The Opel Astra is one of those iconic cars in the car park. Its relevance within the portfolio of the star firm coincides with the success of the compact among the majority public, even with the SUV’s playing on the board. Raised bodies have reached all areas of the market, with particular relevance among those lengths of the C segment . They soon finished, almost completely, with monovoumens and it seemed that the next ones were the so-called compact ones. However, the buyer who values the driving sensations continues to bet on these silhouettes closer to the ground and with a clear sporty focus. In this sense, the Opel Astra 2022 returns to its roots to prioritize the pleasure of going behind the wheel, also in its family body or Sports Tourer with up to 1,600 liters of boot capacity and a starting price of 18,950 euros .
As with the five-door silhouette, this new Opel Astra adopts the design language pioneered by the Mokka. It seems that it was yesterday when we saw the first “Opel Vizor” characterized by the horizontal arrangement of the almost blind grille and rectangular shapes. The visor that covers this grille is integrated with the ItelliLux LED headlights and gives a special role to the logo of the firm, which was recently renewed and is called Opel Blitz.
The silhouette ST
The rest is well known: more marked lines, simplicity in the details and a rear that grows in order to expand the interior habitability. The taste for these station wagons is subjective but, in my case, I bet on their beauty and practicality even ahead of the conventional five-door. The Sports Tourer or Station Wagon (in other firms) have improved drastically , going beyond lengthening the ass and making it excessively square. To this day, the shapes of these family members are still attractive to the eye and maintain that sporty essence that usually accompanies the compact C-segment.
Beyond beauty, this Sports Tourer features a 608-liter boot with the seatbacks in an upright position. If we fold down the row it increases to 1 634 liters , with a division of 40:20:40 that leaves a completely flat surface. In the plug-in hybrid alternatives, which have a battery under the floor, the volume is 548 liters and 1,574 liters respectively.
Of course, with a plus in comfort to have 4.64 meters long by 1.86 m wide and 1.48 m high meters long, which are 60 mm less than the previous generation . However, it has increased its wheelbase by 70 mm, which is an extra feeling of space and cargo volume. All this without losing an iota in the technological and mechanical aspect, since it is built on the same Stellantis EMP2 architecture. This platform, which is repeated in models such as the Peugeot 308 or DS 4, allows the firm to invest in differentiating itself with value-added details. See the new Pure Panel dashboard with double 12-inch screen for the digital instrumentation and the infotainment system, which adopts the same interface evolution as the Opel Astra five-door or Opel Mokka, among others.
Same engines
The Opel Astra Sports Tourer is just around the corner and the model’s 30-year history will help you enter with confidence and support. Having the support of the Stellantis conglomerate will help it to market a series of electrified alternatives that are a first for the model. The 1.2 gasoline thermal blocks of 110 and 130 hp, in addition to the 130 hp diesel, are joined by the plug-in hybrid proposals, also in the family model.
As with the Astra 5p, the Sports Tourer PHEV can be 180 hp or 225 hp , both with a 12.4 kWh battery but different autonomies. The first of these is a front-wheel drive model with up to 73 kilometers of electric autonomy, while the all-wheel drive and more significant features will be able to travel about 60 km in electric mode. Both can be plugged into a 7.5 kW AC outlet, completing the charging process in less than two hours. If we do it in a 3.7 kW outlet, the time increases to 3.8 hours.
