2008 Saturn Astra Review & Road Test at Automotive.com

2008 Saturn Astra

Below is a review of the 2008 Saturn Astra written by the automotive experts at Automobile Magazine. A full evaluation of the driving experience, price, equipment, and specs are here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with a wealth of experience.

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IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Review From Automobile Magazine

2008 Saturn Astra

By Joe Lorio / Article provided by: Automobile Magazine

Some may say that the new Saturn Astra is a big improvement over its predecessor, the Saturn Ion. We say, how could it not be? The hapless Ion was a strong contender for America's worst small car and the most recent example of our storied incompetence in that arena.

Today, however, is a new day at Saturn. General Motors, after launching the division as a flag-waving riposte to the invasion of small foreign imports, evidently has decided: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Is this depressing defeatism or shrewd realpolitik? Maybe both. While it's bad news for our country's engineering and manufacturing sectors, in the case of the Astra at least, it's good news for America's drivers.

2008 Saturn Astra Rear Three Quarter View

The Astra is a rebadged Opel, imported from Europe. The car is virtually unchanged from its counterpart on the Continent. Even the name is the same. More important, though, is that the European suspension tuning is neither softened nor dumbed down for U.S. duty (although the tires have been swapped for all-seasons). Our test car had the Sport Handling Package, which is standard on the XR coupe and optional on the XR four-door hatchback (but not offered on the base XE). The $695 package includes seventeen-inch wheels, stability control, quicker steering, and firmer springs and dampers, as well as a lower ride height. The setup proved very impressive over the challenging back roads of southeastern Ohio, where we had a lot of fun flinging the Astra from one corner to another. The suspension has sufficient travel, and its motions are well-damped. Understeer is present but not oppressive, and the tail can get lively, although stability control will gently step in to keep you out of trouble. We did wish for stronger brakes, however, and we experienced some torque steer on wet pavement (but none in the dry).

That could be because there's precious little torque to begin with. In fact, the Astra's 1.8-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is the car's weakest link. The engine doesn't really want to rev, and yet it doesn't offer much grunt down low. Apparently, its 138 horses would rather nap than run. The 1.8-liter is the only engine Saturn offers, although, as usual, Europeans get an extensive menu of powertrain choices, including a 1.6-liter turbo that might have been the better choice.

We found the clutch and the five-speed shifter pretty agreeable--good thing since the optional automatic is only a four-speed. The seats were a mix of squishy, convex-feeling cushions and backrests with good lateral support. Interior space is not bad, although rear-seat riders don't fare as well as they would in a Nissan Versa or a Volkswagen Rabbit. We were encouraged to find interior materials that are fully competitive with any car in the class, a situation that had previously been entirely foreign to small Saturns.

One area in which buyers may find the Astra a bit too foreign is in the markings and operation of its switchgear. Indecipherable hieroglyphics on various buttons, strange logic to the audio controls, and BMW-style electronic column stalks will make the owner's manual required bedside reading for Astra buyers.Overall, though, Saturn did well on its shopping trip to Europe. The brand scored a small car that's unlike any it has offered before, and that's a good thing.