[vigsom]

Introduction

This is a brief encounter with what could arguably be called the tank of the mid and late '90s - the Opel Astra.

Disclaimer: An attempt has been made to capture available information on the engines and present them as accurately as possible. Kindly ignore errors that might have crept in inadvertently.

Brief on the Opel Astra

The Opel Astra came to India in 1996 with one engine - a single point fuel injected 1.6 liter petrol. The 1.6 liter 16NZR SPFI petrol followed which eventually gave way to an MPFI version of the same engine. A 1.7 weak and hi-maintenance diesel also followed.

The 16NZR Single Point Fuel Injection engine


Injection module and throttle body beneath




Diesel engine in the Astra


MPFI engine in the Astra

[vigsom]

Opel Astra - Owners' Feedback

Likes

1. Solid build
2. Great handling
3. Supremely comfortable ride
4. Some mechanical components were built to last long eg. clutch, steering
5. Feature rich and the best interiors for its time at that price point (will not dwell on these as folks today might laugh )
6. Stately looks even today
7. Senior citizen friendly - ingress and egress

Dislikes

1. Weak SPFI engine and pathetic diesel
2. Expensive spares - mechanical, electrical and body parts
3. Reliability of electricals/electronics eg. fuel pump, ignition module
4. "Un-rectifiable" camber resulting in a one side pull
5. slow deceleration - it was like the throttle body playing in slow motion; would become an issue in abrupt braking situations

[vigsom]

My encounters with the Opel Astra

1. 2001 - a colleague picked up a 1996 Astra from Ahmedabad from a very powerful lady then; got to drive this car in city several times and enjoyed the tank like build. The owner did break his bank maintining the car which eventually went under water in 2006
2. 2000-2001: rode shotgun in an Opel Astra Club and man, what an experience that was

Many years later, sometime in 2021, I got to see this 1997 Opel Astra with the SPFI engine which had done a genuine 70,000km. Except for the fading paint, the car was in reasonably good shape. This was the first time I saw the car in some detail. Guess what the car was being used for? for Emergency OnRoad Service by an automotive garage. I've seen this car pull hulks too.

Body panels almost in order barring some fading paint


Hood - note the Ambassador type spring loaded latch


Driver door pad - with controls for the power windows and the mirrors - rare feature those days. Also note how well the plastics and fabric have held up on a 24 year old car


Fabric almost intact on all door pads


Left door pad


Rear right door pad


Rear View

[vigsom]

Encountering a 1997 Opel Astra (Contd.)

Dashboard


Front as viewed from the rear seat


Head restraints typical of the Astra


Ashtray in the Astra


Opening the ashtray

https://youtu.be/03SeVvdTEyw

Instrument Console


Ignition On


Headlamp Knob


MID those days - again never seen in sub 10lakh cars then


Light stalk


Wiper stalk


Leather has obviously withered


Gear knob - this was IIRC the first car in India where the reverse gear had to be engaged by lifting a lever and moving the gear lever left

[vigsom]

Encountering a 1997 Opel Astra (Contd.)

Name plate


Engine bay


Below the air intake chamber is the Injection module and below that is the throttle body (representative image)




Steering Rack - any other rack assembly would be the rack, then the tie rods, then tie rod ends all in one line. Rack would move from one end to the other. This one is different - the moving mechanism is in the center




Alternator from Bosch


Brake Fluid Reservoir - with the fluid warning coupler entering from top


Coolant Tank


Plug wires


Warning label for the ignition coil, distributor and plus wires


Oil filter


Radiator fan

[vigsom]

Encountering a 1997 Opel Astra (Contd.)

Operation of the power antenna

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QcTZpD54yoA

Summing it up

Good to have seen an Opel Astra up close after 23 years; did allow some nostalgia to kick in and also see how solid this car is. Pity that the product bombed in India as it failed to address some CTQs viz. a)reliability b)performance c)cost of maintenance. It was a good feeling nevertheless to see a product hold up so well against time.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[V.Narayan]

Year 2000 through to 2006 I had two Astra Super's .Cannot recall if the suffix was Super or Superb. these were two tone cars one in shades of brown and the other in shades of black/silver. Great cars for their time especially for the first 50,000 kms. After that the cost and frequency of maintenance simply went up and up. That is what caused me to exit the Opel Astra world and switch to a Skoda Laura. But back in year 2000 it was one of the top dog cars available. The other in the same range was Skoda Superb. The Opel Corsa which I had simultaneously from 2000 to 2010 was far more reliable.

[saket77]

Can’t thank you enough for this! This was the time when we were in our early teens and guess what- the Opel Astra was my favourite car. The car was true European as to say. The headlamp knob, stalks all scream German. The design even today doesn’t look out of the place. I loved the unique for the time tail lamps and rear bumpers. The car looked great from all angles; the side profile being the best of all. However, the dash looks very 90s now. This was the time when we didn’t miss any issue of Auto India, Indian Auto and later overdrive magazines. Makes me nostalgic when I think of it all now.

[libranof1987]

Thanks for this thread!

The Opel Astra is such a gorgeous car; absolutely lovely design.

We had the Corsa Sail, which shared almost the entire dashboard as-is with the Astra. Way, way, way ahead their time in India. The car was a delight to drive on the highways, and a walking ATM in the city (got 5-6 kmpl in Bangalore traffic). And an absolute white elephant to maintain.

But, one car we dearly miss.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Year 2000 through to 2006 I had two Astra Super's .Cannot recall if the suffix was Super or Superb.

Club, by any chance?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The Opel Astra is such a gorgeous car; absolutely lovely design.

Club, by any chance?

Club it was! :-) The Corsa Sail was a very neat looking car. The Astra Club was launched in India around 1999/2000 when it was being sold in Europe too. Made me feel very 'I have arrived' when once in 2001 September an Austrian family friend stayed with us and she drove the same car back in Vienna. I promptly started hinting that in conversation after conversation till my wife shut me up.

[Kosfactor]

Dad had two friends, they were brothers who used to buy every single new car that came to the market , I remember them having pretty much everything, swapped cars after a set number of months for newer models. They even had a tricked out 118NE.

So these guys first got an Astra that had a Sunroof which was latter swapped for a newer model which came with a DVD player and a flip down screen for the second row.

DVD was a big deal then, how things have changed over the decade, now Sunroof is king.

[extreme_torque]

My school friend's family had this one. I remember how my jaw literally dropped when I saw the power antenna come out. The power windows were like magic too along with a cooled glovebox. I used to lust after this car but back then we were too middle class to be able to afford any car let alone an Astra. Bring so many memories this car.

[shardul_pathak]

Thank you so much for this thread! It is the textbook definition of nostalgia!

I remember our neighbors used to have one, and every time we drove past their house in our Maruti 800, I would ask my dad to slow down so I could take a peek inside through the gates.

This one time, our car had broken down mid way, and we had to leave it there, till the mechanics could have a look at it the next morning, the neighbor’s family was driving past and they stopped to help us out. Failed at being able to get our car started, they offered to drop us home in their Opel Astra! As a kid that was a dream, the power windows, the dash, the rev counter, I kept gazing at all of that!

I also remember, there was a movie with Salman Khan, Priety Zinta and Rani Mukherjee, where either one of the actresses have an accident, and in the hospital, the doctor says, that she got saved because the car was an Opel Astra! Don't remember the name of the movie!

[SuperGirl_Dad]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Encountering a 1997 Opel Astra (Contd.)

Name plate
Attachment 2698486

Can you please explain whats the gross weight and Perm axle wt. front/rear here? Is gross wt. = vehicle + passengers. If then without rear passengers will it be front heavy car?

Does this car have ABS brakes?