Even in the compact class, nothing works without a good combination offer. The Astra Sports Tourer therefore has a special meaning for Opel. The test shows whether the Rüsselsheimer meets expectations.
The really good friends are always there when you need them, but they are never intrusive. Okay, the analogy to the new Astra Sports Tourer seems a bit far-fetched, but it's basically correct. Because the new Opel actually has all the facilities to perhaps not exactly become the best buddy, but to become a family friend.
In the case of a station wagon - and that's what the pompous name "Sports Tourer" is all about - we naturally first look at its transport and loading talents. And it looks pretty good right away. At least if we look at the loading volume and compare it with that of the eternal rival Golf, in this case the Golf Variant, of course.
With 608 liters of luggage space, the Astra is a negligible 3 liters behind the Wolfsburg. With the maximum load volume with the rear seats folded down, the gap of 8 liters in favor of the Golf is also small, the Opel packs away 1634 liters, more than enough for everyday use and also for most transport tasks; from the holiday trip to the IKEA shopping, which in such cases is often helpful. And if the children are not too big, even three of them fit on the back seat, for two there is still space in the parental space giant even at student age.
The place test can therefore be regarded as passed. Let's move on to a softer factor, the optics. Whether you find the Astra station wagon "beautiful" is of course a matter of taste. But you will hardly find anyone who will describe it as a failure. The line of the 4.64 meter five-door model, which actually belongs to the middle class, is definitely coherent, whether you like the distinctive, so-called "Vizor" face with a black radiator grille is - you will guess it - again a matter of taste. It's okay for us, but its severity doesn't exactly inspire storms of enthusiasm.
Interim conclusion here: The Astra Sports Tourer has become a modern car, with which there is not much to complain about visually. However, it does not stand out in everyday traffic either, during the test drives with the completely new vehicle, there were no corresponding reactions from other road users. But maybe he doesn't have to stand out. After all, we (hopefully) judge our best friends according to other criteria.
Opel provides various options for the drive, including two plug-in hybrids and a diesel. It delivers 96 kW/130 hp and therefore just as much as our engine, the three-cylinder petrol engine from the Stellantis shelves. Although only equipped with a displacement of 1.2 liters, the turbocharged petrol engine initially pulls the 1.4-tonner ahead quickly with the typical buzzing of a three-potter. Smooth 10 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h is a reasonable value. The Sports Tourer is said to be able to reach speeds of up to 210 km/h on the Autobahn, which we were unable to check due to a lack of time, traffic and speed limits. But also because the little engine, despite the turbo, starts a little quieter with further acceleration from 160 km/h.
But the consumption is convincing, we only surpassed the standard value of 5.6 liters per 100 kilometers by 0.8 liters. The manual six-speed gearbox also proved to be pleasantly smooth-running, but the gradation was obviously made primarily from the point of view of consumption and is at least not conducive to driving pleasure. If you have an additional 2400 euros left, you can alternatively order the eight-speed automatic, which - as we know from other Opel models - does its job very smoothly and effortlessly. However, the price is also less family-friendly.
Speaking of design: In contrast to its French sister model, the Peugeot 308 SW, the Opel is much more sober, which fits into the image of Opel, which CEO Carlos Tavares likes to call "engineering brand". The operation is mostly simple, there are still buttons for direct access and enough shelves, for example for an inductively charging smartphone. You only have to go somewhat awkwardly via the "Apps" intermediate station to access the proven tom-tom navigation system for navigation access. And another shortcoming: the Stellantis group is still a good deal away from the best in the industry when it comes to voice input, as the lady in the cockpit, who is often "hard of hearing", proved again.
However, this hardly detracts from the overall positive impression. Especially since the Opel Astra Sports Tourer is priced in fairly, at least for today's times. In the fairly well-equipped GS version, the Rüsselsheim-based company is asking 31,530 euros for the compact load master. As always, you can of course drive the price up significantly. We would definitely add the combination of navigation and head-up display, which costs a manageable 1600 euros. And if you then want to invest a little more in the new family friend, you will easily find what you are looking for in the price list.
Technical specifications
