahead, while the dash curves around to create a comforting, welcoming, enclosed feeling. Then you turn the key to fire up the 1.7 litre engine that powered the test car (and the one that's likely to be a best seller) and you have to remind yourself that it is a diesel unit, because it's so quiet, even from a cold start. Move off and everything falls easily to hand, the light switches, the gearstick, the various controls, levers and knobs… someone at Opel HQ has clearly done their work well on the ergonomic front. But it's the engineering team who designed and developed the steering that take the plaudits for this tester, as their work results in the element that sticks most in the memory and creates the first impression that lasts. The steering on the Astra is fantastic. It's firm at open road speeds but not over-heavy; it's gentle at parking speeds but not over-light and it communicates like Barack Obama..! You don't have to be driving hard for the Astra's steering to talk to you either - you can hear it at regular speeds, feel the way the front tyres bite into the Tarmac, sense it through your fingers as they hold their line around the corners, know it when the car pulls through without concerning itself about bumps and undulations on the road surface. If you like driving... If you like driving, it's brilliant and should provide owners with hours of pleasure at the wheel. If driving is just a means of getting from A to B for you, bear in mind that if the steering is this well engineered, then the rest of the car must be too, and that means it is safe for you and your family. In the Astra brochure Opel says greater ride comfort, sharper steering response and exceptional agility were targets for the new car, and its "success is partly due to the new rear axle design with its clever Watt's link". We're not sure what a Watt's link is, but something here is working well. Of course the new Astra is about much more than sharp steering. The 1.7 litre CDTi is a smooth, willing engine whose 110bhp propels the car with ease to speeds that are illegal in this country (181kmh), while burning the minimum of fuel (4.7 litres/100km, 60.1mpg). The good looks echo its bigger brother the Insignia, which was the 2009 European Car of the Year, and talking of big, the interior is so spacious it could belong to a larger model. Paddy Donnery said he was at the launch of the Astra in Berlin and drove around with a particularly tall colleague who had no bother with head room in the back seat, despite the low roof line that gives that Astra is coupe-like profile. Opel says the Astra will offer BMW quality levels and our short test suggests that is true. It also has some fine detail touches (like the Opel symbol inside the front door) that give a feel of prestige. A saloon version of the Astra is due within two years, Paddy Donnery says, and Opel is offering a three-year zero per cent finance deal. Call in to Donnery Opel on the Dublin Road in Cavan town and have a chat with Paddy. There's so much more to discover about the new Astra, so you'll be glad you did. Call Paddy on 049-4331999.