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The Holden Astra hasn't lived up to its name in New Zealand - and the man in charge of selling the car here has chided the motoring media for its poor showing.
Holden New Zealand boss Peter Keley says he is "frustrated'' by the under-performance of Astra, a rebadged European Opel line-up aimed at the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Mazda 3 market.
"If there's a criticism of the motoring media, it is because the Astra is rarely mentioned in tests comparing models in the segment,'' he says.
One of the reasons is that Astra remains very much a bit-player in the lower-medium segment, dominated for years by the Japanese.
The Corolla has nearly 23 per cent of segment sales so far this year, followed by the Civic and Mazda 3 with 10.5 per cent each and the Ford Focus with 8.4 per cent. These four carmakers have 52.4 of the market. The remainder share 47.6 per cent. Of that, Astra has around 3 per cent.
It isn't exactly a high-flyer, despite the name Astra being Latin for "star''. It is part of the Royal New Zealand Air Force motto "Per ardua ad astra'' – "Through adversity to the stars.''
Holden has struggled to get off the ground with the Astra badge, which has been available here for more than 10 years.
Its minor share of the Astra segment is in direct contrast to its majority share of the large car class, which it has ruled for more than seven years with Commodore.
But the large car market has shrunk 30 per cent in the past few years and Holden wants to shore up its overall chunk of the NZ market with improved sales in the lower-medium sector, which has grown by nearly 40 per cent in the same period.
Keley believes the updated MY7.5 Astra model line-up, with its three body styles and choice of five Euro IV emission-compliant engines, offers "one of the most complete small car ranges in New Zealand''.
There is a choice of hatchback, coupe, and hard-top convertible, priced between $28,990 and $49,990. Engines include revised four-cylinder petrol and diesel offerings mated to six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.
A brief drive through the Waitakeres to Piha and back reveals the range to be most able, with predictable ride and handling, good body control and roomy interior.
Holden is aiming the five-door Astra CD hatchback at Corolla, saying it offers more power, room, and cargo and towing capacity.
The recommended retail price for the entry-level manual model is an advantage too - $28,990 against $30,500. So is the audio system, says Holden, with seven speakers against Corolla's six.
The refined 1.9-litre turbodiesel in the CDTi hatchback makes most sense. Holden claims combined cycle (town and country) fuel consumption for the $37,990 manual version of 6 litres/100km (47mpg). The dearer six-speed automatic option, it says, does 7.4 litres/100km, or 38pmg. It claims the same figures for the 1.8-litre petrol engine in the CD hatch.
But the crucial difference between the two powerplants is torque, or for the want of a more technical term, more engine oomph. Diesel engines develop more torque than petrol units of similar capacity.
The 1.8-litre petrol engine in the six-speed manual CD delivers 175Nm at 3800rpm. The six-speed automatic puts out a slightly lower 170Nm at the same revs.
But the 1.9-litre diesel delivers 320Nm between 2000-2750rpm with the manual gearbox and 280Nm in the same rev range with the automatic unit.
More usable power lower down in the rev range means less stress on the engine and more efficient motoring.
Combine that with cleaner exhaust emission systems and you get one of the reasons why sales of diesel cars in New Zealand and elsewhere are on the up.
