Saturn Astra: Lost in translation

Europeans don't believe in cupholders because they think drivers should be concentrating on the road, not their Diet Pepsi. Actually, Americans think the same thing, which is why we want someplace to put our Diet Pepsi while we're driving.

So GM spent a little cash on shoe-horning in those Yankee must-haves.

Up front, you get one cupholder. That's fine if you and your passenger are willing to share a beverage and one of you has fingers coming out of your elbow. That's because the lone cupholder is situated right between the seatbacks.

The angle of that seatback is adjusted using a huge, hard-to-reach knob situated on the outside of the seat. You have to squish your hand back there and twist... and twist... and twist to adjust the seat. It's more than awkward. It actually hurts a little.

Beyond cupholders and seat adjustments, the Astra lacks in the highly competitive "places to put things" department, a big bragging point for cars these days. If you're the sort who likes to stash stuff around the cabin, you'll find yourself reaching down to the floor a lot.