Astra
Sprint Review: Chevrolet Cruze LS
One new car, lots of information
What’s a Cruze? Think Elantra, Jetta and especially Opel Astra sedan; then slap a Chevy body on it. The Cruze is also available as a hatchback which it shares its technology with. Available with four cylinder petrol, turbo-petrol or turbo-diesel engines, this model is a 1.4 turbo-petrol Cruze LS.
Long term test: Opel Astra sedan 1.6T Cosmo
Meet Unit 9
Most motoring journalists resemble a walking automotive encyclopaedia, flavoured with a tad of opinion. The one thing we can’t comment on is the longevity of new vehicles, which is why I always look forward to testing a car for more than a week – in this case, Opel’s new Astra sedan in 1.6T Cosmo trim.
Tested: Opel Astra OPC
The crunchy monster
Despite what you may read in the media, don’t believe a word about performance cars disappearing soon. I always cite BMW’s 1M and Ford’s Focus RS which arrived in South Africa already sold out. The hot hatch segment’s never been bigger and just welcomed another contender: Opel’s Astra OPC.
Tested: Honda Civic iDTEC
The individual look
In a perfect world, we’d all drive the same car. Wait, did I just type perfect? I meant imperfect. One of the greatest luxuries we have is choice, the ability to indulge our individual tastes. You drive a Golf, he drives a Focus, she drives a Hyundai and I’ve got a Civic.
Tested: Toyota Auris XR CVT
The honest change
Many years ago there was a hatchback Toyota called Conquest, a name that was a purely South African invention for the five-door Corolla shape. This gave birth to the cheapie offspring Tazz which could only watch VW’s Golf and other premium hatchbacks drive off into the sunset.
Launched: Hyundai i30 [2012]
The sensible focus
Last week saw the introduction of the Hyundai i30, a compact hatchback competing in the C-segment against favourites like the VW Golf, Opel Astra and Ford Focus. The Korean is all-new and armed with a few goodies to create some European headaches.
Tested: 2012 Opel Astra GTC
The comfy looker
It’s been a long time coming and I was honestly getting concerned that halfway through the year I hadn’t found any pleasant surprises yet. Sure, thundering AMG’s and seven-figure Jags may apply but it wasn’t until last week that I stumbled across a hidden gem: the Opel Astra GTC.