I’d buy this electric Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer over the hatchback any day of the week

Introduction

One of the best things about this, the new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, is that it’s available for the same money as the hatchback model. I happen to think this estate-bodied electric car looks even better than the rather good five-door. For a car that has been around in one form or another since the 80s, it’s great how Vauxhall has managed to breathe new life into an old name.

I’ve recently driven the Astra Sports Tourer Electric 156PS in top-of-the-range Ultimate trim. The car was finished in a deliciously tempting Clover Green, but I also got to take a look at the Astra Plug-In Hybrid 195PS, again in the Ultimate trim and finished in dazzling Electric Yellow. There was also an Astra Sports Tourer Hybrid 145PS in the middle GS trim finished in Contour White. One thing that was immediately obvious across all of them was just how impressive they looked.

Vauxhall is offering three trim levels, Griffin, GS and Ultimate and even the basic model carries a decent level of specification. However, the Ultimate trim seems like great value over the lower models that start at just under £30,000, with its added extras including a head-up display, wireless phone charging, heated windscreen and an electric tailgate. As an added incentive, Vauxhall has its optional Electric All package that could really benefit someone trying electric for the first time. This includes a £500 credit towards an Ohme wallbox installation or various other charging credits.

The styling

While the latest incarnation of the Astra isn’t completely new, Vauxhall has done enough to fizz up the model to make it a very relevant-looking option. The design tweaks are simple, but carefully considered, meaning that the stance is a tad sharper than the older models out there. The Vauxhall Visor that makes up the front end is crisp and clean, plus there are new Intelli-Lux HD headlights (boasting over 50,000 pixels no less) that look great and perform brilliantly after dark by carefully picking out the course of the road ahead.

Also very noticeable is the neat Vauxhall Compass design at the centre of the front end, which really helps to lift the Astra above the competition. There are newly designed 18in alloy wheels inside arches that enhance the hunkered down look of the Sports Tourer. I thought it looked particularly good in that new metallic colour called Clover Green, which was enhanced by the black roof along with glossy trim and badging highlights. As a whole, I think the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.

The interior was a little less impressive. It’s not a bad place to be and the so-called Intelli-Seats offered dependable levels of comfort. There was electric adjustment, heating and massage functionality too, but aside from the seats the interior of the Sports Tourer felt typically Vauxhall. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of appeal, especially when it comes to storage, with the Sports Tourer offering between 597 litres and 1634 litres of cargo space as opposed to the 352-1268 of the electric hatchback.

The drive

I hadn’t driven a Vauxhall Astra for a couple of years and was very pleasantly surprised at just how easy it was to live with. This isn’t a rapid car and it’s also 1,765kg in electric format, but it is wonderfully simple to handle with a familiar drive setup for anyone who has ever experienced any of the Stellantis group cars. There’s the same old drive mode shifter used in countless models, and, in fact, most of the controls gave me the feeling I’d seen them somewhere before.

Settling in though, and getting out on the open road, the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer got off to a great start. It’s just over 4.6 metres long, so slightly lengthier than the 4.37 metre hatch. However, it drove very nicely indeed proving very agile on small city streets, while feeling more than able to take on winding country roads too. There wasn’t really enough power to get into trouble either and I particularly liked the low-slung feel of the Sport Tourer. I felt very much enveloped by its interior, and this added to the overall appeal of the drive.

The Sports Tourer is slightly less sprightly, mind, with 0-62mph achievable in 9.5 seconds instead of 9.3 seconds for the hatch. So again, these are not fast cars, but they do drive well. Vauxhall made a point of making us try the car in the dark too, so we could experience those Intelli-Lux HD headlights. They worked well enough, and although they’re not exactly revolutionary, I did like the fact they were being offered on a £30K-ish car. Overall, the sort of people who’ll buy the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer should find offers it a very dependable drive – day or night.

The technology

The cabin of the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer has everything needed to keep everyone happy with the centre of attention being a 10in PurePanel infotainment screen at the top of the dash, supplemented by 10in drivers display. Vauxhall has honed the look and feel of the infotainment, which now feels more responsive and a little easier to use than I remember. There wasn’t anything remarkable about the tech on tap but, for the money, I thought it gave me everything I needed and worked well enough.

Hell, even the sat nav performed admirably, which is always a bonus when you don’t know where you’re going. There was also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus for the Ultimate trim, Vauxhall offers its PureSense range of driver aids including a 180-degree reversing camera along with Intelli-Drive 1, which makes blind spot alert, lane change assist, lane positioning assist and rear cross traffic alert options available at your disposal.

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer verdict

Overall, I really liked the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer and would certainly choose one over the hatchback. Of course, an estate-style car is going to be a little bit surplus to requirements for some, in which case the hatch is a solid choice. 

Nevertheless, with its capacious levels of space, easy drive appeal and good looks, the Astra Sports Toureris a tasty option that represents really good value for money thanks to Vauxhall’s price parity.

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer technical specifications