2001 Holden Astra SRi from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

So far few rattles, driver's seat belt housing, seat belt pre-tensioner, back seat and parcel shelf. Rear brake makes funny sounds (sort of like the sound the bicycles make when their braking pad are not aligned properly to the rim) when braking while reversing, or moving at a slow speed. Annoying, but not major, not sure if the brake pads are dragging, will have it checked by the dealer.

The suspension setting is a good compromise between comfort and handling, though I would have preferred it to be firmer to have more feedback from the road.

Long engaging clutch and notchy 1st & 2nd gear, not very suitable for sporty shifting.

Steering should be sharper.

Brake pedal could have better feedback.

The sport seats are not bad, but a little bit firm and lack support around the thigh (maybe I have long legs, the extended thigh support didn't really help)

The doors are quite heavy (but feel safe).

Getting around 9~10L/100km fuel consumption.

Big boot, lots of room for rear passenger apart from leg room. (generous for 2 door hatch, but only adequate for 4 people) Rear seats are more comfortable to sit in than front.

Apart from the minor comments mentioned above, generally I am quite happy with the car itself, it is well build, getting close to Japanese build quality. It is more suit to relaxed high way cruising and high speed corners than tight twisty left and right hand corners (in stock suspension form, though it is still pretty capable). It has enough torque to pull uphill in 5th gear, though I would have preferred more feedback from the car when driving.

I think that this is a fair and accurate review. I also seem to have the same problems lately about the noises with something. I'm not sure of it is the rear brakes, but definitely there is something with low forward and reverse speeds. Too bad that I own an automatic version, but there IS an immense amount of torque available when needed. One thing that the writer missed out is that the car generates huge amounts of brake dust that stick to the wheels. Probably caused by the disc brakes close proximity.

Hi, a solution to your brake dust problem is to change the brake pad to some EBC brand. Or if it is about cleaning the brake dust I suggest you apply brake dust cleaner before cleaning the wheel with normal car washing solution. It makes wiping off the brake dust a lot easier. When I first got the car new it generated lots of brake dust, but at the time of writing it got better.

Also if you are thinking of improving the power a little bit I suggest you change the rear muffler to some straight through type. I recently replaced it with magnaflow muffler and notice improvement in both mid and high rev range. It gives nice deep mean sound when revved and really quiet when on light throttle.

I agree with everything said in the review.

Additionally I find the drivers seat also makes a rather annoying noise in certain positions.

I am also unhappy with the 'lumbar' support. It doesn't extend far enough and I find I slip into the seat accentuating my already bad posture.

I found the comments about the brake pads and noises interesting. My dealer said it was the same with 'all' alloys on new cars! I did have an initial problem with rust showing in the joins between the axle and the wheels, though this seems to have sorted itself out. When I am easing off the clutch in a slow reverse, the noise is quite annoying, but I don't usually receive it in forward gear. I use a long clutch and the change down from 3rd to 2nd can make an odd noise, but as I don't often make this gear change, it is difficult to reproduce.

Other than that the car is fine, even though some of the roads were I live make the back door rattle a bit and I had to replace some rubber feet on the first service. I think that the car now has settled down and it is not as noticeable as before.

This is an update for the comment that I wrote back on 28th May 2002, 07:52. My dealer had my rear brake caliper dampers replaced after having them checked out. BUT, the wait for the spare part was almost 2 months... anyway, since having the change made, the problem had been rectified. :) Also check out the HoldenByDesign bodykit. Looks really good. Get it if you can. It's worth every penny. (I don't get paid by them!)

* WARNING *

If anyone wants to fit an alarm with remote start or a fairly sophisticated alarm to their car... DON'T. Underneath the dash, the structure is totally different from the run-of-the-mill Astra. Everything is covered-up and some wires are really difficult to get to. Apparently, there is only a hole smaller than the size of a fist, and requires the removal of the entire dash, which might effect the airbags. So, you have been warned.

PS: Does anyone know of a good place for mods in the South Brisbane (Mt. Gravatt) area?