Vauxhall Opel Astra J 

(2009 to 2015)
Overview
Also called	Holden Astra Opel GTC (3dr) Vauxhall GTC
Production	2009–present (Opel)
Assembly	Germany: Rüsselsheim Poland: Gliwice Russia: St. Petersburg United Kingdom: Ellesmere Port
Designer	Uwe Müller
Body and chassis
Body style	3-door coupé (GTC) 5-door hatchback 4-door sedan / saloon 5-door wagon / estate
Platform	Delta II platform
Related	Buick Verano Chevrolet Cruze Opel Cascada Opel Zafira Tourer C Vauxhall Astra
Powertrain
Engine	1.4 L Family 0 I4 1.4 L Family 0 turbo I4 1.6 L Family 1 I4 1.6 L Family 1 turbo I4 1.8 L Family 1 I4 2.0 L Family II turbo I4 1.25 L Family B diesel I4 1.6 L MDE diesel I4 1.7 L Circle L diesel I4 2.0 L Family B diesel I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,685 mm (105.7 in) 3-door GTC: 2,695 mm (106.1 in)
Length	5-door hatch: 4,419 mm (174.0 in) 3-door GTC: 4,466 mm (175.8 in) Sedan: 4,658 mm (183.4 in) Wagon: 4,698 mm (185.0 in)
Width	1,814 mm (71.4 in) 3-door GTC: 1,840 mm (72.4 in)
Height	5-door hatch: 1,510 mm (59.4 in) 3-door GTC: 1,482 mm (58.3 in) Sedan: 1,500 mm (59.1 in) Wagon: 1,535 mm (60.4 in)

The Astra J is based on the General Motors' Delta II platform and debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. The car has taken most of its styling from the new Opel Insignia, with many of the higher options fitted as standard. Full production came on line at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port Plant at the end of September 2009. Deliveries began in December 2009. Originally referred to as the "Astra I", it received the "Astra J" name instead to avoid confusing the letter I for the number 1.

The Astra was developed at Opel's 'International Technical Development Center' (ITDC) in Rüsselsheim and continues Opel's design language, ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’ first introduced on the Insignia. The Astra features a torsion beam rear suspension with Watt's link. Infotainment and car navigation systems are supplied by Bosch.

The Opel Astra came third in the European Car of the Year award in 2010.

The station wagon version of the Astra - dubbed the 'Sports Tourer' by Opel, debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and went on sale shortly afterwards, with a starting price of £16,575 for the ES version, then Exclusiv, SRI and SE versions, with the SE costing from £20,345. This is cheaper than the previous estate, but has more standard equipment. The adoption of the "Sports Tourer" name finally brought to an end Opel's traditional "Caravan" designation for its station wagon derivatives.

Shanghai GM launched the Chinese version of the Opel Astra hatchback, which is badged as the Buick Excelle XT. This car went on sale in January 2010. Three engines were announced: Ecotec D-VVT 1.6 L, 1.8 L and 1.6 L Turbo.

The saloon version of the Astra was first presented at the 2012 Moscow International Automobile Salon. The 4-door saloon has a number of names depending on market: Buick Excelle GT in China, Buick Verano in North America and Opel Astra sedan/saloon elsewhere. This version is not sold in the United Kingdom, although it is available in some other right hand drive markets, such as Ireland (as the: Astra Saloon), Malta, and South Africa.

GTC

A 3-door version dubbed Astra GTC was introduced in July 2011. Externally, it retains very few design elements of the old 5-door model. It has a sportier appearance, with a much more 'sculpted' chassis. It features a HiPerStrut front suspension from the Opel Insignia OPC which helps alleviate torque steering. A Watt's linkage is present in the rear suspension, to minimize lateral movement of the axle. The wheelbase is enhanced to accommodate wider low-profile tyres. Similarly to the Astra H GTC, a 'panoramic windscreen' option is available. The Astra GTC was awarded a 5 star rating for its performance under Euro NCAP safety tests. In late 2013, a new 1.6 Turbo EcoTech engine with 200PS output replaced the older 180PS engine of the same capacity, meaning the 1.6 Turbo replaces the BiTurbo Diesel as the fastest non-OPC model in the range.

The GTC is built in Gliwice, Poland, with a range of models & petrol and diesel engines. In the UK, the GTC includes the SRi and VXR models.

Models and colours

There are three models of the GTC, the SRi, Limited Edition, and the VXR model. Available colours are Power red (Solid),the Brilliant colours are Summit white & Flaming yellow, The Metallic colours are Granite grey, Deep sky blue, Carbon flash, Sovereign silver & Flip chip silver, The Pearlescent colours are Emerald green & Asteroid grey. The VXR also has Flash blue.

OPC

The OPC trim of the Astra GTC has been available since 2012. This car features a turbocharged 2.0 L direct injection engine with a power of 206 kW (280 PS; 276 hp) and torque of 400 N·m (300 lb·ft), HiPerStrut front suspension, a mechanical limited slip differential, an electronically controlled FlexRide active suspension, and Recaro-style sport seats, OPC badge on gear knob, steering wheel, and on instrument dials and different and distinctive front and rear bumper, rear standard spoiler as well as optional OPC spoiler compared to GTC version. It comes with 19 inch alloy rims as standard and optional 20 inch alloy rims which are lighter than those 19 inch. 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time is 6 seconds and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).

Astravan

This generation Astra was not available as the commercial version Astravan. But in The Netherlands, the Astra Sports Tourer was available as Astravan at special order.

Engines

Engines are available with the 5-speed or 6-speed manual transmission. The only optional available automatic transmission is the 6-speed with active select mode, which can be ordered for the 1.4 turbo, 1.6, 1.6 turbo and 2.0 CDTI depending on region. From 2011, Start/Stop was introduced in certain countries on some models, and from 2012 an overboost function was added to the 1.4 turbo. [Engines with (S/S) are in bold in CO2 column]. The engines are Family 0/Family 1/Ecotec/MGE (gasoline), and MultiJet/Circle L/GM MDE (diesel).

In February 2014, Opel introduced its all-new engine - GM Medium Diesel engine, the so-called "whisper diesel" 1.6 CDTI engine with 136 PS, and later with 110 PS.

Facelift

In June 2012, a facelift was announced. Visual changes occurred at the front and back of the hatchback and sports tourer, and a saloon was introduced to certain markets. Engine wise, the 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI 195 PS from the Insignia from autumn 2012 and a new 1.6 L 170 PS turbocharged SIDI Ecotec direct injection unit from the new MGE engine family is available from early 2013.