The GTC

Joe T

Joe T

Joe T

Soldato
Joined
1 Apr 2003
Posts
11,890
Location
Northamptonshire
I've had this for a week now and thought it time to share some pics etc.

It's an Astra GTC 2.0cdti 165PS SRI. Standard kit includes:
- DAB
- USB
- tinted rear windows
- electric parking brake
- half leather seats

I've added:
- sat nav
- front and rear parking sensors
- Bluetooth
- VXR Styling Kit
- 19" wheels

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Thoughts so far:

- It drives very well indeed. You can really feel the improvements gained from the HiPer strut front suspension, the wider track, and the other adjustments they've made. You can really push it into a corner without much fear of understeer. The feel and weight of the steering is really very good, and the car just feels so planted on the road. You have every confidence of what's underneath you.

- The interior is very much the same as the 5dr, which I'm used to a quite like actually. Rear space is very good for the type of car.

- The exterior looks really great, especially with the wheels and the styling kit. The 20" wheels look even better, but they're not available on my scheme. Like all 3dr coupe/hatchbacks the doors are very big and take some getting used to in car parks etc.

- The engine is the same as the one I had in my last 5dr so no surprises there. I've driven the 1.6 turbo (180PS) and while it's a great engine and it really suits the car, it would cost me another £100+ in fuel (and another £10 a month on the scheme). The VXR and GSI versions are definitely something to look forward to! The VXR has 280PS.

Overall I can see why it's winning magazine group tests against rivals like the Scirocco and Megane coupe. I just need to decide if I fancy another one, and if so what colour this time! :)
 
Blimey, the arches must be HUGE, they don't look like 19" at all! What does it look like without the pack? I was expecting the spoilers (lips, skirts etc) to be a little deeper?
 
Those are 19" wheels?! On an Astra?! They don't even look that big. I'm not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing that car designers can make huge wheels look normal on a small hatchback. Tyres must cost a fortune. How things have changed.
 
When I broke my leg last year I hired an Astra so I could get about, auto box needed. The car was very boring, which is to be expected, was slow with a tacky interior compared to a Golf and the front pillars caused a blind spot but the thing that did impress me was the ride which I thought was well sorted, not least on bumpy roads where it seemed to provide a very supple ride.
 
Housey said:
When I broke my leg last year I hired an Astra so I could get about, auto box needed. The car was very boring, which is to be expected, was slow with a tacky interior compared to a Golf and the front pillars caused a blind spot but the thing that did impress me was the ride which I thought was well sorted, not least on bumpy roads where it seemed to provide a very supple ride.
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IIRC you had the 1.6 115PS auto which is really not a great combination is it! :eek:
 
Compared to the pretty good looking red one in the other thread, they've managed to really really tame the GTC down and make it look rather plain :/
 
Kenai said:
Compared to the pretty good looking red one in the other thread, they've managed to really really tame the GTC down and make it look rather plain :/
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Yup. Red one looked good but the subtle 'tweaks' (for tweaks read bits that are easier to make and cheaper) together with colour and small wheels make it look somewhat less aesthetically pleasing.
 
SDK^ said:
Get used to it, most new cars now come with big wheels as standard and even bigger wheels as options.
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They don't though do they. Lets take the 1 series you have as an example. 16" for SE model, 17" for sport.

Maybe a larger car, like an F10 then...
520d ED = 17"
M5 = 19"


This car has enormous wheels but they look tiny, what is the point?
 
The gap would be the same regardless of the size of the rims, what makes the gap look even worse is the full side on pic as around an inch of the wheel arch is lost in the pic.
 
I think the ride height on the car at the top is the main issue, lower that and I suspect the wheels would look more fitting.
 
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