High, wide and handsome

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

Competition in the hatchback segment of the New Zealand market will heat up next year when European carmakers Volkswagen and Opel launch new models.

VW is expected to unveil its fifth-generation Golf V in June, five months before the Astra - badged Holden in this part of the world - appears.

The first official pictures of both models point to new design directions for their German carmakers.

The Golf has a traditionally strong C-pillar rear with a muscular, wedge-shaped outline and a sharper front-end dominated by twin circular headlights.

The Astra adopts the edgy look of the bigger Vectra. Styling cues include a strong centre line through the bonnet, a high waistline, wedgy profile and pronounced wheel arches.

The three- and five-door Golf is bigger inside and out and comes with an 80 per cent stronger body. It is longer, wider, higher and has more head and legroom for occupants.

It features a new multi-link rear suspension and an electro-mechanical power steering system which VW says provides better straight-line precision.

Standard equipment will include six airbags, five lap-and-shoulder seat-belts, a new safety steering column and a pedal assembly that yields to minimise the risk of injury in a crash.

The first model to go on sale in New Zealand is likely to be powered by a four-cylinder, 2-litre, direct-injection petrol unit. VW is also looking at an 85kW, 1.6-litre four-cylinder using the same technology.

Two turbo-diesels of 1.9- and 2-litre capacity are in the mix, along with a 3.2-litre V6 for the premium model Golf.

The clean, uncluttered look of the new Astra is part of a plan by British designer Martin Smith, who heads General Motors' design team in Europe, to give the car a stronger visual presence.

"It's our ambition to reposition Opel as the most stylishly expressive and dynamic-looking mainstream vehicle on the road," Smith says.

The new Golf isn't the Astra's only rival. The second-generation Ford Focus is due in Europe next year. So, too, is the Mazda3, Renault Megane and Citroen C4.

The Astra is bigger inside and out than the present model. The five-door is up by 140mm in length, 20mm in width and 16mm in height. The wheelbase has been extended by 5mm to 2610mm.

The interior also borrows heavily from the Vectra. Higher-quality materials have been used and the design is said to be fresher and more appealing.

The Astra sits on a new front-drive platform that uses a reworked suspension, MacPherson struts in the front and a torsion beam in the rear.

The revised set-up, along with an optional electronic damping system, is aimed at giving the car a more sporting feel.

So, too, are the tyre options, from the standard 15-inch wheels to optional 18-inch rubber.

Other features include a new electronic stability system that incorporates a hill-holder function to make starts on steep inclines easier.

The mix of petrol and diesel engines will be bigger than before in Europe, although New Zealand is likely to get two four-cylinder petrol units - a 1.8-litre unit for standard models and a 2.2-litre for performance and convertible variants. The soft-top will also come with a folding steel roof.