Holden: Road runner

The Astra Diesel Wagon is nicely finished and has a roomy boot. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

There's nothing like a Euro diesel for a long road trip. Hence this Astra diesel wagon, built in Germany.

It's a handsome car, especially in red, enhanced by the chrome accents. The cabin is as nicely finished, and the boot roomy - the wagon's wheelbase is longer than the hatch. Certainly, it easily accommodated the capacious luggage requirements of a weekend at WOMAD in New Plymouth during potentially changeable weather conditions.

This 1.9-litre turbo-diesel sounds a tad rattly at start-up, but calms down as it warms to impart a pleasantly growly note from an agreeably flexible engine.

The car is also available with an auto matched to a less powerful Fiat-Alfa sourced 1.9-litre diesel, but I opted for the six-speed, manual transmission.

It's well matched to the powerplant, pulling from rest in second and mustering overtaking oomph, often without changing gear. A dash-mounted power button is a bonus, for it holds the gears a little longer, though it proved mostly unnecessary. Especially in light of its adverse affect on fuel economy.

Holden claims a 5.7-litre thirst and this car showed 7l/100km at collection and dropped to 6.2 and falling after my round trip, plus several hilly commutes and some city errands.

It's just a shame NZ's Road User Charges system penalises the more frugal, compact, diesel cars by charging the same as the larger ones.

Such thoughts occupied a fair bit of my drive, particularly as I neared my destination and found myself winding over "them thar" hills behind long queues of slow traffic.

There was plenty of time to enjoy the Astra's compliant suspension, which guaranteed comfort without proving over-soft. The car's handling was marginally less assured. I had no complaints during normal and brisk driving, but an over-vigorous approach to bends or an injudicious throttle release mid-corner revealed a touch of lift-off oversteer.

Only a touch, for Holden has kitted this car with stability control to intervene should I get really silly, plus ABS and six airbags.

Meanwhile, I noted some minor reservations. Rear legroom is slightly more compact than expected, though no one I carried there during my test complained.

The cabin ergonomics are a fraction less than perfect, thanks to the down-tilted dash. And there aren't enough cubbies handy to the driver. There is a well-designed cupholder sitting behind your elbow, otherwise only a lipstick-sized slot and a door pocket to carry maps, sweets, iPod (there's an auxiliary jack), water bottle and all the other detritus that suddenly seems necessary when you're taking a road trip.

Still, it's hard to complain about a car that does the job it's designed for so well, and is still - at $35,990 - priced reasonably given our current dollar-Euro exchange rate.

ASTRA DIESEL WAGON:

We like
Smart looks, frugal engine with decent pull well-matched to manual transmission.

We don't like
Less rear legroom than expected.

Powertrain
1.9-litre turbo-diesel, 110kW at 4000rpm, six speed manual drives front wheels.

Performance
0-100 not available, 5.7l/100km (claim).

Safety
Stability control, ABS, six airbags.

What it's got
Alloy wheels, air con.

Vital stats
4515mm long, 454/1549-litre boot, 52-litre tank size.