2008 Saturn Astra XR Review
Test drove: 3/17/2008 – 3/31/2008
Is That a Bird, a Plane…a Saturn?
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 |
Comments
Stick with a minivan, Momma! Don't mess up a cool car with little kids.
Posted by: Sport | Apr 17, 2008 12:12:47 PM
Yes. I agree. This car is better suited for someone with a family in the making-not one with kids already. Several months ago, GM allowed me and a few dozen other adults out to a closed course to evaluate this car and three others,as a comparison: a VW Rabbit; a Mazda 3; and a Honda Civic. Although I found the Astra to be a competant vehicle, I gave the edge to the VW. Chiefly due to three items:the Rabbit was much quieter; the Astra has power door locks which can't be unlocked unless the key is still either in the "on" or "accessory" positions-the Rabbit's driver's door can be opened with the key off or removed; and lastly, the steering in the VW has good "road feel" and the Astra has electrically assisted steering that briefly failed during a rapid lane change maneuver, causing an awkward, jerking motion at the wheel for a second or so before correcting itself-rather unnerving in a NEW product. The problem mentioned in your review with the LATCH attachments may simply be, because this car in made in Antwerp, Belgium where such equipment is not a legal requirement and as such, was probably installed, sloppily as an afterthought before importation to the U.S.
Posted by: Albert J. Pryor | Apr 22, 2008 12:04:58 AM
I bought a Saturn Astra (because Toyota wouldn't finance me, creeps) and I've got to tell you, I love the space in it. I guess after driving my mom's Corolla (in which my carseat hardly fit) it seems like a freaking stretch limo to me. And I wanted to get a Yaris. Ha.
I don't think the fuel economy is good enough in the Astra. Afterall, I was looking at the Yaris, and I wasn't doing it because it was so hip and had so many features. But the Astra was the greenest car I could afford and get financed on, so its what I got. I agree that maybe a little more room in the trunk would be cool, I can't fit much more than my stroller in there either, but you'd have to be a magician to do that and keep the car from getting any bigger, because this thing is two steps shy of station wagon. Thats just my two cents.
Posted by: Jessica | Apr 29, 2008 1:09:59 PM
That stroller you have in the picture is a monster. It's not going to fit in the trunk of any small car and leave much extra room. Those things with the giant wheels may be trendy, but I'll take a quad-fold stroller over one of those things any day.
Posted by: Michael | May 9, 2008 6:53:10 PM
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I completely agree about the car seats. We test drove an XE model recently and I gave up trying to secure my three year old's car seat with the LATCH connections. The other thing that bothered me was the tether connection on the back of the seat looks like an afterthought. If the seats were folded down the latch looks like it would catch on anything that comes near it. Not good for this IKEA loving family.
Posted by: Arachide | Apr 17, 2008 11:02:12 AM