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It's not unusual to emerge from a Holden media launch drive feeling a bit sick. Often, it's the superbly stocked bags of lollies supplied to journalists for the company's drive programmes - it's hard to exercise self-control with so many sugary treats on offer.
Other times, it's the
appalling dynamics of cars such as the Barina and Viva that are to blame - for a maker trying to rise above being simply the "Commodore Car Company", some of Holden's small-medium offerings leave a bad taste in your mouth.
But none of the above applies to the launch of the facelifted Astra hatchback. For a start, I didn't have time to over-indulge in the candy bananas and jelly snakes because I was really enjoying my time behind the wheel.
Second, the stomach stayed settled even on the brisk and bumpy bits because the Astra is a hugely capable little car.
Astra, you might remember, has become the odd one out in Holden's small-car line.
While the Aussie brand now looks to the GM-DAT operation in South Korea for most of its small-to-medium models, the European-sourced Astra has stayed on as a premium offering for more quality-conscious buyers.
Not that there have been many of those lately. While the Toyota Corolla still dominates the lower-medium segment with a 22 per cent share, followed by the Mazda3 and Honda Civic at about 10 per cent each, Astra has hardly registered.
Holden struggles to shift 40 of them per month - ideally it'd be doing three times that many to make any kind of impact. It's not like all the sales are going to the budget-priced Korean Viva, either - that car has also been underperforming, racking up less than 60 sales per month.
It seems potential buyers simply don't equate Holden with small cars but don't blame the Astra. It's always been an impressive machine - more than worthy of comparison with the likes of Corolla and every bit as good as the Volkswagen Golf in many respects.
Holden New Zealand is hoping the revised Astra range will whip up a bit more buyer interest. Star car of the new line-up is a sports-minded 110kW/210Nm 2.2-litre SRi five-door, which has been conceived to compete the highly successful Mazda3 SP23.
The SRi's direct-injection engine is lifted from the Twintop coupe convertible and comes with six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. The SRi starts at $35,990 and comes with 17-inch alloys, leather-faced seats, sports suspension and a full body kit.
Based on our preview drive, the SRi delivers a great combination of sporty driving characteristics and top-quality cabin finish. The only real disappointment is the four-cog automatic gearbox, which hampers performance on winding roads and puts the Astra one ratio down on the rival Mazda3 SP23. The six-speed manual option should liberate more of the SRi's lively character, although that model wasn't available to try on the launch day.
The entry $28,990 Astra CD gets a tweaked 1.8-litre engine, up 11kW/5Nm over the previous model to 103kW/170Nm. The CDTi turbo diesel, with a 1.9-litre powerplant supplied by Alfa Romeo, continues at $37,990. As does the $49,990 Twintop convertible. The "hero" Astra, although not the most expensive, is still the three-door SRi turbo, at $40,990.
Styling changes for the new range are super-subtle. There's a new front fascia and headlamp treatments. The radiator has a broader chrome strip and a more pronounced V-shape profile. But really, you wouldn't pick it.
Nonetheless, Astra remains a sharp-looking machine. So please buy one, lest commercial realities intrude and this fine car gets withdrawn for good. This is Holden's sole surviving small Euro and we don't want to lose it.