2012 Opel Astra GTC First Drive

If you want to read about tire smoke, sub-10-second passes and big, bad exhaust noises, move on. This is about the 2012 Opel Astra GTC, a sporty, four-cylinder hatchback that we don't even get here, but probably should.

It's more than just a standard Astra body stuffed full of more power, a better suspension and funkier seats. Instead, the Astra GTC shares only the door handles, the antenna fin and the mirrors with the stock Astra's five-door body shell.

It's not a super high-horsepower hot hatch, though, at least not yet, anyway. The Opel Performance Centre (OPC) version fills that role, but it doesn't debut until the 2012 Geneva Auto Show in March. For now, the standard GTC we have here is a more mainstream model. Think Opel's version of the Volkswagen GTI.

What Do You Get in the 2012 Opel Astra GTC?
The hottest engine available is a 177-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It's the obvious choice for enthusiast buyers while more practical-minded drivers will most likely opt for the 2.0-liter turbodiesel which produces 162 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque.

Picking fights with French, German and Japanese hotshots will need to wait for the OPC version which will come with a 2.0-liter direct-injection engine that delivers 276 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque along with a limited-slip differential.

Even in its domestic market, Opel's engine technology has long lived in the shadow of the VW Group's mighty lineup of turbo fours, but the GTC's 1.6-liter motor is smooth and quiet when you fire it up and remains that way even when you ask it to give everything it has. Driven at its hardest, it maintains its composure, refuses to fizz with unwanted vibrations, spins freely and even adds a charming exhaust note once you wind your way into its upper reaches.

Opel insists the GTC is aimed at an entirely different buyer to the Astra.

It's a flexible little motor, too, with its peak torque arriving at 2,200 rpm and remaining on station until 5,400 rpm — just 100 revs shy of the power peak. That means there's no such thing as a flat spot in the GTC's delivery. It's hard to catch it in the wrong gear and it's happy to lug away at low revs midcorner. It's happier still to be spun hard and gives its best performances when you keep it wound past 4,000 rpm. The only issue with its performance is that the six-speed gearbox isn't even remotely engaging and its 3rd gear is too tall. It's simply not the right match for the eager four-cylinder.

The diesel might not sprint as hard (it takes 8.8 seconds to hit 62 mph compared to the 1.6's 8.3) but, if anything, it makes for a better real-world companion. It has very little harshness and a huge hit of midrange strength thanks to the 280 lb-ft of torque that comes on from around 1,750 rpm. Add to that a 2,905-pound curb weight and the diesel feels like it's ready to work anywhere, anytime.

Chassis Is Up to the Task
It's a sharper handling machine than the donor Astra, with a longer wheelbase, wider tracks at both ends, a lower ride height and GM's HiPerStrut suspension up front. The latter almost halves the kingpin angle and does the same with the kingpin offset compared to the standard Astra's MacPherson strut setup. The result is the effective elimination of torque steer, sharper front-end response and the ability to use up to 20-inch wheels.

The front suspension is happy with whatever revs you want to throw through it, too, and there is no hint of torque steer, even when you provoke it by poking it so hard with the stick that both front tires scrabble with corner-exit wheelspin. There's no kicking or bucking or twisting in the steering wheel and the GTC would sooner go a touch light to tell you about understeer than try to rip the wheel out of your hands.

And when it slides — as it does willingly and progressively — it always feels like a very clean, linear kind of slide, even in the wet, and it tucks back in perfectly when you roll off the throttle. The rest of the chassis carries the same composure and, try as you might, it refuses to kick, buck or snap the tail, regardless of what's going on beneath it.

The extra weight of the diesel engine doesn't seem to hurt the handling much, either. The gas engine might swing in to the turn-in point with a bit more enthusiasm, but the midrange strength of the diesel means it often punches out the other side with more enthusiasm. And, if you get your gear selection wrong, you'll come out of the corner almost as hard in the diesel, where the gasoline engine, by comparison, will labor a bit.

Fully Loaded
Opel insists the GTC is aimed at an entirely different buyer to the Astra and, once you start driving the thing, it's easy to understand that they're not just stirring the marketing pot.

It does feel different. In everything it does. It starts with the seats and the materials and colors they've used in the cabin and it seeps through the rest of the car from there. The cabin and dash design are a bit fussier than you'd find on a Golf. And the shallower windscreen angle means there's a tiny support pillar at the bottom of the A-pillar, though it doesn't seem to hamper the driver's vision.

The seats are superb, with enormous side bolstering and lumbar support. Other than a big gap between the brake and accelerator pedals, the driving position is excellent and so is vision. The cabin area is large, but has little by way of compartments or securing devices beyond a pair of hook points. Both rear seats fold flat independently, too, and full-size adults can fit comfortably in the rear.

The 2012 Opel Astra GTC is also loaded with all the latest technology at Opel's disposal. It has traffic sign-recognition, bi-xenon headlights, a front-facing camera, distance-following radar, lane-departure warnings and intelligent light-ranging systems. They sound overbearing but don't intrude much.

Should We Get It?
This would be a nice little gadget in the U.S., if anybody in GM can find a badge they'd like to put on it. Pontiac would have made sense at one time, but now it's not so easy.

Chevrolet has plenty of models already and as nice as the GTC looks and feels, it's no Cadillac. And Buick? Well, that's a definite possibility and rumors suggesting as much have been circulating for months.

It would certainly make for an appealing two-door alternative to the Verano sedan although it doesn't quite possess enough "Buickness" as an Opel. A level of refinement and comfort would have to be added and that could suck the life right out of the GTC. Then again, maybe Buick will play it smart and furnish just enough luxury to catch the eye of young coupe buyers who don't need something to toss around on the weekend.

We would prefer to wait and drive the OPC version before we pass judgment. Until then, the 2012 Opel Astra GTC's absence in the U.S. isn't likely to get noticed much.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.