The 2008 Saturn Astra

With the two upcoming models from Saturn—a new Vue and the Astra—General Motors has just about come full-circle with the division it introduced in the early 1990s as “A different kind of car company, a different kind of car.” Back when the Saturns were first being marketed as “different,” you’d be hard- pressed to find any mention of GM in any of Saturn’s advertising or marketing materials. It was hoped by GM bigwigs (not to mention by stockholders) that the Saturn would usher in a new era for the old carmaker, one not awash in red ink brought on by crappy product.

So much for that plan. The red ink continued to flow, and even with Saturn’s touchy-feeling marketing, no-haggle pricing (oh, is there a trade involved?) and annual owner love-ins at the factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, it was soon apparent that Saturns were no better than Chevys. What began as a grand experiment in the factory, with workers having a bigger say in product quality, pretty much failed. GM had hoped the Saturn plan would trickle down to its other divisions. Instead, after costing the General billions, Saturn became just another GM division. Gone are the quirky ads, and, as of this past March, Saturns are no longer being built down thar in Spring Hill.

But GM’s ringed-planet hasn’t caromed off into outer space just yet. The Vue small SUV is about to be reintroduced later this spring as a completely restyled vehicle. (More on that in a future column.) The midsized Aura sedan was recently named Motor Trend magazine’s “Car of the Year.” And the the dull little Ion sedans will give way later this year to this week’s subject, the new Astra.

What is significant about the Aura, Astra and Sky roadster (also introduced last year) may be more apparent if you’ve recently spent any time in Germany. These three cars, when you come right down to it, are Opels (a GM subsidiary) in disguise. And a very thin disguise it is. For those of you fluent in German, cruise on over to www.opel.de and have a look. They didn’t even bother changing the name of the Astra: Our Aura is their Vectra; you’ll immediately recognize the Opel GT as the Saturn Sky; and you’ll also get a preview of the new Saturn Vue by clicking on the Opel Antara.

For now though, what about the Astra? It will come in three- and five-door models, and be powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, rated at about 140 hp. It will come in two trim levels: XE and XR for the five-door hatch, while the three-door will come in the peppier XR version only. Five-speed manuals will be standard across the board with a four-speed automatic available. You’d think by now GM would get with the program and up both of those transmissions by at least one speed, for both performance and economy’s sake, but there you go.

If nothing else, you’ve gotta admit that the Astra is a 110-percent improvement over the Ion in the looks department. Hopefully, with the end of plastic body parts will also come the end of body panel gaps you could put your fist through. The interior also promises not to make you feel you’re driving the only car you could afford rather than something you actually wanted. Astras will be well-equipped in the safety department. Standard in all Astras: six airbags; active head restraints, which will automatically move forward in a rear-end crash; and collapsible pedals, which should help cut down on leg and ankle injuries.

These Opel/Saturns are probably do-or-die for the American division. From here (so far) things are looking better for Saturn than they have in years. These new vehicles should run rings around previous models.

More info at saturn.com.