Every South African petrolhead knows the name Kyalami. Many may have watched their first Formula One race there in the mid-90s. Older fans may have seen the likes of Stirling Moss and David Piper do battle on this hallowed stretch of tar in Sports Car races. Most, however, will recall countless on-track skirmishes between BMW and Opel during the heyday of Group N racing. With memories of those motorsport glory days in mind, Opel SA decided to revisit the Midrand track for the launch of its latest halo model, the Opel Astra OPC.
The choice of venue was a gutsy one, too, as a car needs lots of power and an abundance of poise to tackle this 13-corner ribbon of tar. Not only does the tar rise markedly over its four-odd kilometres but the sequence of corners is both technical and daunting. Get it wrong as a driver and you could end up with an ostrich-sized egg on your face.
This all-new Astra is the latest in a series of high-performance models produced by Opel’s in-house tuning division the Opel Performance Centre (OPC). Based at the famous Nürburgring, this arm of the German firm is responsible for lighting a fire within the belly of Opel’s humdrum models and has done so with the Astra, Corsa and Zafira on previous occasions. Most recently it has worked its magic on the latest Astra model.
The Astra OPC’s main attraction is the direct injection, 2,0-litre turbocharged engine that produces 206 kW and 400 N.m of torque. Like its predecessor drive is delivered solely to the front wheels. Unlike its predecessor, though, this isn’t an unruly beast. In fact, this car displays a far greater level of composure than the torque-steering monster it replaces, despite the fact that it produces 29 kW and 80 N.m more. Seemingly the six-speed gearbox could do with a little more work. It’s slight imprecision meant that on several occasions I managed to beat the synchromesh while affecting a quick shift, something that never seems to happen in, say, a Renault Mégane RS.
Helping to keep the front wheels pointing in the right direction is a mechanical limited slip differential – which one can really feel out of Kyalami’s slower corners – and Opel’s patented HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) front suspension set-up. The latter attempts to alleviate torque steer by reducing camber changes during hard cornering. Doing so also reduces the kickback through the steering wheel. What’s interesting to note is that the Astra OPC still employs a torsion beam rear suspension (unlike like a Golf GTI or Focus ST but similar to the Renault Mégane RS), albeit with a Watts linkage.
Negotiating high speed corners revealed an impressive degree of poise. T1 could be taken flat-out in fourth gear. The usually tricky, off-camber right hander that is Sunset did not prove sphincter-tightening and the flick-flack of the Esses, which can unsettle a car, highlighted no such vices in the latest OPC.
Within the tricky confines of Kyalami the turbocharged torque could really be felt as the reef altitude (over 1 600 m) and the undulating nature of the track didn’t seem to bother the engine’s torque delivery. The uphill drag after the Esses to the high point of the circuit at Wesbank posed no problem arriving at the very top carrying a fair whack of speed.
To help scrub off the pace that the engine can deliver is a Brembo braking system. The front discs which are vented and cross-drilled and measure 355 mm in diameter. These are clamped by four-piston calipers. In a tough environment such as a racetrack the anchors held up well, considering that this is a road car. The weakest link in the chain seemed to be the footwear as the (road) tyres didn’t hold up well under the abuse to which they were subjected by a dozen highly competitive motoring journos. If you plan to take to make regular visits to your local racetrack you may want to invest in some race rubber as standard fitment on the Astra OPC are 245/35 R20s.
By now, you have no doubt read the 2013 performance issue of CAR magazine or at very least seen the video of Chris Harris and Deon Joubert discussing the virtues of the OPC in action. It is a formidable package in the hot hatch segment but at R435 000 it ought to be.
Specifications
Model: Opel Astra OPC
Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged
Power: 206 kW at 5 500 r/min
Torque: 400 N.m at 2 500-4 500 r/min
0-100 km/h: 6,0 seconds
Fuel consumption: 8,11 L/100 km
CO2: 189 g/km
Top speed: 250 km/h
Price: R435 000
Service plan : 5 years/90 000 km
Service intervals: 12 months/15 000 km
