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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

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1998. - 2004.
C - Small family car
wagon, 5 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
1998. - 2003.
C - Small family car
wagon, 5 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4288 mm
1709 mm
1510 mm
480 liters
1500 liters
52 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4397 mm
1735 mm
1473 mm
460 liters
1470 liters
55 liters
1998 Opel Astra Stationwagon
1998 Volkswagen Golf Variant

Engine

Isuzu / General Motors
1.7 Y17DT
Diesel
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1686 cc
75 hp
165 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Volkswagen
1.9 SDI AQM
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1896 cc
68 hp
133 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 5 gears
1220 kg
14.5 s
168 km/h
6.1 l/100km
4.0 l/100km
4.8 l/100km
129 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 5 gears
1222 kg
18.5 s
160 km/h
7.0 l/100km
4.3 l/100km
5.2 l/100km
140 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km

Expenses

500 EUR
Price from
800 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the small family car segment and utilize the same 5-door wagon body style and the front wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific diesel engine choice they offer. The first one has a Isuzu-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 75hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 68hp engine designed by Volkswagen.

Safety

The first thing to look into here would be the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests performed on the two cars. Good thing is that both vehicles got tested, with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. That aside, let's consider some other aspects which affect safety. Both vehicles belong to the small family car segment, which is generally classifying them somewhere in the middle safety-wise, but it doesn't do much to help us decide between the two. On the other hand, taking kerb weight as an important factor into account, Golf offers a marginal difference of 1% more metal.

Reliability

Reliability is not the best thing to consider on the make level, but it is worth mentioning that both brands display similar results in faults and breakdowns, all the models observed together. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of Opel, as well as Volkswagen, with the same average rating of 4.2 out of 5. Independent research findings rank Astra as average reliability-wise, and Golf is more or less at the same level.We should definitely mention that owners of cars with the same powertrain as Astra rank it on average as 4.2, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.3 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Opel is way more agile, reaching 100km/h in 4 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 168 kilometers per hour, 8km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy things look pretty much the same for both cars, averaging around 5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (57 mpg), in combined cycle.


Verdict

Opel appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Golf offers slightly better overall protection and takes the lead. From there things take a different direction, with Opel outracing its opponent in any situation possible, making it better choice for boy racers. To make things even better, it consumps less fuel! It's not difficult to say then that if I'd need to make a choice, it would definitely be the Opel. Nevertheless, let's not forget that people have different preferences and needs, so what really counts is your personal feel. I'm only here to help. Also, you could use the oportunity to find out which car, everything taken into account, would be the perfect choice for you in the eyes of the virtual adviser, among thousands of similar, yet so different vehicles.

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