OFFICIAL! - Opel presents its VW Golf beater, the 2010 Astra

The recent leaks have warned us: the 2010 Opel Astra was about to appear in an official way. This has been confirmed today, when Opel released the first images of the car, which promises to be a real VW Golf beater.



The presentation of the new midsize hatchback, built over the Delta platform, has been a little late, in fact. The car was expected to appear in March, at this year's edition of Geneva Motor Show. Even so, the car presents interesting characteristics. It is 4.40 m long and has a 2.69 m wheelbase. The rear Suspension, unfortunately, still counts on a torsion beam instead of independent multilink as in Ford Focus and VW Golf

The new car will be equipped, at first, with 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines. The entry level will present a naturally aspirated 100 bhp 1.4-litre. There will also be a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine that is not related to the entry level unit, which will have two versions. The first will generate 120 bhp and 175 Nm and the second will will produce 140 bhp and 200 Nm, while the 1.6-litre will also be turbocharged, but will present a much more interesting output: 180 bhp.

Diesel options, all of them turbocharged, will range from 95 bhp to 160 bhp, with a 95 bhp 1.3-litre, a 110 bhp 1.7-litre and two 2-litre units producing 130 bhp and 160 bhp. Besides the hatchback model, both in three and five-door versions, we can expect to see a coupe-cabriolet, a station wagon, the new Zafira, which we have already presented to you, and, according to CarScoop, a sedan version. Considering Cruze uses the same platform, this last version seemed to be less likely, but the oncoming Opel sale makes it make perfect sense.







Source: CarScoop