History and description cars Opel Astra

The Opel Astra line is a compact family car of the C-class. It is produced from 1991 to the present by the German car manufacturer Opel. The name Astra originates from Vauxhall (United Kingdom), which were sold Opel Kadett (1979-1991) under the name Vauxhall Astra. In 1991, General Motors standardized passenger car names, which began to end with the English letter "a", and the Cadet began to be called Astra in all divisions of the Opel company. Also, the numbering of generations was inherited from the Cadet, which were numbered with Latin letters in the alphabet A, B, C, D and E, and Astra begins with the letter F and then G, H, J and K.

Currently, Astra's classmates include cars of other brands Chevrolet Cruze, Fiat Bravo, Ford Focus, Kia Rio, Honda Civic, Hyundai Solaris, Fiat Punto, Lada Vesta, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Almera, Peugeot 308, Renault Sandero, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Auris and Volkswagen Polo.

Opel Astra F (1991-1998)

The world saw the first Astra at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in 1991. The car was produced both in Germany and in many other countries, such as Belgium, Hungary, India, Italy, Poland, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Great Britain. It was produced on the T-body platform from General Motors. A total of about 2.4 million units were produced.

The body styles were very diverse to suit any picky taste - 3- and 5-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon "Caravan", and two years later a convertible and a 3-door van appeared. The body colors were available in the following options:



The engine range is also very extensive. There are 23 petrol engine variants, all 4-cylinder with direct fuel injection, with a volume of 1.4 to 2.0 liters and a power of 60 to 204 hp. There are 4 diesel engine variants, also all 4-cylinder with a volume of 1.7 liters and a power of 57 to 82 hp, all injection with one camshaft. There are three types of gearboxes - 5- or 6-speed manual and 4-speed automatic.

In 1992, the Astra won the Irish Car of the Year award, which dates back to 1978, and the South African Car of the Year in 1994 and 1995. In 1994, the model underwent a major facelift. The headlights, exterior mirrors, bumpers, door handles, rear lights and information display were changed. Changes were also made to the car's suspension. All models were equipped with two airbags.

Opel Astra G (1998-2004)

The second generation Astra was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997, and sales began in Europe and the world in 1998. It was a completely new car, which did not take over anything from the previous generation. In addition to Germany, production was in the following countries: Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Ukraine and Great Britain. About 1.9 million units were produced in total.

There are now even more body variants. In addition to those already mentioned, a 2-door coupe appeared in the previous generation. Four airbags were installed as standard, the driving performance, ergonomics and quality of interior trim materials improved. A compact minivan was also produced on the same chassis, tuned by Lotus Opel Zafira.

The range of engines is also very large. Petrol engines in the amount of 16 models with a volume of 1.2 to 2.2 liters and a power of 65 to 200 hp, all 4-cylinder with fuel injection, as well as 6 diesel engines with a volume of 1.7 to 2.2 liters and a power of 68 to 125 hp, all 4-cylinder with turbocharging. There are three transmission options to choose from - a 5-speed manual or a 4- and 5-speed automatic.

Opel Astra H (2004-2009)

In 2003, the next generation Opel Astra five-door hatchback with the letter index "H" was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and in March 2004 it was released. The car was produced on the updated T-body platform, as a result of which the dimensions were slightly increased. Aging Vectra B was replaced in Brazil by a sedan version of the Astra H, called the Chevrolet Vectra, before it was replaced Chevrolet Cruze in 2009.

Generation "H" was produced about 1.2 million cars. In addition to Germany, the car was produced in Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Poland, Russia, Taiwan and Great Britain.

The body styles were as follows: 3-door hatchback coupe, 5-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon, 3-door van and 2-door convertible.

The engine range includes: 10 petrol engines with a capacity of 1.4 to 2.0 litres, with a power of 90 to 240 hp, all 4-cylinder with direct injection; 8 diesel engines with a capacity of 1.3 to 1.9 liters, with a power of 90 to 150 hp, all 4-cylinder turbocharged. The choice of transmissions has expanded significantly: 5- and 6-speed manual, 5-speed robotic, 4-speed automatic and 6-speed automatic Aisin 60-40LE.

Opel Astra J (2009-2015)

At the 2009 Frankfurt International Motor Show, the new generation of the Astra with the letter index "J" was presented. You may have noticed that the letter "I" is missing from the generation numbering. This is done to avoid confusion with the Roman numeral I or first. The car is based on GM's new Delta II platform and it takes much of its styling from the new Opel Insignia. Sales began in December 2009. Production took place in China, Germany, Poland, Russia and the UK.

The variety of bodies inherent in previous generations has been somewhat reduced. There remains a 3-door hatchback coupe, a 5-door hatchback, a 4-door sedan and a 5-door station wagon, called "Sports Tourer", debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. Adoption of the name "Sports Tourer", finally put an end to the "Caravan" name for Opel station wagons. The European committee Euro NCAP awarded the car a 5-star safety rating.

The number of petrol engines in the lineup remained the same as in the previous generation, 10 options, volume from 1.4 to 2.0 liters with a capacity of 87 to 280 hp, all 4-cylinder with fuel injection. Diesel engines 9 options with a volume of 1.3 to 2.0 liters with a capacity of 95 to 195 hp, all 4-cylinder with turbocharging. Gearboxes three options - 5- and 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with an active selection mode of the "Tiptronic" type.

Infotainment and navigation systems are supplied by Bosch. Astra takes third place in the European Car of the Year category (European Car of the Year) in 2010.

Opel Astra K (2015-present)

In September 2015, the next modification of the Opel Astra with the letter designation "K" was announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car is based on the new D2XX/D2UX platform. The completely new architecture made it shorter by 5 centimeters and lighter by 120 kilograms compared to the previous generation "J", but, according to Opel, there is more useful space inside. The front suspension is McPherson type, the rear is torsion. Euro NCAP assigned 5 stars to the car's safety rating.

The standard package includes a color LED screen in the dashboard that connects to Android or iPhone. This system is already available in Corsa E, as well as in Adam. Also, all cars are equipped with LED headlights. Production sites for Astra remain only in China, Poland and Great Britain. There are only two body types left - a 5-door hatchback and a 5-door station wagon ("Sports Tourer").


At the time of the car's announcement, there were 5 petrol engines with a capacity of 1.0 liters (3-cylinder) or 1.4 and 1.6 liters (4-cylinder) power from 105 to 200 hp. Diesel engines 4 models with a volume of 1.6 liters with a power from 95 to 160 hp, all 4-cylinder with turbocharging. Transmissions 4 types - 5- or 6-speed manual, 5-speed semi-automatic "Easytronic" or 6-speed automatic.

Opel Astra K, wagon

Opel Astra K, wagon, back view

Opel Astra K, interior