New Astra to release as an estate & includes PHEV variant

Opel/Vauxhall has now also shown the estate version of the hybrid Astra after launching the five-door version of the new Astra first. The Astra Sports Tourer will also be available as a plug-in hybrid right from the start, with a battery-electric version reportedly coming in 2023.

++ This article has been updated. Kindly continue reading below. ++

Briefly, Opel presented the sixth generation of the Astra in July, followed by its official presentation in Rüsselsheim at the beginning of September, and the five-door version of the new Astra has been available to order since mid-October – also as a plug-in hybrid version. After deducting the environmental bonus, the base price for the part-time electric car is 28,622.50 euros. At present, however, only one of the two PHEV variants can be ordered: At the start, the Astra Hybrid with 133 kW system power is available, i.e. the weaker version. Opel states that the “top-of-the-line hybrid” with 165 kW system output should be available to order from the beginning of 2022.

Now to the estate variant Astra Sports Tourer, which Opel calls its first electrified estate: Initially, the weaker PHEV version with 133 kW system output will be launched, analogous to the five-door model, followed “in the further course” by the 165 kW model. Both plug-in hybrids will be equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. However, Opel has not yet given any details about other drive characteristics, the battery or charging power. Nor, by the way, about prices or the date of market launch.

On the other hand, potential customers are already given a relatively concrete picture of the Astra Sports Tourer’s other utility features. It is 4.64 metres long, 1.86 metres wide, and 1.48 metres high – with a loading sill height of about 60 centimetres. The wheelbase has grown by seven centimetres to 2.73 metres (5.7 centimetres more than the new Astra five-door). At the same time, the new estate has an overall length that is 5.7 centimetres more compact than its predecessor, which Opel says is due to a “particularly short front overhang”. The load volume of the PHEV is 548 litres and 1,574 litres, respectively, with the seats folded down. The standard 40:20:40 folding rear seats provide a flat load floor.

Visually, the Astra Sports Tourer gets the new brand face of the Rüsselsheim-based company (“Opel Vizor”) with “Opel-typical crease in the bonnet” and integrated LED daytime running lights, headlights and front camera. In addition, the estate inherits the light system (“Intelli-Lux”) of the flagship Insignia. At the rear, the vertical third brake light and the slim LED tail lights typical of the Astra are particularly striking. Inside, the Stellantis brand highlights a newly designed fully digital instrument panel with an “extra-wide touchscreen” and variously adjustable front seats. In terms of driving assistance, Opel highlights an available head-up display (“Intelli-HuD”) and the Intelli-Drive 2.0 driving system.

“The new Astra Sports Tourer is the all-rounder for a new era – electrified, digitised and designed to excite. This is how we combine our long tradition of compact estates with the latest innovations such as plug-in hybrid technology. We are certain that we will win new customers for Opel with the fantastic looking Sports Tourer,” expresses Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz.

It has been evident since September that Opel/Vauxhall will also offer the Astra with an all-electric powertrain from 2023. However, the company has not yet provided technical data on the drive system. It is also unclear whether the Astra-e will only be offered as a five-door model or also as an estate.

Update 15 February 2022

Vauxhall has confirmed pricing and specifications for the new Astra Sports Tourer in the UK. The Astra Sports Tourer will be available from launch with a 1.6 petrol Plug-in Hybrid-e powertrain for the first time, producing 180hp and offering up to 42 miles of electric range and starting from £33,400.

stellantis.com, stellantis.com (update)