The 2016 Opel Astra only recently arrived to do battle in the cut-throat compact hatchback market, notably filled with offerings from Volkswagen, Ford and others.
In order to better challenge other automaker’s range of sport, Opel has long been rumored to revive the iconic GSi moniker of yore, which even predates the Astra name, and reaches back to the Kaddett.
Auto Evolution has spied the 2016 Astra GSi testing with minimal camouflage, and it reveals a slightly revised front fascia, larger wheels and dual exhaust out back. The changes are subtle, but certainly noticeable from the standard Astra K.
It’s unknown what will power the Astra GSi, but a turbocharged 1.6-liter four cylinder seems to be the most likely candidate; just don’t expect any crazy horsepower numbers, as that will be reserved for a new OPC, which will also likely use an even hotter version of the engine.
The business strategy behind offering a GSi model alongside an even hotter, soon to come, OPC variant is to further challenge the Focus ST and RS, Golf GTI and R model. As it stood with the last generation Astra, coming from a standard Astra into an OPC provided quite the power jump, and the GSi should bridge the gap well.
It should also stir up a bit of nostalgia for those who remember the iconic GSi nameplate from yesteryear.
Comment
Bring it on, Buick.