The Holden Astra is a compact car distributed by Holden. The first Astra was badge-engineered from the Nissan Pulsar in 1984. In 1989, the Holden Nova replaced the Holden Astra.
From 1995, the Opel Astra was badged as Holden Astra and sold in New Zealand, then in Australia in 1996. It went through three generations: TR (1996), TS (1998), and AH (2004) before being discontinued in 2009 in favor of the South Korean model, Cruze.
Holden began importing the Opel Astra J GTC and the Opel Astra J OPC into Australia and New Zealand following a 2014 announcement. A Holden Astra range was introduced in 2016, comprising of rebadged Opel Astra hatchbacks (BK). 2017 saw the emergence of two more models—badged Chevrolet Cruze sedans (BL) and Vauxhall Astra wagons (BK).
First Generation (LB, LC: 1984–1987)
Introduced in August 1984 as the LB series, it was only offered as a five-door hatchback to prevent competition with the Pulsar in the 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan body range.
It used a 1.5-liter engine with two transmission options available, a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic.
The LC model was released in 1986, upgraded to a 1.6-liter engine.
Specification Levels:
SL- Arrived in 1986 with the LC upgrade
SL/X- Introduced with the LB series, a combined radio receiver, and compact cassette player and a digital clock
SL/E- Alloy wheels and steel wheels with plastic covers for LC
A Used Cars Safety Rating published in 2008 reported that the Astras offered “significantly worse than average” occupant protection.
Second Generation (LD: 1987–1989)
The LD was offered in 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback body styles. Two engine models were used to power this second generation Holden Astra: a 1.6-liter and a 1.8-liter engine.
A Used Car Safety Rating evaluation found that the LD series provided “worse than average” occupancy protection.
Specification Levels:
SL- 5-door hatchback, with a five-speed manual transmission and 1.6-liter engine; brakes featured a disc/drum setup
SLX- Fitted with a 1.8-liter engine with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic transmission
SLE- Available with an 1.8-liter engine, automatic transmission
HSV Astra SV1800- Launched in 1988 as a tuned version of the LD Astra
Third Generation (TR: 1995-1998)
The Opel Astra model was badged as the Holden Astra and sold in New Zealand from 1995 as a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, and 5-door wagon.
Specification Levels:
City- Driver’s airbag, central locking, and power steering; had a 1.6-liter C165SE engine with five-speed manual transmission
GL- 1.8-liter C18SEL engine, either manual or automatic transmission
GSI- The only hatchback; had dual airbags, alloy wheels, and a 2.0-liter X20XEV engine with five-speed manual transmission
Fourth Generation (TS: 1998-2005)
The Astra was replaced by the Opel in 1998 and was dubbed as the TS Astra.
Specification Levels.
City- 3-door and 5-door variants with disc brakes and adjustable headlamps; available in 1.8-liter X18XE1 engine and a Z18XE engine
CD- 15-inch alloy wheels, ABS brakes, traction control, and electronic mirrors
CDX- Cruise control, climate control air conditioning, front fog lamps, and side airbags
SXi- Front fog lamps, ABS brakes, alloy wheels, and air conditioning
SRi- Fitted with the 2.2-liter Z22SE engine
SRi Turbo- With the exception of its 2.0-liter Z20LET turbocharged engine, it was based on the SRi
Convertible- Fitted with a 2.2-liter Z22SE engine; turbo version was available with 2.0-liter Z2OLET engine
Fifth Generation (AH: 2004-2009)
The AH Astra was released in November 2004. It was based on the Delta I Platform and was offered as a 5-door hatchback only. The AH series provided an “average” level of occupancy protection, and it came with front and side airbags.
Specification Levels:
CD- Fitted with a Z18XE engine that was later upgraded to a Z18XER engine
CDX- 16-inch alloy wheels
CDXi- Airbags, curtain airbags, and adjustable front seats
CDTi- A diesel-powered CDX alternative
SRi- Climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels
SRi- Featured a larger 2.0-liter Z20LER engine
Sixth Generation (PJ: 2014-2015)
It was based on the Delta II platform. It included the Astra GTC, GTC Sport, and VRX 3-door hatchbacks. The VRX featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine.
Seventh Generation (BK, BL: 2016-present)
The seventh-generation Holden Astra was introduced in December 2016 with three models: the R, RS, and the RS-V. The 1.6L turbo models came with a six-speed manual transmission, and the automatic version was introduced in March 2017. A wagon variant of the Astra was rolled out in October 2017, sporting a 1.4-liter engine with a six-speed automatic transmission.