HOLDEN must be miffed at all the media coverage the VW Golf GTI, Ford Focus XR5 Turbo and now the Mazda3 MPS are getting – it is as if they have just invented the ‘hot hatch’ concept, when in fact Holden offered the 147kW TS Astra SRi Turbo in 2003 and 2004. But to dismiss the latest AH SRi Turbo version would be foolish, as it offers a impressive breadth of performance and handling capabilities to match its supermodel styling.

Holden TS Astra SRi Turbo
Released: May 2003
Ended: July 2004
Family Tree: AstraHolden’s last Astra Turbo was a real tiny tot tearaway, delivering the same unruly 147kW of power and 250kW of torque through the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. It was a much rawer experience than its refined AH Astra SRi Turbo successor, but it still managed to do the everyday things in the capable style of its three-door hatchback donor car. Today this car is beginning to shape up as a bit of a collectable classic.
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