Compacts are still in the imagination of many buyers, despite the unparalleled success of SUVs. The user of this type of model seeks a more pure, sensorial and even sporty driving, something that the Ray brand have wanted to recover in their new Opel Astra . Recovering tradition and the passion for sitting behind the wheel, that is the goal of the German engineers supported by the resources and technology of the Stellantis group. For this they show us a completely new compact, both aesthetically and mechanically, with the introduction of two plug-in hybrid versions of up to 225 hp .
The new Astra, which will arrive in early 2022 , marks a new era for the firm. To begin with, it involves the change to the new design language, called Opel Vizor for the more digital and technological front but with reminiscences of a past exalted by the Opel Manta. The LED headlights, which can be Intelli-Lux LED Pixel matrix, adopt a much finer signature for daytime running light. Inside it also adopts the Opel Pure Panel that we already know from the Mokka, the SUV with an electric version that was in charge of showing off this makeover for the first time. These are two large panoramic screens with the latest in infotainment system, connectivity, voice recognition and safety systems and driving assistance.
It will be available in a five-door and family body, called Sports Tourer, with a length of 4.37 meters for the first. That means a size almost identical to the previous model but there are changes in the dimensions, such as its width of 1.86 meters and one more centimeter of wheelbase (2.67 meters) . They have taken advantage of this small growth to gain 50 liters of trunk, up to 422 liters of capacity .
All of this built on the Stellantis EMP2 platform, the architecture used by other models of the conglomerate such as the new Peugeot 308 or the Citroën C4. Hence, we suspect that the plug-in hybrid engines will be identical, or similar, to those of the 308, with a 225 hp option and a less powerful 180 hp option.
