I always find it quite hilarious that when a new hot hatch is launched it is almost immediately compared to the VW Golf. I don’t know when the Golf became the undisputed king of this segment, but what I do know is the last time I drove a hot Golf, it was without doubt one of the best cars I had ever driven. It was the all-wheel drive Golf R, and it’s going to take some beating.

Enter the brand new Opel Astra OPC (Opel Performance Centre), arriving in SA early next year. Well hell’s bells, it certainly looks the part. I think this current generation of Astra is the best looking yet, and aided by some custom body work and those giant wheels, this is the cherry on top of a very good looking line up.

The OPC has a custom tuned 2,0 litre turbocharged engine, pretty much the same spec as the Golf R, but is more powerful. No point trying to beat your biggest rival with less power. But honestly, it’s a difference that will most likely only be seen and felt on paper. The Astra’s 205kW compares favourably to the Golf’s 188kW, but I have a feeling the Astra needs it, as it’s the bigger car and most likely weighs a bit more. I couldn’t track down those stats but if I do I’ll post them in the comments.

The Astra will hit the German-handshake-gentleman’s speed agreement of 250km/h, making it one of the quickest 3-doors available, while you can expect the sprint time to 100km/h to be under 6 seconds. Note that the Astra will be front wheel drive only.

There is no pricing yet for the SA market and no immediate release date, but if you’re a hardcore Opel fan, you might want to put your order in right now. The Golf R will set you back at least R414 000 if you want to have a look at that first. In the mean time, ogle away at the gallery below. Those Recaro seats look marvelous.

Ciro De Siena is presenter and editor at OverdriveTV.