I will remember that day for a long time. A few years ago we were at the former air force base Weeze in Germany with a whole bunch of hot hatches.
That was the day I drove the Opel Astra OPC for the first time. The wind blew so fast that day it even knocked down trees. You could say that is something meteological...
But I'm pretty sure the wind got even wilder because of the presence of that Astra. What a brutal machine! And now it's time for the third generation.
Opel must have thought: the first cut is the deepest. This car has a four cylindre 2.0-liter turbo engine with 280 ps. That's a blow in the face of its main competitors, the Renault Megane RS and the VW Scirocco R.
They both have 265 ps. And this Astra is the torque king as well: 400 Nm against 360 for the Renault and 350 for the VW. In your face!
What do we think of this engine? You'll say why is Tameling driving so slowly... Well, that to enlarge the effect, because it's a true jewel once again! Just listen!
Just as with the last OPC, its turbo kicks in at around 4.000 rpm. Ah! And it also has the typical 'jet noise' sound as Opel calls it.
That steamy, blowing sound. That makes it quite a special car to be in.
3.000, 4.000, 5.000, 6.000... I have to say the transmission is a bit clunky, but the engine has a very convincing character. What an alert machine!
It's nice to have loads of power, but it's useless when your car can't handle it. Thankfully, Opel fits a mechanical limited slip differential as standard.
That's also an advantage to its rivals, because it's an option on the Renault Megane RS and Volkswagen use the XDS electronical diff, which doesn't make us very happy.
What does that diff do? Well, this. Steer into a bend, hammer the throttle mid-corner and the car just knows where to put its power.
There's no skidding, it keeps the line, which adds a very nice dynamic edge to this car. It feels secure to attack corners in. Well done!
Dynamic driving is fun, but not in daily use. It's good to know Opel has made the OPC quite soft. That's surprising.
Sure, it's a firm riding machine in all circumstances, but the rear axle is good. It absorbs a lot of energy on bad roads.
Opels uses a Watts link, so the rear axle is pretty soft but they use reinforcements to take away the lateral movements of the system. That gives it a smooth ride, and still keeps it tidy in fast corners.
Opel has done a good job on the chassis. It's a useful car for daily driving, not annoying you with it's firm suspension, but it does have a snappy edge.
Naturally, this Astra follows the latest fashion. Adjustable settings! It features three suspension settings. Normal...
...then there is the Sport mode which firms up the dampers and makes the steering more direct.
And there is the OPC-mode. This makes the throttle response faster and the steering even more direct. But the steering gets very heavy as well.
That heavy steering is not good, in OPC Mode it gets too artificially heavy. This car doesn't need that kind of crap.
Just keep it honest. This is a good playmate without those systems. So that is a flaw, for the rest this Astra OPC is spot on.
+ Spectacular engine (-noise) + Sharp cornering - Sport and OPC-settings are worthless - Transmission a but too clunky