Vauxhall’s first electrified estate – the all-new Astra Sports Tourer – is set to arrive by the middle of next summer with a predicted £23,375 starting price.
Customers will be able to choose from petrol, diesel and petrol-electric powertrains when order books open early in the new year. Plug-in hybrid versions will have a power figure of 221bhp, with petrol and diesel models producing between 108bhp and 128bhp.
Like its hatchback brother, the Sports Tourer wears the company’s new corporate look. Called ‘Vizor’, it features a single panel at the front that houses the LED headlights, Vauxhall’s Griffin logo and camera that operates various driver safety aids.
Despite the obvious different in size between the two cars, they share much in common at the rear as both have the same vertically-aligned J-shaped LED lights.
On the inside the Sports Tourer runs the same 10-inch driver instrument cluster and 10-inch digital touchscreen. But unlike sister companies Peugeot and Citroen, Vauxhall has resisted the urge to incorporate climate control settings into the multimedia system, sticking to physical switches below the console instead “for ease of access”.
Those sitting in the front of the Astra Sports Tourer are being promised “unrivalled comfort” as their chairs are Aktion Gesunder Rücken certified. Developed in-house, Vauxhall says the “ultra-ergonomic seats are the best the compact class has to offer, and are exceedingly comfortable, especially on long journeys”.
Where the hatchback and Sports Tourer differ is practicality. The boot in the latter measures 608-litres with the back row of 40/20/40 split-folding seats in the upright position and 1,634-litres when these are dropped forward. PHEV cars take a slight hit, though, as the cargo volume in them is 548-litres and 1,574-litres respectively.
Petrol and diesel variants can also be specified with the optional ‘Intelli-Space’ system which centres around a moveable load floor that can be raised, lowered or positioned at a 45-degree angle. This set-up also makes it easier to access the puncture repair and first aid kits, according to Vauxhall. Discreetly hidden, both can be accessed either from the boot or the back seats.
