THIS IS THE estate version of the Opel Astra, a car which was crowned European Car of the Year 2016. So, I had high hopes when I went to pick up the test car this week.
I wasn’t exactly overcome with excitement when laid eyes on it. I found the styling a little conservative for my tastes and the silver colour seemed to just add to the already grey day.
But as I’ve said before, looks are subjective – and while the overall styling of the car wasn’t my cup of tea I did appreciate the fashionable ‘floating’ style roof with rear spoiler, aerodynamically positioned wing mirrors, the shadow line that incorporates the front and rear door handles and the boomerang-shaped LED rear lights and Intellilux LED Matrix headlights (a €1,350 option).
Sitting into the cabin I was more impressed still. Everything is logically organised and easy to use, especially the button positions. In addition to this, there are lots of useful storage areas and two cup holders.
The heated leather seats are very comfortable and have lots of adjustment, so I could easily find the perfect driving position. The heated leather steering wheel feels nice in hand too.
Unusually for this class, the rear seats are also heated and there are two USB ports in the back. And yes, three adults will fit across the back seat – snugly, but at least they’ll have plenty of head and leg room.
The test car was fitted with the very handy power tailgate (a €500 option), which can also be opened and closed with just a wiggle of your foot under the bumper. The boot itself is cavernous and can hold 540 litres or 1,630 litres with the 60/40 split seats folded. The seats fold to give a flat loading area and there is no lip on the boot so you can easily slide cargo in and out.
For me, one of the best things about the Opel Astra Sports Tourer is how well all the technology works. Everything works first time and is intuitive too. My phone paired via Bluetooth within seconds and streamed music without dropping the connection once. The voice control was spot on. It recognised all my commands even with my Dublin accent. (That never happens.)
Another feature I love is the wifi hotspot, which can connect up to seven devices at once. I used it for streaming my music without using up my mobile data – but think how handy it would be for keeping kids entertained on long journeys.
Opel has made an effort to make driving as simple and enjoyable as possible. That extends to the handling too, and this is no doubt why it was named European Car of the Year.
It has a sweet chassis. It is perfectly pitched for a car of this size, weight and purpose. It is supple and comfortable when covering long distances and it effortlessly absorbs the lumps and bumps along the Wicklow Way.
There seems to be plenty of grip, and the car corners well with little in the way of body roll. During my test drive it didn’t put a foot wrong. OK, the steering felt a little light but there was still a decent amount of feedback – and the six-speed manual gearbox was nice and smooth, even if the ratios were a little long for my liking.
It was easy to manoeuvre around town and I would even go so far as to say it is agile, especially on winding back roads.
The test car was powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel making 136hp and a healthy 320Nm of torque which gives plenty of thrust from 2000rpm. Whilst the engine was quiet and refined there was a bit of wind and tyre noise noticeable in the cabin at higher speeds. But nothing that would detract me from the great driving characteristics.
So, whilst the Opel Astra Sports Tourer’s looks didn’t make a great first impression on me it certainly made up for it the more time I spent driving it. And it just goes to show, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
The Opel Astra Sports Tourer is priced from €21,290. My test car was the 136hp 1.6-litre diesel model in Elite trim with a price tag of €34,270 including options. It costs €190 a year to tax.
Is this the right car for you?
If you are looking for a wonderful family car with ample space and storage with great driving dynamics as well as loads of cool features and connectivity, then this is the car for you.
However, if you are looking for something with more cabin room but with a cheaper price tag then check out the Skoda Octavia Combi which costs from €19,995. It also has a larger boot but it isn’t as great to drive as the Astra.
If you are looking for something that is just as good to drive but has more space, then check out the Peugeot 308 SW which is priced from €22,325.
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