Nowadays, it appears like the price of everything goes up while wages are remaining the same. Petrol costs, notably, appear to be soaring skyhigh. What with something and another, it may make sense to consider "downgrading" vehicles into a smaller, more frugal vehicle. The Holden Astra is just one little car that provides economy plus a drive.

You'll have a variety of cars to select from. And, obviously, there is the exciting new Holden Astra TwinTop, which really is really a snazzy little topless amount. All Holden Astra models are easy in the eye, packaging style and contemporary sportiness into a compact size. The Holden Astra is not a "cute" little hairdresser's car - even though it definitely matches the dimension description, it is not a car a redblooded Aussie bloke will be too embarrassed to push.

Therefore, first of all, how frugal is the Holden Astra? Well, the Holden Astra CDTi's 1.9 litre turbo-diesel engine would need to be absolutely the most frugal. If this is really your option, then normally your Holden Astra CDTi will undergo 6.0 litres per 100 kms within the manual edition and 7.1 litres per 100 kilometers in automatic. All variants of the Holden Astra, however, are comparatively simple in the wallet petrol-wise. This 1.8 litre engine experiences a mean of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometers.

Has performance been sacrificed to the altar of market? Well, judge yourself if the Holden Astra did this. The torque in the TwinTop is not quite as remarkable as the diesel engine's, although, being just 210 Nm at 4000 rpm. No prizes for guessing that we had favor from these two, if market and motor functionality was the sole variable - But this convertible TwinTop does seem pretty good?

To discover, let us examine the very frugal CDTi guide - a hatch. This edition has fabric trimmed seats, ac and ventilation using a pollen filter, an MP3-compatible CD player using a multifunction graphical screen, and an engine immobiliser. The more lavish SRi (coupe or fivedoor hatch) has identical security characteristics, but has black leather heated seats with lumbar support.

I had if market and functionality were my essential elements, the SRi if I was after sporty luxurious, and the TwinTop if I needed a convertible pick the CDTi, to evaluate among each one of the Holden Astra versions. How about you?