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The 2008 Saturn Astra brings a markedly European touch to the North American compact car marketplace, offering two different body styles in both a three-door and a five-door body configuration. The body envelops a taut Euro-bred suspension that is capable of serving up crisp, responsive handling. The interior maximizes comfort and space. Attention to detail includes a continuation of the exterior's center hood crease on to the center of the instrument panel, in addition to a V-shaped center stac...

My Astra XR tester didn't disappoint. On the outside, the five-door hatchback retains all of its edginess that sets it apart from its Japanese competitors and makes it such a huge hit in Europe. The sharp edges begin at the chrome front grille and carry their way back over the car, with just a hint of curves thrown in at the ends of the bodywork. Flared wheel arches give a slightly muscular look to the Astra. The arching roofline gives a sporty profile while leaving plenty of headroom front and ...

With its distinctive outward styling and Euro-feel interior making it stand out in the field of economy hatchbacks in the North American market, the Belgian-built Astra is a refreshing change for Saturn's parent company GM. I have driven the full line of Astras since they came to this side of the Atlantic, and my test vehicle a few weeks back was the company's XR trim level, in five-door configuration. Equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission, and optioned up with enhanced electro-hy...

The Astra's interior is definitely not like those of other North American GM cars, which is immediately evident as you embrace the Astra's tilt/telescoping three-spoke wheel. Steering wheel controls include audio access, as well as a trackwheel for the centre stack driver information display. Headlamps receive an Auto setting, with a pop-out dimmer dial for instrument illumination. The driver's door pod uses a unique no-guess toggle for the direction correction of the exterior power heated mirro...

What's likely to catch shoppers' eyes first is the two-door Astra XR's styling. It's much sleeker than the four-door hatchback, which is covered in a separate review, and features tapered side windows that increase the car's sportiness. The two-door's height is also a little shorter than the four-door's. This, combined with the coupe's long side doors, makes the car look longer and less boxy, even though the two- and four-doors are the same length. The two-door Astra XR has a sport suspension, ...

Anyone who has spent time in Europe knows that European roads are filled with small, sporty, fuel-efficient cars. For the 2008 Saturn Astra, Saturn has basically hijacked the Opel Astra from Europe and rebadged it for sale in America. Accordingly with the Astra, Saturn has left intact the smart European small-car styling. The 2008 Saturn Astra is available as either a two- or four-door hatchback. Both versions are very small cars, with Motor Trend saying that the "Astra is a true subcompact" at ...

From CanadianDriver.com: Saturn sold its first cars, the S-series sedan, wagon and coupe, in 1991. That same year, GM Europe's Opel division debuted its Astra compact. Do you suppose anyone knew that, some 17 years later, the Astra would become a Saturn? Probably not, but the 2008 Astra is the Saturn that everyone has been waiting 17 years for. Originally conceived as GM's "import fighters," those first Saturns never made the cut against established compacts from overseas. To say expectati...

We were impressed with the Astra, which proved to be a nimble, practical hatchback for urban commuting. Despite its slightly underpowered engine, the Astra rewards drivers who don't mind rowing its slick 5-speed manual. However, this compact hatchback faces stiff competition from the more powerful Mazda3 and VW Rabbit, although the Saturn has the edge in fuel economy. Of course, it is significant that we actually compare the Astra to its Asian and German rivals, as the previous ION wasn't even i...

Our test car was a 3-door model, which has a roofline that's lower than the still-pretty 5-door model. In bright red and with 18-inch wheels, it looks simply marvelous. It's sporty and dynamic in a way no Saturn (Sky excepted, perhaps) has ever looked. It looks every bit the premium small car, in much the same vein as the Audi A3 or Volkswagen GTI. The design and finish in the interior continues the exterior's strengths, with a chunky Teutonic look that calls to mind many VW products from the pa...

From MotherProof.com: 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...

Enthusiasts here in the States have long wondered why they couldn't buy Ford and GM small cars from Europe, and at least part of the answer has been that Americans don't want to pay big bucks for premium small cars. Spiking gasoline prices have quelled that argument, and fuel economy is now towards the top of shoppers' lists when looking for a new car or truck. GM has made the cross-Atlantic jump by importing the Opel Astra to our shores. The Astra is a hot-selling hatch in Europe with high-e...

Our test car was an up-level XR 5-door hatchback, a very versatile configuration that provides a class competitive cabin, with regard to size, within a very compact overall length of 170.5 inches. The engine, a 1.8-liter, 138-horsepower four-cylinder is reasonably powerful but not as refined as the best engines in the class. A five-speed manual transmission is standard with a four-speed automatic a $1,325 option, which is how our test car was equipped. (The automatic shifts into neutral at stops...

With gasoline prices headed for the stratosphere, many consumers are looking for compact vehicles that bring higher mpg and more function for their day-to-day driving needs. The all-new 2008 Saturn Astra brings all of that plus a decidedly European flavor to Saturn showrooms across the country. It is packed with a wide range of standard equipment and safety features, and delivers sporty performance with very good fuel economy. Astra offers new technologies to provide an agile, yet comfortable, d...

Where the Astra shines is in its handling. With a smooth but firmly damped ride, moderate body roll and a solidly planted feeling, the car inspires confidence whether you're just cruising the suburbs or hustling along some two-lane country blacktop. A solid turn-in gets the body set in its position, and the little hatch just clings to the road with all its might, no doubt getting some help from its alloy wheel and broad, sticky tire combination. The twitchy, unsorted feel of many economy cars is...

We tested the Astra XE four-door hatchback. Until Sky came along, Saturn hadn't been blessed with much styling imagination. The Astra that replaces Ion benefits from the attention to fashion that started with Sky and carried into Aura, Vue and Outlook. The wide-bar chrome grille common in all Saturns graces the Astra nose as well. Cabin noise, which seemed a part of Saturn DNA, is noticeable by its absence. The rear cargo hold is very large. A parcel shelf hides whatever you store there from onl...