The diesel market for small cars has numerous players. This market is dominated by Peugeot and Volkswagen, who offer excellent products with their 307 and Golf models. With General Motors joining the rush to offer a diesel variant, the market is likely to expand still further, therefore providing a benefit to the aforementioned players as well as significant benefit to Holden itself.

The benefits also apply to motorists, as the new diesels from Europe offer excellent performance, exceptional fuel economy and gains for the environment with a reduced level of pollution (in comparison with the same car equipped with a petrol engine).

We've already discovered the pleasures of the Peugeot 307 and Volkswagen Golf diesels and, now, we have the opportunity to assess the new Holden Astra diesel.

The existing qualities of the Holden Astra (AH series) are already well known. You can read our road test from 22nd June, 2005 on the hatch here and our road test on the Astra coupe from 5th December, 2005 here.

Briefly, those qualities include a satisfying ride with good handling and excellent steering.

As such, it is easy to see that the new Astra diesel is likely to be off to a good start because of the inherent qualities of the AH series Astra.

The test car, on this occasion, is the Astra CDTi fitted with a 1.9 litre double overhead cam 4-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine and a six-speed manual transmission.

This combination proved to be an effective performer on the road. And here's why .... 110 kW of power at 4,000 rpm and, wait for this, a massive 320 Nm of torque in the range of 2,000-2,750 rpm. With these figures you can expect this 'baby' to fly. And, be sure of it, this car can really fly. If you're still of the opinion that the old Holden Gemini diesel from the 1980s is the standard to judge all diesels then you are missing the point. The diesels of today, from Europe, offer exciting performance as well as the miserly fuel consumption expected from a diesel.

Driving the Astra diesel is a pleasing experience. You can be sure of that because the existing Astra qualities are enhanced by a sports chassis pack (only available in the Astra CDTi manual) plus electronic stability programme (ESP) and traction control.

The six-speed manual is smooth and satisfying to use as you glide through each gear change.

The ride and handling, together with the steering and braking proved to be satisfying and, just quietly, we expected nothing less.

The comfort level is good. Although, just like every car in this market segment, back seat room is for two in comfort or three adults in a squeeze.

We covered just 703 kms in the Astra CDTi manual but we were impressed. Every kilometre was satisfying and the diesel enhanced the Astra experience.

On the F3 freeway between Newcastle and Sydney we observed the tacho was recording 2,000 rpm as we sat on 110 km/h in 6th gear! Wow, what an impressive performer. This explains, amongst other factors, the impressive fuel consumption figure of 6 litres/100 kms on the highway cycle.

The price for the Astra CDTi manual is $29,990 (RRP) with an extra charge of $360 for metallic paint.

Both Peugeot and Volkswagen offer the 307 and Golf variants priced both below and above the Astra price. So Holden appears to be conscious of the pricing structure required to attract buyers.

The Astra CDTi comes standard with air conditioning with variable temperature control, auto up/down power window controls for the driver and two airbags upfront plus front side impact bags and full-size curtain airbags. Additional equipment includes four alloy wheels, disc brakes all-round, a driver's footrest, leather-wrapped steering wheel (manual CDTi only), folding ignition key, cruise control, adjustable steering column (up and down as well as in and out) and a single disc CD player with the audio system.

And what about flaws? There are none, although the Astra could be enhanced by a centre console bin and by widening the narrow pockets on the front doors. It would be good to see the colour choice expanded. Currently, there are just six colours on offer and five of them are optional!

But these do not detract from the obvious and that is that the new Astra diesel manual provides a very satisfying driving experience. And although feedback to the Next Car team suggests some folks would be more inclined to go down the diesel road if the prices were down by a few thousand dollars, one should never lose sight of the fact that the current high profile diesels from Europe are an enticing drive into the future.

The Astra diesel is a welcome addition to the select few diesels that offer rewarding opportunities to Australian drivers. The rewards are the exciting driving qualities, comfortable travelling with outstanding fuel consumption and the ability to contribute less pollution to our atmosphere.

So that's potent performance, excellent economy, delightful driveability with complete comfort. Is anything else ever required in a car?