RE: Shed Of The Week: Vauxhall Astra Coupe

[aka_kerrly]

Jimmy Recard said:

It's interesting how these things are remembered - I recall Autocar being pretty positive about the drive, and I remember Jeremy Clarkson praising how the mk4 Astra drove. The Focus was a more entertaining car to steer, but the Astras had the better engines, in my opinion. And they simply were not a bad car to drive - maybe not the best, but not every car can be the very best.

Interesting that, at the same time that JC/Top Gear did a hot hatch test with a dozen or so cars when the mk4 Golf GTI/Audi A3 1.8T were released and put the Astra in 5th place and did comment that the handling felt sharp and awarded it 4* for handling & performance.

This is the same test that put the mk4 Golf/Audi A3 1.8T as 1st & 2nd place and ranked the Civic VTI an Nissan Almera GTI as 11th & 12th given them 3* .

Funny how perceptions change as now all you hear is how wonderful a Civic VTI & Almera GTI are and a mk4 golf gets nothing put abuse.

[Jimmy Recard]

aka_kerrly said:

Interesting that, at the same time that JC/Top Gear did a hot hatch test with a dozen or so cars when the mk4 Golf GTI/Audi A3 1.8T were released and put the Astra in 5th place and did comment that the handling felt sharp and awarded it 4* for handling & performance.

This is the same test that put the mk4 Golf/Audi A3 1.8T as 1st & 2nd place and ranked the Civic VTI an Nissan Almera GTI as 11th & 12th given them 3* .

Funny how perceptions change as now all you hear is how wonderful a Civic VTI & Almera GTI are and a mk4 golf gets nothing put abuse.

I'll scan the 2002 Top Gear group test of the Astra SRi Turbo, Focus ST170, Golf GTI Anniversary, Mini Cooper S and Civic Type R. The Astra is the last out of that group on handling (as you'd expect, that lot were pretty good), but rated highest for its acceleration and brakes.

It is interesting seeing these cars in the context of their day when they were fresh and in line with fashion and regulation - not how they've come to be regarded 15-20 years later.

Apart from these Coupe versions, I always thought the mk4 Astra was a boring looking car but not a bad one. That's just about how I still see them

Edited by Jimmy Recard on Friday 31st March 22:15

[TehRin]

dme123 said:

Is there any car that says "rat faced chav" more than an Astra with that debadged grille with the little car decal??

Nice enough shed without the embarrassing modifications though.

I'm not a fan of Astras, nor have I ever owned one - purely because you see them everywhere. However did you not stop to think that the kit may have been standard, or an option? That little "car decal" is the irmscher logo.


Nice shed for the price, I have fond memories of my friends (1.6 hatch) Astra, took tonnes of abuse and we used it for everything. Couldn't keep up with my Rover 45 though.

[Jimmy Recard]

TehRin said:

I'm not a fan of Astras, nor have I ever owned one - purely because you see them everywhere. However did you not stop to think that the kit may have been standard, or an option? That little "car decal" is the irmscher logo.


Nice shed for the price, I have fond memories of my friends (1.6 hatch) Astra, took tonnes of abuse and we used it for everything. Couldn't keep up with my Rover 45 though.

In fairness, I'm a long time Vauxhall owner and even I can see how crap those Irmscher grilles look. I wouldn't have one on one of my Vauxhalls

[TehRin]

Jimmy Recard said:

TehRin said:

I'm not a fan of Astras, nor have I ever owned one - purely because you see them everywhere. However did you not stop to think that the kit may have been standard, or an option? That little "car decal" is the irmscher logo.


Nice shed for the price, I have fond memories of my friends (1.6 hatch) Astra, took tonnes of abuse and we used it for everything. Couldn't keep up with my Rover 45 though.

In fairness, I'm a long time Vauxhall owner and even I can see how crap those Irmscher grilles look. I wouldn't have one on one of my Vauxhalls

I agree with you. I just found the post a bit smarmy. Not everyone with Astra G, Irmy or not is a "rat faced chav" - I'd go as far to say that the majority of them don't even know what Irmscher is as most of them have moved on to newer models.

[Jimmy Recard]

TehRin said:

I agree with you. I just found the post a bit smarmy. Not everyone with Astra G, Irmy or not is a "rat faced chav" - I'd go as far to say that the majority of them don't even know what Irmscher is as most of them have moved on to newer models.

I wouldn't generalise like that, but there is a certain type that fit the Irmscher grilles!

I've had an Astra F and H and have noticed that the owner profile isn't the best, particularly with some of the poor modifications. It would be unfair, I agree, to categorise all owners as such

I have seen Insignias with Irmscher bits, but I'm guessing Vauxhall and Irmscher aren't a pair now. I don't see much sign of Irmscher on most recent models

[Mr Tidy]

I've browsed classifieds for these a few times over the years - they seem pretty cheap for what they are.

Never had an Astra, but I did have a couple of early 90s Cavaliers (a 1.8L and an SRi) and I liked them. Plus my sister have an 8v Calibra, which was also pretty good, with the bonus of looking much better.

From what I remember of reviews at the time the Astra Coupes were generally reckoned to drive better than the Calibra did, but they didn't look as good.

They were pretty quick by the standards of the day - I was on an A-Road years ago in my 2000 Leon Cupra and on reaching a bit of dual-carriageway I pulled out to overtake. The Astra Coupe driver decided he didn't want to be overtaken, and I only just managed to get past!

I'd still consider one, but perhaps not this one!

Good shed!

[anonymous-user]

TehRin said:

dme123 said:

Is there any car that says "rat faced chav" more than an Astra with that debadged grille with the little car decal??

Nice enough shed without the embarrassing modifications though.

I'm not a fan of Astras, nor have I ever owned one - purely because you see them everywhere. However did you not stop to think that the kit may have been standard, or an option? That little "car decal" is the irmscher logo.
:

Might be standard on this one, but I doubt very much it's standard on all the stheap 1.6 GL models you see being ragged around with the same grille. Same as "lexus lights" might originally have been standard on a Lexus but that doesn't make them any more of a complete joke now. Or indeed "M" badges on a BMW now.

Actually none is quite as bad as Irmscher because it's hard to think of anything more laughable than a "tuning house" for the turds GM Europe has been crimping off since the year zero. That Vauxhall even sell models that leave the factory looking like Kevin the Chav has been at it already says plenty.

Edited by dme123 on Friday 31st March 23:20

[s m]

Mr Tidy said:

I've browsed classifieds for these a few times over the years - they seem pretty cheap for what they are.

Never had an Astra, but I did have a couple of early 90s Cavaliers (a 1.8L and an SRi) and I liked them. Plus my sister have an 8v Calibra, which was also pretty good, with the bonus of looking much better.

From what I remember of reviews at the time the Astra Coupes were generally reckoned to drive better than the Calibra did, but they didn't look as good.

They were pretty quick by the standards of the day - I was on an A-Road years ago in my 2000 Leon Cupra and on reaching a bit of dual-carriageway I pulled out to overtake. The Astra Coupe driver decided he didn't want to be overtaken, and I only just managed to get past!

I'd still consider one, but perhaps not this one!

Good shed!

Pretty much what the reviews all say! A much better driving car than the Calibra but didn't look as good.
They seem a genuine 4 seater too and pretty economical for the performance - 135 isn't too shabby from 145bhp

They did a limited edition Linea Rossa one with 200 produced if you prefer red to blue.

[TehRin]

dme123 said:

TehRin said:

dme123 said:

Is there any car that says "rat faced chav" more than an Astra with that debadged grille with the little car decal??

Nice enough shed without the embarrassing modifications though.

I'm not a fan of Astras, nor have I ever owned one - purely because you see them everywhere. However did you not stop to think that the kit may have been standard, or an option? That little "car decal" is the irmscher logo.
:

Might be standard on this one, but I doubt very much it's standard on all the stheap 1.6 GL models you see being ragged around with the same grille. Same as "lexus lights" might originally have been standard on a Lexus but that doesn't make them any more of a complete joke now. Or indeed "M" badges on a BMW now.

Actually none is quite as bad as Irmscher because it's hard to think of anything more laughable than a "tuning house" for the turds GM Europe has been crimping off since the year zero. That Vauxhall even sell models that leave the factory looking like Kevin the Chav has been at it already says plenty.

Edited by dme123 on Friday 31st March 23:20

Most chavs these days drive around in A3's, Golfs and Focuses and Corsa D/E's. I'd say that the designs of most Vauxhalls around that time was very subtle, even the Irmscher kit, however it was favoured by chavs - not these days though, I think they've aged well.

[anonymous-user]

TehRin said:

Most chavs these days drive around in A3's, Golfs and Focuses and Corsa D/E's. I'd say that the designs of most Vauxhalls around that time was very subtle, even the Irmscher kit, however it was favoured by chavs - not these days though, I think they've aged well.

That I'd agree with. I think this car was a really good looking design, and the Astra twin-top was one of the better looking hard top convertibles too. The interiors were pretty nasty though, and the engines were also pretty weak. That said my non petrolhead father owned a base spec 1998 Astra 1.4 from new until he bought a new Civic in 2009 and it was absolutely bomb proof and metronome reliable. Didn't rust either, despite plenty of car park scrapes. The interior was no nastier when he got rid of it than when it was new, so despite impressions the genuine quality was obviously there.

Quite right about the chavs going German though. The issue there is that the brief torque spike of the TDi engines that convinced 10 million sales reps that their car "goes like a rocket" makes for very erratic and aggressive progress in town and around roundabouts and then a smokey roadblock when you want to make real progress on a grown ups road

Edited by dme123 on Saturday 1st April 00:08

[TehRin]

dme123 said:

TehRin said:

Most chavs these days drive around in A3's, Golfs and Focuses and Corsa D/E's. I'd say that the designs of most Vauxhalls around that time was very subtle, even the Irmscher kit, however it was favoured by chavs - not these days though, I think they've aged well.

That I'd agree with. I think this car was a really good looking design, and the Astra twin-top was one of the better looking hard top convertibles too. The interiors were pretty nasty though, and the engines were also pretty poor.

Quite right about the chavs going German though. The issue there is that the brief torque spike of the TDi engines that convinced 10 million sales reps that their car "goes like a rocket" makes for very erratic and aggressive progress in town and around roundabouts and then a smokey roadblock when you want to make real progress on a grown ups road

The interiors were bland, yet quite hard wearing from memory. Don't get me started on the whole "my car has more torque" nonsense, most of the time a similar displacement turbo petrol will produce more and not run out of puff so quickly. I had a friend try to tell me this once, he had a Focus 1.8 Tdci, I had a Mazda 3 MPS.

[cal93]

As mentioned once or twice the front bumper is from a GSi, not the Irmscher version. If you ask me that's not a bad thing. The 2.0T is definitely more tunable and the better engine but I'll let it off for the Europa Blue paint. Awesome old school Vauxhall colour and best colour for the Coupe in my opinion. I have always liked the Astra Coupe, if I ever dabble it will be Europa Blue. Enjoy seeing some VX content on PH.

[greenarrow]

aka_kerrly said:

Jimmy Recard said:

It's interesting how these things are remembered - I recall Autocar being pretty positive about the drive, and I remember Jeremy Clarkson praising how the mk4 Astra drove. The Focus was a more entertaining car to steer, but the Astras had the better engines, in my opinion. And they simply were not a bad car to drive - maybe not the best, but not every car can be the very best.

Interesting that, at the same time that JC/Top Gear did a hot hatch test with a dozen or so cars when the mk4 Golf GTI/Audi A3 1.8T were released and put the Astra in 5th place and did comment that the handling felt sharp and awarded it 4* for handling & performance.

This is the same test that put the mk4 Golf/Audi A3 1.8T as 1st & 2nd place and ranked the Civic VTI an Nissan Almera GTI as 11th & 12th given them 3* .

Funny how perceptions change as now all you hear is how wonderful a Civic VTI & Almera GTI are and a mk4 golf gets nothing put abuse.

I remember that test well. Clarkson has always been totally biased towards the Golf GTI and other VWs, but unbelievably wrong about the Mk4 GTI. I think the argument he made was something about being able to make better progress on a wet dark road in a GTI Golf because it didn't lift off oversteer like a 306 GTI-6 did. The fact that the Mk4 Golf was slow, stodgy and over-weight didn't seem to register with JC.

I had a Mk1 Audi A3 Sport TDI and it had such a poor chassis. Somehow managed to combine both a harsh ride and poor turn in with poor body control, which is pretty good going.

[0a]

Are these a lot better than the normal 3 door? A friend had a 1.8 sri and if was remarkable how Vauxhall had engineered any interest out of the car - it was grim to drive compared to the Ford products of the time. A fine enough workhorse in the same way my fridge freezer or iron is though, if that's what you want from a car.

One with a chav body kit doesn't make it any better.

[s m]

cal93 said:

As mentioned once or twice the front bumper is from a GSi, not the Irmscher version. If you ask me that's not a bad thing. The 2.0T is definitely more tunable and the better engine but I'll let it off for the Europa Blue paint. Awesome old school Vauxhall colour and best colour for the Coupe in my opinion. I have always liked the Astra Coupe, if I ever dabble it will be Europa Blue. Enjoy seeing some VX content on PH.

Having seen the Irmscher front bumper/splitter, I agree, the GSi one looks a lot better to me.





I like the colour, seems like every other day people are complaining on here about predominantly silver, white or black!

The economy is pretty good on them looking at the road tests

Edited by s m on Saturday 1st April 21:18

[Jimmy Recard]

A lot of Irmscher stuff was pretty tacky. The worst is the chrome fuel filler flaps, which are just a sticker that covers the original.


I'd be impressed by the 2.0 turbo version doing much more than 32mpg unless driving for serious economy, as I have that engine but with a six speed gearbox in my Astra H

[s m]

Jimmy Recard said:

I'd be impressed by the 2.0 turbo version doing much more than 32mpg unless driving for serious economy, as I have that engine but with a six speed gearbox in my Astra H

No, I meant the 2.2 in these Coupes. Obviously aided by the low drag body shape - 37mpg is good going on the Autocar test route - the Turbo managed a smidge under 30mpg on that route.

[s m]

0a said:

Are these a lot better than the normal 3 door? A friend had a 1.8 sri and if was remarkable how Vauxhall had engineered any interest out of the car - it was grim to drive compared to the Ford products of the time. A fine enough workhorse in the same way my fridge freezer or iron is though, if that's what you want from a car.

One with a chav body kit doesn't make it any better.

By all magazine accounts, yes, better than the hatch. The basic Astra wasn't up to the class-leading Focus on handling but a fairly good all-rounder. Top Gear did a ranking of 10 cars in the class when the Focus arrived and the Astra got into 3rd place




The SRi in 2-litre format got a reasonable review from Sutcliffe in Autocar





The coupé was a stiffer platform than the hatch and they had Lotus guy Steve Swift and John Miles help to go over the handling - CAR was pretty positive about it



Even James May had a go in it for Top Gear and found it fun to drive ( although he didn't get on well with the satnav )





Main complaints seem to be the dull looks, interior , particularly seats and the steering when it was off-centre. Praised for its ability to cope with rough tarmac and broken surfaces in a few reviews, likened to how French cars rode.
Did read up that the Lotus team an John Miles put a lot of effort into the damping/bumpstops etc so perhaps it was well worthwhile

[Loyly]

A mate of mine had one of these in that orangey gold colour which seemed to be offered only on the coupes. It was a solid enough steer. Went pleasantly enough, I recall. Not a bad SOTW at all.