2000 OPEL Astra Coupe 1.8L 16V 5MT FWD (125 HP)

Vehicle Overview

After dropping the Calibra from its lineup, Opel remained without any sporty coupe in its offer, which was bad for its image.

But Opel fixed that in 2000, after three years since the last Calibra rolled out from the assembly lines, it introduced the Astra Coupe. It was a version like no other Astra. The carmaker already offered a three-door hatchback for its compact model, but not a coupe.

The carmaker asked Bertone to design the car, and the only limitations were for the platform and some front areas. The Italian design center enjoyed its freedom and created the best-looking coupe from that era’s compact segment. While the front fascia was similar to the rest of the Astra range, the similarities ended in front of the A-pillars. Its raked windshield and curved roofline toward the sloped rear window were unique for the Astra Coupe. In the back, the trunk lid opened without the rear window. It was a true, two-door coupe.

Inside, the carmaker used the parts from the rest of the Astra range, spoiling the car’s exterior look. Yet, it tried to offer more aluminum and silver trims to enhance the cabin. The white dials in the instrument cluster looked much better than the black ones from the regular Astra hatchback. Moreover, a set of sport bucket-seats with high bolstering was on the options list for the lower-powered versions and standard for the turbocharged models.

Under the hood, Opel tried to fit in everyone’s budget and offered the Astra coupe with an engine range that provided between 115 and 190 hp. The main rule was that the car had to top the 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in ten seconds or less and at least 200 kph (124.3 mph).