Used 2008 Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M) Consumer Reviews
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Love my Astra
rmittel, Los Angeles, CA, 03/24/2011
Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
29 of 30 people found this review helpful
After 2.5 years I still really love this car. Too bad they are no longer available here in the US. If Saturn had sold more cars like this they would still be around. Get comments from people asking what car that is, they love styling. Very firm fun car to drive. I live in Colorado and is great in snow. Have had no problems what so ever with vehicle. Dashboard controls a little hard to figure out as they are European based but not an major issue. A lot of car for the money I think.
The best unknown vehicle out there...
RN, 08/05/2009
Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
This car still amazes me on the build quality, handling, style, and gas mileage. This is by far the best unknown car in the market, it boggles my mind how GM didnt market this car. For any of the few people that have complaints they are either haters or just will complain about everything. For the price I paid: $19,980 - $5000 dealer incentive, $4500 clunker trade, $1000 supplier discount, I bought this car for $10,950 out the door. I have the 3 door XR 5 speed with leather, tinted windows, tuned sport suspension, stabiltrac, heated seats and mirrors, moisture sensing wipers, onstar for a year, dual lighted vanity mirrors, onboard computer, tire pressure readout, and the list keeps going.
2008 Saturn Astra for sale near you
3 of 16 listings
- XR 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,477172 mi away
- XE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,477172 mi away
- XE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $3,995190 mi away
See all 16 listings
Surprisingly well built small car
AstraReview, Pacoima, CA, 11/19/2017
updated 12/04/2020
Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
26 of 29 people found this review helpful
Quality, fit and finish is good for a car in its class. With many miles, the vehicle still feels solid and is reasonably well equipped for a compact, the XR being being particularly well styled and configured. Heated leather seats, power mirrors, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, traction control and ABS, front and side curtain airbags are key features. Its counterpart is the Opel Astra H/Vauxhall Zafira. Built in Belgium and not having been designed for the U.S. market, the Astra maintains its European flair with only very minor differences. I installed touchscreen navigation which adds USB, WiFi, Bluetooth, Navigation, DVD and a backup camera, otherwise technology is lacking in this vehicle. The Aisin Japanese automatic has been trouble free and is one of the most reliable transmissions in any used vehicle. While only a 4 speed automatic, it returns an average 29mpg in our high mileage Astra and still behaves quite well, but performance and economy would be improved with a more modern variant. With performance tires, handling is excellent. Without them, the handling is much less confident. Steering response is quick and positive. Reliability has been excellent with no major issues. A few OEM parts may be in limited quantity or unavailable from GM dealers. Look to Europe or name brand suppliers for replacement parts, not eBay AutoZone. With 172,000 miles, our car is a solid driver that has required few repairs and has never once stranded us. There are no rattles, squeaks or noises. It's still pleasant to drive and has life left to give.
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Red XR with Manual - almost nine years and rolling
Tominator, Calhoun, LA, 01/05/2017
Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
My job had me renting cars weekly on expense. I figured a small car would pay for itself and it almost did. I drove a few small GM cars as a kid in the late 80s and loved them (i.e. the Olds Cutlass Calais w/Quad-4 was a favorite). I also shopped the Mazda 3, but the Saturn Astra was more the price point I was looking for at the time ~ $16,000 for the XR-3 w/Manual. New, it drove pretty well, but at around 10k miles it seemed to loosen up and drive even better. I have had no mechanical issues except one - which was my partially my fault for not checking the spark plugs. I was heading home from out of town when the car started missing. I assumed it was bad gas, and since it was Friday evening, I added some fuel treatment and kept on driving. It got worse and worse all the way home, but I made it. Saturday I found the spark plugs were shot. GM stuck me with copper core plugs, which I had assumed no modern cars still used. Since it only had 60k miles on it, I had never checked them. With the 200 mile drive home on bad plugs, the coil pack went and the so did the catalytic converter (which is built onto the header). I replaced with platinum plugs and a new coil pack and cat. I ordered the coil pack from England for $90 vs the US distributors who wanted $400 for the same GM part (NOTE: always compare prices with the Vauxhall Astra on parts). The catalytic converter was the same price across the pond, so I bought it from GM locally. The little red Astra now has over 106k miles on it and only a torn drivers seat to show it. It has been very reliable and fun all the way. I plan to keep it another six years (when my kid gets out of college, lol).
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Consider my Astra kissed.
Jason, 08/05/2008
Saturn Astra XR 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I went from a Cadillac CTS to the Astra. I needed a comfortable commuter car with better fuel economy. So far the Astra has been a great decision. It's not only comfortable, but the interior is nicely designed and feels very premium. Not bad for under 20K. The exterior design is awesome. I've already gotten a ton of complements. GM did a great job on this compact car.