When it became available to order in June, Vauxhall’s mid-size coupe challenger caused a real stir. With a starting price of just £18,495 and dramatic styling from a design team led by Brit, Mark Adams, the GTC is set to wow UK customers and rock the established front runners in its class – the Volkswagen Scirocco and the Renault Megane Coupe.
United Kingdom is expected to be the biggest market for the GTC, which is why Vauxhall and Opel engineers have conducted much of their evaluation on UK roads.
It seems that much of the development centred around the introduction of Vauxhall’s HiPerStrut to the GTC, a first for an Astra model, and derived from the 325PS Insignia VXR.This system uses the Astra’s existing pick-up points, but reduces the kingpin inclination angle by 44 per cent and shortens the spindle length (kingpin offset) by 46 per cent versus the MacPherson strut-equipped models. This helps prevent torquesteer – a trait of many powerful front-wheel-drive cars – allowing drivers to make more use of the GTC’s performance without the steering being corrupted.
The HiPerStrut has also reduced the amount of camber change on the GTC’s front wheels during cornering, improving grip. Steering feel is enhanced, too, helped by a reduction the steering system’s friction levels. The geometry changes brought by the HiPerStruts also mean that the GTC can be fitted with wheels of up to 20-inches in diameter.
FlexRide, Vauxhall’s adaptive damping system, will be available as an option across the GTC range, complementing the revisions to the new model’s chassis.
Beside this, one of the most the most important changes, UK drivers will mostly enjoy the unique steering programme built specifically for them. The Astra GTC uses a rack and pinion steering system with speed sensitive assistance. But in order to provide drivers with more steering feedback, the system’s electric motor is mounted directly on the steering rack, as opposed to the base of the steering column.
“The key benefits of using an electric power steering (EPS) are well known. At low speeds, the level of power assistance is increased to minimise steering effort. At higher speeds, assistance is automatically reduced to ensure a high degree of steering feel for the driver. The second important benefit is that, because it does not require an energy consuming hydraulic pump and responds directly to the amount of power needed at any speed, fuel consumption is also reduced,” Vauxhall explains.
Source: Autoevolution
