Holden continues to build on the popularity of its Astra range with the recent addition of two sports-oriented models; the Convertible and the SRi three-door hatch. At $44,990 (manual) and $46,840 (automatic), the Convertible is easily the most expensive model in the Astra range, however convertibles are inevitably more expensive to manufacture and it does come with an impressive array of standard equipment. The Astra Convertible is cheaper than Cabriolets such as the Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 306, and competitive with 2-seater sports cars such as the MGF, Toyota MR2 and Mazda MX5. The Astra SRi is considerably cheaper than the Convertible, at $28,485 for the manual and $30,335 for the auto. Competitors for the SRi include the Mazda Astina SP20, the Ford Laser SR2, the Renault Clio Sport, the Peugeot 206 GTi and the Proton Satria GTi.

FEATURES AND EQUIPMENT: The Convertible and the SRi are the only models in the Astra range to get a 2.2 litre engine and that ensures that their performance is stronger than other Astra models. The SRi and the Convertible also get improved handling through the adoption of Lotus-tuned ‘sports’ suspension, 16 inch alloy wheels and lower profile tyres. Traction control is standard on both models and the Convertible gets ESP as well. ESP stands for electronic stability program and the system monitors individual wheel speeds and then applies braking or regulates engine output to deal with critical situations such as wheel slip.