We recently picked out an Astra XR for my mom. The car is a bargain in my opinion. It's stylish, has cool interior, and really fun handling. It's suspension tuning is much firmer than most 'American' cars, I suppose due to it's Opel heritage and Euro tuning. There is minimal body roll, and it goes exactly where you point it. The tradeoff for that snappy feel is slightly harsher bump response, but it's well sorted and not offensive at all.

We were comparing to Focus and Cobalt, and preferred the Astra by a wide margin. Hers listed about 20k, but the final price was low enough to clinch the deal. Great headlights, and I like the standard trip computer. We liked the fact that they are pretty rare, too - generates conversation and lets you stand out a bit from the crowd.

If you enjoy spirited driving like I do, I would strongly suggest the manual transmission. Mom picked the auto :(. The manual is less expensive, and much more satisfying. That motor isn't terribly powerful but plenty adequate, and it loves to zing smoothly up to the redline, making the stick shift a lot more enjoyable than the noticeably more lazy automatic. The fact that I can take turns faster with no protest from the car more than makes up for any time lost in HP around town, I'm sure. And, it's an easy clutch to use, so even if you have had automatics in the past, this would be a good vehicle to learn to shift.

The Astra really is a bargain! You do yourself a dis-service if you don't at least take one for a good test drive.
Source(s):
Personal experience from test drives.

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