The new Opel Astra cuts through air like a knife through butter.
Opel says that 30-years ago, the Kadett E GSi was the most streamlined hatchback in the world with a cd value (aerodynamic coefficient) of 0.30. Now, Opel says the lighter, more frugal and more agile Astra, represents a quantum leap in the development and targets maximum efficiency with a drag coefficient of… 0.285. Yup, “quantum leap” all right…
Anyway, in order to achieve this low number, the designers and the engineers paid close attention to the body’s shape and architecture. A “Sculptural design meets German precision” – or at least that’s what Opel says. However, the exemplary aerodynamic was accomplished by various techniques, such as placing a delicate rear spoiler to serve as a separation edge that cuts the airflow, creating a gentile roof line to serve as a gradient slope for the air going over the car and crafting C-pillars with small edges to split airflow more efficiently.
This is what Reiner Weidemann, Head of the Opel Aerodynamics department, had to say:
“We have made the new Astra more aerodynamic than ever before. The drag coefficient values beat the best values achieved by its predecessor across the board. We gained some important knowledge from the tests we conducted in the ultra-modern wind tunnel of Stuttgart University who we have been working with for many years. This helped us make the new Astra the most streamlined compact class car ever produced by Opel.”
Even the underbody has been tweaked and improved aerodynamically with panels, while the car’s shrunken dimensions (compared to the previous generation) actually had a positive impact on the overall drag, thus increasing fuel economy. Because that’s what all comes down to – fuel efficiency; the more streamlined a car is, the more it uses less fuel.
So, here’s a list of random cars (without an “eco package”) with a better drag coefficient than the Astra, which didn’t make a fuss about it:
Peugeot 508, Mercedes Benz E-Class W221, Opel Calibra, Infiniti Q50, Citroen SM, Audi A2 1.2TDI, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Mazda 3 Sedan, Lexus LS430, Volkswagen Passat B5 Sedan, Subaru BRZ, Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS) MKII and MKIII, Toyota Auris and I could go on and on.
Mind you, Opel plans an even more aerodynamic Ecoflex variant in the future.
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