SATURN'S UNINSPIRINGION became a rental favorite the day it wasborn. A tepid seller at best, it drives, it'sreliable, it's inexpensive—and it's utterlyforgettable. But general Motors wantssaturns to be more than that. And the opelAstra—one of europe's best-selling compactcars—is part of the plan.

GM has made it no secret that opel andsaturn will share more sheetmetal as timegoes on. the new opel Antara is just arrivingas the 2008 saturn Vue (Mt, July 2007). oursky sports car has become its gt. And theAstra three- and five-door hatchbacks arrivethis fall as, well, saturn Astras. to samplethe goods, we dipped into the europeanpress fleet and pulled out an opel Astra gtcthree-door, analogous to a VW gti in theopel model lineup. While its performancethereminded powertrain and equipment levelsdon't directly line up to what we'll be offeredhere, our 750-mile experience gave us a clearview of what to expect when the saturnizedAstra passes through U.S. Customs.

Launched in europe in 2004 to strongreviews, the Astra is dimensionally similar tothe ion in all but one measure, overall length.it's about 14 inches shorter from bumper tobumper, but as the wheelbases are within halfan inch of each other, the passenger cabinfootprint is about the same. the ion's designdoes little to excite, but the Astra three-door'sarching window line and glistening jewelryreally draw looks. the five-door isn't as sexy,of course, but its flat roofline makes for easyrear-passenger entry. it'll be offered in twotrim levels, Xe and Xr, while the three-doorwill come in sportier Xr form only.

Don't let the ion's low-rent set decorationinfluence you with regard to the Astra's interior.the latter employs premium quality materialsand switchgear in an attractive, ergonomicallyfriendly layout. the gauges are clear and easyto read (the same can't be said for the ion'sstrange, central instrument pod), and thecenter stack is logically laid out. the Astra'sseats (sport versions in the three-door) arefirm and supportive and slide forward for easyaccess to the rear passenger area. there'splenty of trunk room under the hatch, andthe rear seat folds flat to create an even largercargo hold—44.8 cubic feet in the five-door.

In other markets, the Astra is sold with awide variety of powertrains, from the tiniest,stingiest turbodiesels to a manic, 240-horseturbocharged ecotec borrowed from the skyredline. our gtc tester carried a gasolinefueled1.6-liter turbo four, rated at 180horsepower and backed by a slick-shiftingsix-speed manual transaxle. Although softon low-end torque, this powertrain proved adream for bisecting italy at warp speed. Butwe won't get it here. saturn-spec Astras willbe powered by a 1.8-liter, 140-horse ecotecfour, with a choice of five-speed manual orfour-speed automatic. this sounds like onlyjust enough against a field that includesseveral 150-plus-horsepower players, butwe'll reserve judgment until we get a u.s.version to our test track. there's some blogtalk that a redline model may yet make anappearance here—it would be a worthymatch against cars like the Mazdaspeed3—but that jury's still out.

The Astra rides atop a brick-solid structure,which means no squeaks or rattles and notwisting about over rough pavement. it alsomeans the electrohydraulic rack-and-pinionsteering can be tuned for good feel andquick turn in—not something that can besaid for the ion's numbish tiller. our gtcwas equipped with a performance-mindedsuspension and 18-inch tires, so it was extraresponsiveand offered racy grip levels. Buteven in a less enthusiastic state of tune andwearing all-season rubber, the chassis dnAis good, which should translate well into thesaturn versions. even with the aggressiverolling stock, the Astra offers a compliant,sophisticated ride. the brakes are strong,easy to modulate, and include a welcome"hill-holder" feature. it's impressively quietinside, too, with just the slightest wind rufflingaround the mirrors. As we said, good stuffunderneath.

In other markets, the Astra is packaged asa premium piece, with many options oftenreserved for larger, more expensive cars.these include hid directional headlights,adjustable shock damping, a nav system,keyless entry/start, and a unique panoramawindscreen that reaches from the base of thefirewall to the midpoint of the roof. Most ofthese goodies won't be available in the u.s.,but the saturn iterations' standard equipmentlevels are plenty high, including four-wheeldisc brakes with ABs, central locking, powerwindows, and six airbags. sixteen-inchwheels and tires are standard on the fivedoor,with 17s optional. the three-door startswith 17s and offers optional 18-inch summerperformance rubber similar to what wason our euro-spec gtc. opel also sells awagon, a convertible, and a just-releasedfour-door sedan (with conventional trunk),none of which is destined for our shoresat this time.the current Astra will be a two-yearproposition. Built in several GM plants aroundthe world, the Astra will be redesigned for2010, presumably with a saturn version aspart of the plan from the get-go. that's apositive situation, as the next-gen Astra isstarting from a good place already and anyneeds deemed important to the u.s. marketcan be incorporated into the developmentprocess. in spite of the fact that the 2008-2009Astra really is no more than a rebadgedopel—and by the time it gets here, a fouryear-old one at that—it's a worthy packageand a galaxy or two ahead of the car it'llreplace. even as such, it's still a smart andlow-risk, if not entirely original, move on GM's part.

Will America like its new saturn? thebasics are in place and up to snuff, but thefinal answer depends on how the 1.8-literpowertrain performs and what the pricepoints are, which haven't yet been announced.Brewed correctly, the saturn Astra has thepotential to be the best American-brandedsmall car on the market. otherwise, it'll beanother close-but-no-cohiba attempt toknock the civic off its mantle. We'll knowwhich this fall.