Opel Astra G (1998–2004)

Astra G against the Astra F: galvanised and grown

Corrosion protection was the headline change. No earlier Opel had been sold with a body galvanised all over, and the warranty against rust perforation ran for 12 years, according to German Wikipedia. From model year 2001, though, Opel switched to partial galvanising, so early and late cars are not equal in this respect.

The equipment list also moved up. German-market cars had power steering, four airbags, ABS and an immobiliser as standard, although export versions could have fewer airbags or no ABS. Air conditioning, navigation, traction control, xenon headlights and an electronically controlled four-speed automatic were on the options list, and automatic climate control arrived for model year 2002.

In Britain the G was the Vauxhall Astra Mk4; Holden sold it as the Astra TS in Australia and New Zealand. Dates, bodies and power for every Astra since 1991 are compared in our Opel Astra generations guide.

Coupé and Cabriolet from Bertone

The two-door models were built in Italy by Bertone, which marked them with its own badges on the side panels and sill plates. Production of each G body style, per German Wikipedia:

• Three- and five-door hatchback: March 1998 to March 2004.
• Saloon: July 1998 to March 2004, more popular outside Western Europe.
• Caravan estate: March 1998 to July 2004, with the CNG version running until January 2005.
• Coupé: March 2000 to December 2004; English Wikipedia puts output at about 90,000 cars.
• Cabriolet: March 2001 to December 2005.

Opel presented the Coupé as a successor to the Kadett C Coupé, while many buyers saw it as an unofficial Calibra replacement. The Coupé Turbo came only with 17-inch five-spoke wheels and larger front brakes. The Cabriolet had an electric fabric roof, standard with the 2.2 and 2.0 Turbo, which opened or closed in about 25 seconds with the car stationary; its boot is smaller than the Coupé's and the rear seats are not full size. Limited editions included Linea Blu, Linea Rossa and a 90 Jahre Bertone run. In motorsport, an Astra Coupé built to DTM rules won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2003.

Astra G engines from 1.2 16V to 2.0 Turbo

Most data below is from German Wikipedia's engine tables. Torque values are shown where the source gives them.

The Z engines replaced the X units of the 1.2 and 1.4 for model year 2001. The 2.2 Z22SE was the first member of GM's L850 engine family and was also fitted to the Opel Speedster. English Wikipedia lists the diesel range as 1.7 TD, DTi, Di and CDTi, 2.0 Di and DTi and 2.2 DTi, without power figures; after the September 2002 facelift the economical Eco 4 version switched from the 1.7 DTI to the 1.7 CDTI. A natural-gas Caravan with the 1.6 16V Z16YNG was built from 2003 to 2005.

OPC 1 and OPC 2

The first OPC was a limited run of 3,000 cars built from September 1999 to the end of 2001 in black, silver or blue. The 2.0 16V was raised from 100 kW (136 PS) to 118 kW (160 PS) with forged pistons, new camshafts, larger ports, a free-flowing manifold and an oil cooler. The body sat 20 mm (0.8 in) lower, with a large rear spoiler, 17-inch BBS wheels and a drag coefficient of 0.30. It needed 8.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h and topped out at 220 km/h (137 mph).

The OPC 2 came with the facelift in September 2002 and was not limited. It used the Z20LET turbo, quoted at 141 kW (192 PS) at first and 147 kW (200 PS) from 2002, with 0 to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and 240 km/h (149 mph). Both OPCs used the short-ratio F23 sports gearbox.

Astra G measurements

Our sources give only part of the dimensional data; hatchback length, width and kerb weights were not available. The figures are from English Wikipedia.

For comparison, the Astra H that followed was longer by 10 to 23 cm depending on body style. Later G cars sit alongside other German cars of the period in our catalogue.

The 1999 crash test and airbag count

Euro NCAP tested an Astra 1.6i Envoy with left-hand drive in 1999. English Wikipedia records 25 points for adult occupant protection and 7 points for pedestrian protection. We could not confirm the star rating from Euro NCAP's own record, so it is not stated here. ADAC also published a crash test of the G in February 1999.

On German-market cars, the four airbags and ABS were part of the standard specification from launch. Traction control and xenon lights stayed optional throughout.

Classic II and other markets

When the H arrived, Opel kept a cheaper G in production. The Astra Classic II was offered from October 2003 in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey as hatchback, saloon and estate, and was built in Poland until August 2009. German Wikipedia counts about 250,000 of them. A saloon-only version was assembled in Egypt from 2002 to 2009, and GM sold a revised car as the Chevrolet Astra in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay until 2011.

Points to check on a used Astra G

Most G models are now more than 20 years old, and the youngest Classic II cars are from 2009. Treat the following as a starting point rather than a complete list:

• Model year: cars built before model year 2001 have the fully galvanised body; later ones are only partly galvanised.
• Two-door models: the Cabriolet roof should open in about 25 seconds with the car stationary and the handbrake on, so test it through a full cycle.
• OPC 1 authenticity: genuine cars have a numbered plaque on the centre console, blue seat belts and Recaro or Opel sports seats.

The F and G are the Astras most likely to appear among classic cars of the 1990s. For the company background, see the history of Opel.