Mother Proof's view

The new ad campaign for Saturn features a man walking into a Saturn dealer and promptly walking back out the door to take a second look at the sign and make sure he’s in the right place. The message is that Saturn’s got a whole new look – it’s sportier, sleeker and just plain cooler than you ever thought.

Well, coincidently enough, when I was driving the 2008 Saturn Astra around town one morning, a young Starbucks baristar (is that what male baristas are called? I don’t know) at the drive-through said to me, “Dude, is that a Saturn?” I replied, “Why, yes it is.” To which he said, “Yeah, dude, it looks like a Volkswagen, which means I, like, really dig it.” This exchange provided me with actual, living proof that Saturn has indeed changed its look and people are noticing. It also made me happy to realize that I am totally a “dude.” I’d so much rather be that than a “ma’am.”

The new Astra does resemble a Volkswagen Rabbit. As Saturn says, “It’s sleek and sporty, offering functionality with attitude.” Well, my attitude about the car is this: It is sporty, though I wouldn’t call it high-performance by any means (which makes sense given the low price); and while I managed to get through life just fine while I was driving it, due to some spatial and other shortcomings, it’s probably best suited to a first-time car buyer or swingin’ single on a budget.

The problems for me: I’m a busy mom with an 18-month-old, a husband, a dog and another child on the way – ergo the ever-growing midsection, among other things – which means that we have a lot of stuff and as such, need a lot of space. The problem in the intersection of my lifestage and the Astra was twofold:

1) There just isn’t a lot of space in this car, cargo or otherwise, making for a tight squeeze for me, my family and our gear; and,

2) The car-seat Latches were really tough to get at and use.

For instance, it took me about 30 minutes to get my car seat hooked in and perhaps longer to finally take it out. I broke into a sweat, and it was only 30 degrees outside! And, the trunk was only large enough to hold my stroller, leaving almost no room for groceries or whatever else I happened to be carrying. Maybe I could have gotten two grocery bags in there along with my stroller, but it would have been tight. If a third bag was filled with squishy stuff like bread, it maybe would have found a place, too (don’t scoff at me because I eat carbs; I’m pregnant, for crying out loud!).

Enough of my complaints, let’s get on to the good stuff, because, as I said, there was plenty for a person in a different lifestage than me. The top two things about this car in my opinion are the price (MSRP $17,875) and the fab fuel economy (24 city/32 highway). I drove all over the place in this thing and still only had to put in a half tank of gas when I returned it at the end of my drive!

My version of this little four-door hatchback had the Advanced Audio Package, which included a six-disc CD player with MP3 format and seven speakers. I know some fancy-schmancy cars have 18 speakers or whatever, but in this smaller car, seven sounded pretty good. A few other nice things caught my eye like the heated side view mirrors and the charcoal-colored cloth seats – which are standard – were actually pretty stylish.

Another bonus is that even at such a low price, safety remains a priority for Saturn. The 2008 Astra has six standard airbags, including side impact and side curtain bags. Furthermore, since Saturn is a GM company, the lucky Astra owner gets one year of the OnStar’s Safe & Sound service. This means that you get such OnStar features as Remote Door Unlock, Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance and regular vehicle diagnostics reports.

This makes me wonder whether OnStar could have come to my rescue if I had run out of cargo space? My OnStar call could have gone something like this, “Hi, it’s Courtney and I’m stuck at the grocery store and can’t fit any more bags in my trunk – can you help?” OK, perhaps it’s a bit far-fetched, but if you’re someone in the market for a car for your teen or if you’re a single dude who wants to have some economical fun, this would be a great choice for you, so check out the new VW … uh … I mean … Saturn.

*For more information on the 2008 Saturn Astra and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Puny/Fair

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Good Times

Specs

2008 Saturn Astra

Base price: $17,875

Price as tested: $19,090

Engine: 138 hp, 1.8L, I-4

Fuel: 24/32 mpg

Length: 170.5″

Width: 69.0″

Ground Clearance: n/a

Turning Radius: 17.2 ft

Cargo space: 44.8 cu. ft.

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: not tested

Passenger’s side: not tested

Side Impact

Front occupant: not tested

Rear occupant: not tested

Rollover resistance: not tested