Sporty outing: The Opel Astra GTC competes against the VW Scirocco

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• The Opel Astra GTC competes against the VW Scirocco
• The race begins
• The interior is neatly processed
• Useful assistance systems
• Several motors are available
• Average price at 25,000 euros

The Opel Astra GTC competes against the VW Scirocco

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The three-door Opel Astra GTC is intended to boost sales among young, male customers.

Source: Opel

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Opel competes with the Astra GTC against the VW Scirocco.

Source: Opel

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Prices start at 19,900 euros.

Source: Opel

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Hardly a body part was taken over from the five-door.

Source: Opel

5 out of 10

The side view of the Opel Astra GTC shows its sporting ambitions.

Source: Opel

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There is a choice of diesel and four petrol engines for the drive.

Source: Opel

7 of 10

The interior is convincing in the usual Opel style.

Source: Opel

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It’s cramped and gloomy on the back bench.

Source: Opel

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Originally the Astra GTC was just supposed to be called GTC.

Source: Opel

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Model 2009: The VW Scirocco R with its 265 hp faces competition from the Opel Astra GTC.

Source: VW / Volkswagen

Even without the new engines from the Opel OPC, the Astra looks great. There are several highlights in addition to the sporty chassis.

ZTwo years after the introduction of the five-door Astra and ten months after the Sports Tourer, Opel is now adding the three-door to the compact family. As with the previous generation, it listens to the abbreviation GTC and should be more than just an appendage to the sedan.

Opel therefore attaches great importance to the finding that the GTC only shares the antenna, the housings, the exterior mirrors and the door handles with the five-door model in terms of body parts.

But the GTC is not intended to be a competitor within its own family. The question does not apply here: three- or five-door or rather station wagon?

The race begins

Rather, it competes with VW Scirocco or Peugeot RCZ. Especially in comparison to the Wolfsburg, the Russelsheimer can convince with a well-shaped rear. That seems coherent and is not too expansive.

It is hardly noticeable that the vehicle exceeds the not exactly short five-door in length by five centimeters. The GTC extends to 4.47 meters. The chocolate side of the three-door is the side view. The sweeping sheet metal kink is definitely an eye-catcher. Just like the optional panoramic glass roof, which extends far into the roof and enables beautiful views.

To the rear, however, you shouldn’t rely solely on the view through the rear window. Parking sensors are certainly a good investment to protect the sheet metal shell from unsightly dents.

You can take a second look at the beautiful rims. Up to 20-inch wheels fit into the wheel arches. In the largest dimension there are 245/40 slippers. An important criterion for the mostly young at least male clientele.

The interior is neatly processed

The designers also made an effort when designing the interior. The interior looks high quality, the workmanship is good. The controls are known from other models, which benefits the user-friendliness. The trunk volume varies between 380 and 1,165 liters. The loading sill is not exactly flat, however.

Otherwise, the coupe can certainly convince with its space that is suitable for everyday use. The front seats slide smoothly forwards and give way to the rear. Up to a length of 1.90 meters, users of the back seat need not fear the headliner.

Useful assistance systems

You don’t have to worry about safety either. In addition to the usual class standards, Opel optionally offers, among other things, a front camera with improved traffic sign recognition, a lane departure warning system and a distance warning system.

With the new Astra GTC, you can find out where it leads to if you leave the Opel engineers on a long leash. The front axle has the so-called HiPerStrut high-performance strut as standard. It replaces the conventional McPherson model and enables very precise turning even when cornering quickly without the driving force being felt. Compared to the five-door model, the chassis is tuned a little harder overall.

If you like it really sporty, you can order the optional sports suspension for almost 1,000 euros extra. Incidentally, this is standard with the OPC variant, which will cause a sensation in summer 2012 with 280 hp.

Several motors are available

Until then, the engines on offer are more of an everyday item. There are initially five engines to choose from. The four petrol engines cover a performance range from 100 hp to 180 hp. Except for the entry-level petrol, there are turbocharged engines and coupled to six-speed gearboxes. The majority of the orders should go to the 1.4-liter turbo with 120 hp or 140 hp. They cost from 21,750 or 22,250 euros.

The provisional top engine with 180 hp (from 23,250 euros) available for the first test drives enables the quality of the chassis to be implemented in a species-appropriate manner. However, the pulling power lags a little behind the sporty demands. The 230 Nm want to be mobilized by eager switching.

The Russelsheim-based company does not yet have a dual-clutch transmission or an automatic, but an eight-speed automatic is planned. The only diesel used is the 2.0-liter with 165 hp. From the spring, however, it will be accompanied by two 1.7-liter with 110 hp and 30 hp.

Average price at 25,000 euros

With around 13,000 units per year, the GTC is expected to generate around 15 percent of Astra sales. The nice thing for Opel: With an expected average sales price of 25,000 euros, the GTC should also satisfy the company’s controllers.

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