2008 Saturn Astra consumer reviews

I've had my Astra since July 2008, and have put about 27,000 miles on it since then. It is as rare as a Ferrari where I live, I've only seen 3 others on the road. Like all the reviewers have said, it handles well, looks great, is comfortable, has a sharp interior and gets good gas mileage. I actually like the military time on the drivers information center (DIC) and it's great on long trips. The car came loaded with features that are hard to find in other cars in this class, but, after a year and a half of ownership there are a few issues to point out. First, Saturn is going away and my car has depreciated faster than any car I've owned before, my dealer already closed which puts the nearest dealer a 3 hour drive away. I am not hard on my cars but, this car is full of interior rattles, the dash rattles, door trim rattles and the moon roof rattles. The cloth on the drivers seat is already wearing out. The driver's seat also moves like it's not firmly attached to the frame, although it is. I wish GM had not given up on this car, aside from what I've mentioned it has proven to be a reliable, comfortable car.

I traded up to my Astra from a 2005 Corolla S which has been the best car decision that I've ever done. The 2005 Corolla was cheaply made, bounced all over the road, and had a poor ride and safety overall. In contrast, my Astra holds the road excellent, has a smooth ride for a small car, and the doors have a solid thud every time you shut them. It's very quite as well. This car is built my the German car company Opel. You get German quality and engineering in this car. I owned my first one in Australia where they are very popular models. I will never own another low quality Toyota again after this car.

I own a 2008 Astra 4 door that is silver with a black leather interior. I purchased it used with 17,000 miles on it. At the time of purchase, their was almost no wear or tear on the car, and everything worked beautifully. The real selling point for me however, was the price difference between new and used. I saved about 7,000 dollars by purchasing an 08 instead of a new 09. Let me start by saying how much I love this car. It is immensely practical for a family on a budget, such as mine. We all find it comfortable for road trips, and it's a rewarding car to drive as well. It has a peppy four cylinder engine that is smooth and responsive, with a nice automatic transmission. Another plus is the great steering wheel with control buttons on it. This car is small, so it is easy to park and maneuver in and out of traffic, but I was shocked with the interior space. It is incredible how much stuff you can fit inside of it, and the oversize sunroof makes the cabin feel open and airy. It has great seats too. Fuel economy is great. This car requires regular gas, and gets 27 mpg city, 34 highway. Im sure an Astra with a stick shift would do better, but for city driving, I prefer the automatic. I am up to 27,000 miles, and the car has been as reliable as clockwork. The bottom line is this: The Astra is absolutely the best car in its class. It looks good, drives good, and is good to your wallet.

Owners seem to love their Astra. I can see why, now that I joined them. The buying experience was wonderful. Even the finance manager was a really nice guy! The Astra has unique styling that gets better with time. The '09 Fit looked good at first, but now it looks like a toy to me. The Mazda 3 looks similar, but I prefer the Astra's Euro styling. The interior has high quality materials, is very functional, and it's understated elegance doesn't get old. The intuitive, informative, and easy to use ?driver information center? is a gem. It works just how I'd expect, and requires very little input to access the plethora of functions. The steering wheel controls can access everything with the same minimal input. I think that deserves an award. This car was designed by smart, pragmatic people. The seats are firm but comfortable. The rear seating will be tight for 3 people, but that's not a surprise. It's a small car, so you know what you're getting into. I chose fabric seats instead of leather for various reasons (cost, maintenance, comfort) although the leather really nice, amazing for the price. I got the upgraded sound system. It sounds great. It has some unique and highly useful functions (e.g. optimizing sound for driver, front seats, or all seats). I also got the panoramic sunroof. It's huge and gorgeous. I can't wait for summer. The performance of this car is impressive. Anyone with common sense knows you can't get something for nothing. The 1.8L engine is perfect for this car. A larger engine would be more expensive (as would a turbo), and would decrease fuel economy. This engine is smooth and has a wide power band. I was wrong thinking only Japanese engines were worth anything. The 5 speed manual is a joy to use. The clutch pedal feel is perfect and the shifter is quick and precise enough. The sport suspension is amazing. It's very firm when you want it to be, but seems to soak up rough roads really well. A great feat of engineering. The brakes are outstanding. The modulation and control is excellent. Just about everything about this car is great, including the dealership experience. Make sure you give it a chance to win you over. The sale price for the 2008 makes it an unbeatable value. Now that I own it, I'd be willing to pay more. America needs a lot more cars like this!

I bought the Astra 3-door XR manual transmission two months ago and I just absolutely loved it. The only reason I bought this car because it's an Opel Astra (German Automaker) and it's being selling under Saturn in US. I know Opel cars are really really good and I get the European car feeling while driving this car. I would recommend buying this car with manual transmission rather than automatic because the engine gives better performance in manual than automatic. Pros: Great drive, handling, looks, interior, and styling. Cons: No auxiliary and the mp3 audio in car doesn't support multi session CD's, the engine feels little bit underpowered.

This has to be one of the best buys for a car under $20,000, I purchased the 5-door XE automatic and have put about 4,000 miles on it since purchasing it in June. I just finished driving my Astra 2,500 miles cross country and I have to say we went no slower than 75 mph with gas mileage at 35 mpg for the entire trip. The car was fun to drive the entire time and the firm seats were comfortable during a long days drive. I agree with others in that is would be fantastic if there were a place to put a console in the car but that is the worst thing I can say about it. It's a head turner and a good buy for the money.

My car is a 3-door XR 5-speed. Most of the reviews and road test coments were right on the money. The car is well made and solid feeling. The fit and finish are very good. The only problem with the car so far was with delivery. I wanted Silver, with 18" wheels, 6-disc CD player, and leather with a 5-speed and I had to wait 31/2 months. I missed the initial dealer encentives and after taking delivery GM then introduced Employee Pricing; I missed both. I have had the car on a few long trips and the gas mileage is always over 35 mpg at 65- 70 . I don't drive too much faster in cruise because the Ecotec gets a little buzzy. The car also gets quite a few looks because there are not too many on the road. I am very pleased so far.

We just got this car last week. We noticed the ASTRA actually by accident. We were really considering the PONTIAC VIBE. But after we found out it was made in Europe we gave it a second look and decided on buying the XE version. It seems to be very well built, with a good sounding door slam and nice solid ride. I wish though it had a more powerful engine, but we were looking for economy anyway and I feel as though it is fine for our driving needs. After all it is not a Corvette. The buttons on the dash are a little quirky and so are the turn signals but, we will get used to it. We did go for the aftermarket armrest, and believe me it was well worth it. But, pay the price and let the dealer install it. It was well worth it. It is not an easy install for the mechanically challenged. The car really has a lot of features for the money and hopefully the gas milage is as good as they say. It only has a 12 gallon tank, so hopefully it is true. We got it in black and the color is really sharp. If you look at it in the sunlight it seems to give off a purplish tint. A nice touch. The seats are comfortable and you really don't feel as though you are in a small car. The dealer was very nice, but they tried to sell us some useless aftermarket warranties and protection packages. You dont need any of it. I am lookng forward to many good years with the car. If anything else does develop you can be sure I will write again. But for now, so far so good.

I have owned my Astra XR 5 speed Coupe for a month. I have 1,000 miles on it, mostly in town city driving. I have not had an opportunity to take it on a road trip. This is the best compact car I have ever driven! It has all of the upscale features I wanted at a better price than I expected. I shopped every compact out there. None came close to the value and quality the Astra offers. The materials GM used are what you would expect in a luxury car. I have the leather interior which has great eye appeal. The seats are comfortable and supportive. I bought the six CD changer upgraded stereo. I would put this stereo up against any automotive sound system in the market. It has concert hall sound. I was concerned about the 138 hp engine not being able to take the foothills of Colorado here where I live. The steepest grade that I travel several times a week has a 75 mph speed limit. The Astra takes this hill in 5th gear at 80 mph with plenty of additional power to give. I have yet to find a hill where I have had to down-shift. With the 5 speed manual, you get all the power you need. And, the 5 speed has a good solid feel to it as you shift through the gears. The standard safety features on this car were very important to me - Anti-lock brakes Stability control Daytime running lights Traction control Six airbags On Star I did not find another compact car on the market that measured up in respect to safety. This car is fun to drive and looks great. It is the kind of car where you look forward to driving the twisting U.S. mountain highways. You feel like you are glued to the road. I have yet to see a posted speed limit on a curve where you could not safely exceed the posted speed by 20 mph. Last but certainly not least -> The gas mileage is outstanding. My first tank of gas returned 29 mpg in town. My last tank of gas was good for 36.5 mpg. In between I had 32 and 34 mpg. I could not be happier with this car. I would recommend the Astra to any auto enthusiast who wants a great upscale compact. The Astra is a great value for this quality of a car. This car is FUN!

This car has more than adequate pep for everyday driving. I didn't even need to downshift going up a 2000 ft mountain pass and I've spun out the front wheels a number of times when accelerating from a stop. The handling is superb, it eats corners for breakfast. This car is so much fun to drive that my favorite part of the day is now my commute. The radio controls are different, but very intuitive once you realize how it works. It has a nifty feature where it can automatically pick out and preset the nine strongest stations available, making for the possibility of radio channel surfing on long trips. The car also has a nifty feature where if you hold the unlock button on the remote, it rolls down the windows to vent hot air. Slightly disappointed by the lack of aux input jack, though. The car is very comfortable. However, some of my friends have said getting in the rear seat is awkward, though it's comfortable once inside. The interior is high quality. It's fairly quiet on the inside, even though the engine revs a bit at highway speeds (3100RPM at 65mph with the 5 speed). First tank of gas was 28.5 MPG in a 40/60 mix of city and highway driving. Trip computer said my average mileage was 37 when driving conservatively on the highway.