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Opel Astra Sports Tourer: In addition to the five-door hatchback that is already available, the estate version of the Opel Astra will also be available from autumn.
Photo: Opel
The first impression:
station wagons are considered to be boring.
But crisp proportions, a fresh front end and few, but all the more sharply drawn lines make the Opel Astra Sports Tourer a real eye-catcher.
That's what the manufacturer says:
Whoever says Opel Astra means Sports Tourer - at least in Germany.
While other manufacturers are more or less loudly announcing their departure from the station wagon, Opel's is literally the volume model.
The variant with the large storage space makes up two thirds of sales in Germany, says Thomas Overhaus, who is responsible for the compact class models in the Stellantis Group, to which Opel belongs.
And because Germany, in turn, has a 42 percent share of all Opel sales in Europe, the Hessians don't put a question mark behind the Sports Tourer, but an exclamation mark.
Especially since this design has a long tradition at the brand.
Since 1953, Opel has offered a station wagon version of the Rekord, and since 1963 the Kadett, the predecessor of the Astra.
It had recently become quiet around Opel.
The brand first had to swallow the adoption by Peugeot and Citroën, and then find its place in the Stellantis Group formed by the merger with Fiat-Chrysler.
Now, however, Opel is literally risking a big mouth again.
Inspired by a positive result last year and a positive response to the new Astra, the Sports Tourer should continue to build on its success.
"This car should be the load master in its segment," says Overhaus, obviously meaning not only the storage space, but also the registration statistics.
In addition to the VW Golf Variant and Ford Focus Tournament, Opel is also looking at many a compact SUV model.
Because these cars are usually more expensive and often offer less space than the Astra with station wagon rear.
This is what we noticed:
Folding is part of the craft - especially in a station wagon, of course.
Therefore, the approach to the new model starts from behind, with a kick.
All you have to do is hint at one, and then the large flap swings open and reveals a view into a deep cave for suitcases and crates.
Although the new Sports Tourer is slightly shorter than the previous model, the cargo space has actually grown and, depending on the position of the rear seat backrest, swallows between 597 and 1634 liters.
That's enough, Overhaus is particularly proud of, even for full-fledged kitchen appliances.
If you don't have a fridge to transport at the moment, just odds and ends, you'll enjoy a few clever features such as the variable loading floor.
You can not only lock it on two levels, but also fix it at an angle and use it as a room divider,
As great as the differences in the rear are, the driver doesn't notice much of them.
At the front, the Astra station wagon is also an Astra.
There is the same decorative cockpit with the elegant Pure Panel, which combines two screens behind crystal glass and does not have an ugly scoop.
The menus of the on-board computer are catchy, the touch tiles can be arranged according to taste.
And the driving behavior is mature and feels more like a middle class than a compact class.
The fact that the Sports Tourer is almost 30 centimeters longer than the five-door is not particularly noticeable.
On country roads, as with sailing, “length counts” and cameras or radar sensors help when parking.
In return, the backbenchers benefit from the new structure.
Because the legroom increases with the wheelbase,
What you need to know:
While the five-door Astra is already on the market, the Sports Tourer will only be available in the fall.
When it comes to the price, Opel adds 1100 euros and then demands at least 27,750 euros.
Under the hood, customers have the choice between a 1.2-liter petrol engine with 110 or 130 hp, a diesel with a displacement of 1.5 liters and 130 hp or a plug-in hybrid drive, for the Opel a 1, 6 liter four-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor and a 12.4 kWh battery.
In the first expansion stage, this team achieves 180, and later also 225 hp.
While the pure combustion engines reach a maximum of 210 km/h, the weaker plug-in hybrid can reach 225 km/h.
Above all, however, it can cover up to 60 kilometers purely electrically.
But Opel doesn't want to leave it at that.
But next year, the Hessians want to offer the Sports Tourer as one of the very few station wagons purely electrically, making it a load master at the socket as well.
We won't forget that:
the clever division of the basement in the rear.
Because if you fold up the boot floor of the plug-in hybrid, you will still find space for cables and charger underneath behind the bumper, despite the 12.4 kWh battery.
And if you first fold down the seats in the conventional models and then lift up at the front end, you can easily reach the warning triangle or the first-aid kit without first having to unload the entire trunk.
