The exams are over, school’s out and it’s time to go to work for the new Astra sedan, following extensive local tuning by Holden Engineering’s Lang Lang based A-Team.
Holden’s Lead Dynamics Engineer, Rob Trubiani said the incoming Holden sedan will exhibit the same sense of driving occasion whilst still providing the convenience and style a sedan offers.
“We’ve subjected Astra sedan to some really intense tuning and testing at our Lang Lang proving ground which is jam packed with challenging roads,” said Trubiani.
“We’ve focussed on making the car feel comfortable whilst being great to drive and managed to accumulate over 20,000km in the process, which wasn’t just on good roads, it was on gravel, rail roads and rough country backroads too.
“Astra has always had a really distinct feel and this new car is no different.”
With so much global talent and local tuning going into one special vehicle, having a clear modus operandi was critical. For Astra sedan, that was Efficient Fundamentals.
But what does Efficient Fundamentals mean, and where does it start?
Well, for Astra sedan it starts from the ground up thanks to a clean sheet design and a new architecture which has resulted in up to 120kg of weight saving as well as much improved aerodynamic performance with a drag rating of just 0.295 CD – believe us, that’s impressive!
There’s also the same punchy 1.4-litre turbocharged engine found in Astra hatch which promises enough get up and go to keep life interesting with 110kW and up to 245Nm of torque.
Whilst the global vehicle is a winner, Trubiani and Holden’s Engineering team saw even more potential for it to tackle tough and varied Australian conditions. Following months of work at Holden’s top secret proving ground in heavily camouflaged cars, Astra sedan is ready to hit the open road.
“We’ve developed a unique steering tune for Astra which gives it a more balanced and responsive feel and, ultimately, adds to the drivers’ confidence in the car.
“We also tuned the car’s suspension dampers and chassis controls to make sure Astra feels safe and comfortable on long journeys, but inspiring to drive through the corners.
“We’re still doing some real world testing which includes a handful of cars on Melbourne roads so keep an eye out for them in the next few months”.
