Opel Astra OPC 2013: Launch Review

What we liked
>> Hot, strong and civilised engine
>> Clever suspension set-up tames torque steer and wheelspin
>> Great looks

OPC stands for Opel Performance Center and it does the same job as HSV does for Holden, adding real lustre and zest to mainstream models.

It’s a big thing to get OPC to Australia, because while it’s been around since the late 1990s it only builds around 10,000 cars per year and has previously sold them mostly in Europe.

The latest addition to the lineup is the Astra OPC -- the third generation of the car OPC has modified through the years (we got the second-gen briefly as the HSV VXR) -- and it is undoubtedly the star turn of the lineup .

With its 206kW engine, sophisticated front-wheel drive chassis, luxury appointments and competitive $42,990 price, it shapes as great competition for established hot hatches such as the Renault Megane RS, Ford Focus ST and the iconic Volkswagen Golf GTI.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
>> One car, one specification, one price
The Astra OPC is a pretty simple concept to get your head around: One model, one price, very few options.

The starting point is the three-door GTC version of the Astra, which is a really sexy shape, and looks especially good sitting on 19-inch rubber adorned with the OPC’s subtly shaped body kit that includes revised front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a roof spoiler and twin integrated tailpipes.

It’s worth noting the new front bumper means two of the few equipment deviations from the GTC Sport specification, as the OPC sacrifices front foglights – replaced by brake ducts – and parking sensors.

Otherwise there’s lots of gear standard, including Nappa leather trim, OPC’s own lightweight 18-way adjustable front seats with heating, a flat-bottom sports steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, sat-nav displayed on a seven-inch monitor, Bluetooth with voice control, a seven-speaker audio system with MP3 compatibility and an SD card reader, USB input and iPod connectivity.

The options list is short, including premium paint for $695 (which is every colour except white – it looks good in white by the way), Bi-xenon headlights with daytime running lamps for $2000 and 20-inch alloys for $1000.
One thing you can’t option is an automatic transmission. The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine only mates with a six-speed manual.

While the aluminium blocks of both versions of the engine are similar, the OPC gets a unique cylinder head, a larger volume intake system and new twin-scroll turbocharger with maximum charge pressure of 1.5 bar – up 25 per cent compared to the Insignia.

Exhaust back pressure is also reduced and the bore of the entire exhaust system is increased.

All that means the Astra OPC climbs 29kW compared to its predecessor, while its torque peak is the highest specific output per litre in its class. Helps too that it punches out that on a flat plateau between 2450rpm and 5000rpm.

OPC claims the Astra can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.0 secs, but on the flipseide averages only 8.1L/100km aided by an auto stop-start system.

Of course, all that power and torque is useless if you can’t get it to the ground without excess wheelspin and torque steer.
So to tame its front-wheel drive, OPC has developed a mechanical multi-plate limited slip differential with supplier Drexler, which works in conjunction with Opel’s HiPerStrut (High performance Strut) MacPherson strut front-end.

With a standard Mac strut set-up, the spring and strut turns when the steering wheel is turned, but HiPerStrut adds a second joint so only the upright turns when cornering. That allows OPC to run more castor and therefore provide more grip during cornering. It also reduces spindle length (or kingpin off-set) quelling torque steer.

Compared to the GTC 1.6, the springs have been stiffened 30 per cent and the car lowered 10mm. The compound crank/Watt’s link rear-end was also stiffened along with all bushes. The front anti roll bar diameter increases by 5mm. The OPC runs bespoke ZF Sachs dampers using larger pistons.

The suspension sub-frame also rests on special mounts that are claimed to aid steering agility.

The braking system has also been boosted with the use of Brembo 355x32 cross-drilled front discs, four-piston callipers and harder front pads. The rotors are cast-iron but the disc bell is aluminium, improving heat resistance and dropping weight compared to the standard GTC.

All that hardware works with some pretty clever software contained in Opel’s Flexride three-mode active chassis. Standard is the most benign of the settings, while Sport stiffens the dampers. OPC makes the throttle more aggressive, sharpens the electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion, steering ramps up the dampers more, tightens body control via a roll-control sub-mode and changes the
instrument back-lighting from white to red.

The OPC’s stability control system also comes in there modes: default mode is full assist, competitive mode raises the threshold although it is still on, while it can also be switched fully off.

PACKAGING
>> It’s the same story as GTC
Check the specs back-to-back and you’ll find, unsurprisingly, the Astra OPC lines up millimetre for millimetre with the GTC.
So the same 4466mm overall length, 1489mm height, 1840mm width and 2695mm wheelbase are all the same, along with the 380 litre boot, which expands to an identical 775 litres with the rear split-folded.

So where they differ is in presentation. Yes, the GTC is nice, but the OPC ramps it up further again. So apart from the unique sports seats and Nappa trim, there’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel with a slightly smaller diameter (360mm versus 370mm), a unique gearshift lever, alloy-plated pedals with rubber studs.

You might be wondering what’s so unique about the seats. Well, they are OPC’s own design rather than coming from supplier Recaro, as they do in the Insignia and Corsa OPC.

They are made from polyamide/fibreglass composite, meaning the seat shells are 45 per cent lighter than a conventional item. They are also mounted lower 17mm lower than in the GTC. Adjustments include a manually extendable front seat cushion and electric lumbar/side-bolster.

One thing the seats do is make the rear-seat passengers feel even more enclosed – it’s cave-like back there. At  least there are cup-holders in the armrest, as well as covered storage. Up-front there’s more storage space, including door pockets, cup-holders and an adequate glovebox.

SAFETY
>> What you would expect
The OPC ticks all the expected boxes when it comes to safety; dual front, front-side and curtain airbags, ABS, traction control and multi-mode ESC. There’s also rear parking assist, which is handy because it’s not a car easy to see out of when reversing.

The Astra GTC upon which the OPC is based gains the maximum five star ANCAP crash test rating. It’s worth noted the car tested was a left-hand drive 1.4-litre petrol, and ANCAP warns results may vary in the transition to right-hand drive.

But a long road drive west of Sydney followed by a stint at Eastern Creek motor racing circuit (sorry Sydney Motorsports park) showed off the Astra OPC as a friendly, flexible and – when you wanted it to be – fast drive.

On the road, cruising along on 80km/h speed restricted country roads with the standard Flexride mode engaged, the Astra rode the lumps, bumps and crannies without drama. It felt quite stiff, but also well resolved. There were no wincing, teeth rattling moments. You really could live with it day-to-day.

Naturally, as the modes are changed so compliance reduces and everything became sharper and more intrusive. Sport is ok on the road, but leave the ultimate OPC setting for the track.

Speaking of which, the track really gave us the chance to find out of the mechanical LSD and HiPerStrut works… and yes they do very well.

There is an almost unbelievable ability for the car to turn in and out of corners without unwanted intrusions in terms of wheelspin and torque steer – that’s even with the stability control disengaged. It makes for a truly fun experience.

The only downside is a certain artificiality and remoteness to the steering, it’s not significant or intrusive, but clearly, in the process of dialling out unwanted steering corruption, some of the intimacy has been lost as well. Overall, it’s a pretty damn good compromise.

Especially as it allows you to exploit that engine to the max. It’s a pretty cool feeling to be sitting in the fat of the torque at around 4000rpm in second gear and hammer the throttle to the firewall and simply have the Astra OPC grip up and lunge forward.

It’s just as cool to rush up to the next corner, hit the brake pedal and have those Brembos haul you rapidly back to a reasonable speed.

It’s a bloody strong engine no doubt, sucking air like a demented vacuum cleaner when at full throttle. But it was never sensitive or lumpy and nor was there evidence of obvious turbo lag.

More an issue was occasionally wrong slotting the gearshift, usually four to five.

While not a loose change, neither is it slick and short like, say, an MX-5. Considering it’s the only the gearbox choice on offer
it would be great to get something sharper.

So what else is not to like? There’s some tyre roar off coarse bitumen surfaces and there’s an absolute profusion of buttons and controls spread all over the dashboard. This is one car that could use a mouse controller.

But the actual key touch points for the driver, like steering wheel, seat and the pedal positioning, were all sited with care and precision. The seat really is all singing and dancing – comfy and supportive too.

So yep, the Opel Astra OPC is a great addition to the hot hatch battle in Australia. It’s got power and poise and a lot of gear onboard.

And while it might only be a niche model in terms of sales, the Astra OPC will do great service as a rolling advertisement for Opel’s capabilities.