Holden's Astra convertibles have always been popular — at least in sports car terms — among Australians keen to reward themselves, especially females living in metro and coastal areas.
But for a while the accessible drop-top market has been the sole domain of mid-sizers from mainstream European brands like Volkswagen, Renault and Peugeot, or smaller convertibles from prestige brands including MINI, BMW and Audi.
Now Holden has returned with a bang, introducing one of the newest models in the line-up of its German sister brand Opel with the Cascada – a convertible Astra by another name.
It might be a funny nameplate – and one Holden would prefer not to use – but the Cascada has plenty going for it apart from style.
First, it's a full four-seater, with plenty of room behind the front seats – unlike the Golf Convertible for one – and low levels of buffeting and wind noise at speed.
Second, it's one of the cheapest in its class, with a sub-$42,000 starting price undercutting the $45,740-plus TwinTop it belatedly replaces and all but the Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet (from $38,490) in its segment.
The only other direct rivals here are the Golf Cabriolet (from $43,990) and Peugeot's 308 CC (from $52,990), and perhaps smaller premium convertibles like the MINI Cabrio (from $40,350), Audi A3 Cabriolet (from $47,600) and BMW 2 Series Convertible (from $54,900).
The Cascada stacks-up well against all of them in terms of performance, with the same 125kW/260Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder as seen in the newly launched Astra GTC Coupe easily bettering the 110kW 2.2-litre non-turbo four in the TwinTop.
It also betters the outputs of its three closest competitors, which still use marginally more fuel than the Cascada (7.5L/100km), although the Polish-built Holden requires a more expensive diet of 98 RON premium unleaded.
The Cascada's standard six-speed automatic transmission (as in the 308 CC, while the Megane CC employs a CVT and the Golf runs a seven-speed dual-clutch) works well with the 1.6 turbo, maximising its mid-range torque and almost always being smooth and decisive, but it lacks a sports mode and steering wheel paddle shifters.
Ride quality is commendable too on the standard 18-inch alloy wheels and tyres – although it's noticeably sharper on the Launch Edition's standard 20-inch alloys – despite taut 'sports' suspension that provides a decent level of handling dynamics, even if this is no driver's car.
The Cascada's steering is agile and reasonably communicative but, as with most cars in this class, reveals a level of scuttle shake – evident in a shimmy from the A-pillars – when pushed hard in bumpy corners.
And it's here that the Cascada falls slightly short of its rivals, with a kerb weight of 1744kg making it a whole 300kg heavier than the Golf Cabriolet, at least 150kg more than its nearest French rivals (and about the same as a V8-powered Commodore).
Clearly that doesn't affect the Cascada's acceleration performance or efficiency, however, with a decent 0-100km/h acceleration time of 9.9 seconds.
Another upside is that the Cascada has one of the biggest boots in its class at 280 litres (with the roof down). This stretches to a hatchback-like 390 litres with the roof in place, thanks partly to a sizeable overall length of almost 4700mm.
The Holden scores further points with a triple-layer acoustic hood that can be raised or lowered at the push of a button in 17 seconds on the move at speeds of up to 50km/h.
When stowed, it's fully concealed under the car's rear bodywork, showing off a sleek exterior design that's similar to the latest Astra hatch only at the front.
Of course, as with most two-door cars, the doors are longer and heavier, making parking in tight spaces more of a chore.
We also note that of the five exterior colours available – white, black, grey, blue and silver – all but white are prestige paints that attract a $550 premium.
The classy design theme continues inside, where there's a high level of standard equipment including perforated leather-appointed trim for all four seats, an electric park brake, heated and powered exterior mirrors, heated front sports Siena seats and alloy pedals.
There's also satellite-navigation, DAB+ digital radio, a single-CD player with MP3 capability, Bluetooth audio streaming, USB and auxiliary input jacks, dual-zone climate-control, cruise control, electric power steering, front/rear parking sensors, automatic projector headlights, foglights, auto wipers, a heated leather-clad steering wheel and trip computer.
This is in addition to a big dose of standard safety features, including a reversing camera, twin front and side airbags, traction/stability control, anti-lock brakes, hill-start assist, a 17-inch steel space-saver spare and ISOFIX child-seat anchors.
For an additional $3000, the Launch Edition special – limited to just 50 units – adds Adaptive Forward Lighting and bi-xenon headlights with LED daylight running lamps, Nappa leather-appointed and ventilated front seats and a leather sports steering wheel, plus the aforementioned 20-inch alloys.
The only blight on the equipment copybook is the Holden MyLink infotainment system with 7.0-inch colour display, which looks like a touch-screen but isn't.
That's not so much the problem (apart from the fact they get grimy quickly, we find many touch-screens more difficult to use unless there's somewhere to rest the rest of your hand while you finger them) as the confusing array of buttons required to control it.
There's full smartphone app connectivity (including Pandora, Stitcher and Tune In internet radio), but unless you're proficient with MyLink's voice control system you'll need to use the push buttons to navigate between menus, and use the rotary knob on the centre console to choose letters, then press the ring surrounding it to select them.
It's the same clunky system as seen in other Astras, with which the Cascada shares its dashboard, which isn't a bad thing because it's otherwise high on design and build quality.
That's pretty much the essence of the Cascada – a classy, stylish open-top cruiser that's built more for show than go, but offers plenty of space and equipment for a good price.
Throw in the backing of Holden, its 200-plus dealers and its lifetime capped-price servicing program, and there's no reason the Cascada shouldn't go straight to the top of the mid-size European convertible sales chart.
What we liked:
>> Top-down design
>> Price and packaging
>> Performance and equipment