Decent interior quality

Heated cloth or leather seats

Convertible and sedan possible

Astra Red Line possible

Four-door looks peculiar

Odd interior styling

Automatic is four-speed

The Saturn Astra replaces the Ion compact sedan and coupe, which didn't enjoy nearly the success of the earlier small models on which the "different kind of car company" is based. The Astra is an experiment of sorts — an unapologetic rebadging of a car sold overseas, the Opel Astra. By using the same model name, GM is celebrating rather than hiding the origin of this car, which is well-regarded in Europe. It sold close to 500,000 units there last year.

The last time GM tried this experiment, a reworked Subaru Impreza was sold as the Saab 9-2X, and it was an abject failure. A car that was supposed to cost more than the Subaru ended up selling for far less, despite arguable superiority. (People who took advantage were wise indeed.)

So why should this be any different? Because this car isn't sold in the U.S. by anyone else under any name.

Exterior
The four-door hatchback comes in two trim levels: XE and XR. A two-door hatchback will be sold only in the higher XR trim. The two-door holds together visually, but the four-door looks a bit awkward. However, when you consider that the car wasn't built from scratch to be a Saturn, it carries the new Saturn design direction well.

Saturn makes no claims, but it bears noting that there are additional Astra body styles available elsewhere, including a sedan sold in Turkey and a retractable-hardtop convertible in Eastern Europe.

Interior
The interior shapes are a little bizarre, and not what Saturn designers would likely have done with a clean slate. The dashboard reminds me a bit of the current-generation Cadillac CTS' interior — you know, the one that's garnered rave reviews ... for its 2008 replacement.

But remember, this isn't a luxury model. Apart from the design, the dashboard surface is soft to the touch and the other materials and controls seem pretty high-quality. The car's European origin suggests that its underlying quality and features will be better than average. A staple in Europe, smaller cars are taken more seriously there by developers and buyers alike. To succeed there is tougher than it is here. Often-overlooked features like glove compartment illumination and heated cloth, as well as leather, seats are part of the offering.

Under the Hood
Currently a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder is the only engine, and a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic the only transmission options. That said, the model offers many other drivetrains overseas, including diesels and turbos. An Astra Red Line perhaps?

Safety
In addition to the required frontal airbags, side curtains are standard, as are supplemental side torso airbags for the front seats. Active head restraints — still rare even in more expensive vehicles — are included in the front seats to meet European safety requirements. Saturn also includes OnStar with one year of complimentary Safe & Sound service.

To complete Saturn’s product overhaul, the company will add the compact, sleek-looking Astra (above) in late 2007 as a 2008 model, replacing the unloved and unlovely Ion (below right) that was introduced for 2003.

Making its official debut at the Chicago auto show, the Astra is the latest in Saturn’s product synergy between European Opel and U.S. Saturn products, and this one doesn’t even get a different name for North America. It will be nearly identical to the 2007.5 Opel Astra (below left) and sold in the U.S. and Canada in both three-door and five-door configurations.

Five-door models come in two trims, XE and XR, while the three-door comes only in up-level XR trim. 16-inch wheels are standard (17s optional) on five-doors, while 17s are standard on three-doors with an 18-inch option. Welcome safety gear includes standard anti-lock brakes and available stability control (standard on the three-door, optional on the five). Supposedly the handsome and expensive-looking interior is unchanged from the Opel’s, which was not the case in the Opel Vectra–to–Saturn Aura transformation.

All models will be powered by a 140-hp 1.8-liter Ecotec four-cylinder connected to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The new, much stricter ‘08 fuel economy ratings should put the Astra’s numbers around 23 city and 31 highway (roughly equivalent to 27/34 by ’07 fuel economy standards). Unfortunately, we don’t get the 200-hp 2.0-liter turbo and the six-speed manual that are available in the Opel.

Prices should start around $16,000 for the Astra