The Opel Astra Sports Tourer, badged as Vauxhall on UK’s market, has been unveiled and public debut will take place at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Power choices for the new Opel Astra Sports Tourer will include 6 engines with an ecoFLEX version also expected to be added in the future. The three petrol units are the 100 PS 1.4i ECOTEC-4, 115 PS 1.6i ECOTEC-4 and the 140 PS 1.4i Turbo while the diesels include two 1.7-litre CDTis with 110 and 125 PS and a 160 PS 2.0 CDTi.
The gain in size means the Opel Astra Sports Tourer has a load volume of 500 litres or 1550 litres when the rear seats are folded while the car’s wheelbase remains the same as on the hatchback, meaning
2685mm.
The Opel Astra Sports Tourer price was not announced, but UK dealership arrival is set for the end of 2010.
Opel press release :
Luton – These are the first official pictures of the new
Astra Sports Tourer, which will receive its debut at this year’s Paris
Motor Show in September and hit UK showrooms by the end of the year.
The Sports Tourer will be the second model to join the new Astra
range, which has now sold over 28,000 units in the UK (to end of May)
since its launch last December, and has helped the Astra become
Britain’s best-selling retail range in the first five months of this
year.
Combining high levels of practicality, clothed in a typically sleek
and rakish body from Brit, Mark Adams’ design team, the Sports Tourer
will be available to order from the start of October.
Crucially, the Astra Sports Tourer and its hatch sibling will also be
among the first Vauxhall models to adopt Start/Stop technology,
reducing emissions and fuel consumption.
Illustrating the depth of Vauxhall’s engineering and manufacturing
excellence in the UK, the Sports Tourer will be assembled solely at
Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, while its new upper-body
structure has been 100 per cent engineered at Vauxhall Engineering
Centre in Bedfordshire. And like the recently launched Astra hatch, the
Sports Tourer will feature key dynamic elements tuned for UK roads.
PRACTICALITY & EQUIPMENT
Packed with clever features, the Astra Sports Tourer maintains the
hatch’s wheelbase (2685mm), yet its superior packaging has allowed the
maximum load length to be increased by 28mm to 1835mm, and its load
volume by 30 litres to 500 litres with the rear seats up.
As well as boasting a cargo area with flat wall linings to fully
optimise available space, a new FlexFold feature
(standard or optional depending on trim level) allows each section of
the 60:40 split-fold rear seatbacks to be lowered at the press of a
button housed in the walls of the cargo compartment. In addition, with
the rear seat cushions folded up against the front seat-backs, the
Sports Tourer has a completely flat load floor and a maximum load
capacity of up to 1550 litres.
But improved interior practicality doesn’t stop there. Compared with
the current Astra estate, the Sports Tourer has an additional 25 litres
of storage space in the cabin, 50 per cent more than before. And like
its hatch sibling, the Sports Tourer also benefits from the option of
Vauxhall’s award winning Ergonomic Sports Seats, providing front
occupants with best-in-class comfort.
In keeping with Vauxhall’s commitment to bringing premium features to
the compact segment, the Astra Sports Tourer will also adopt the option
of Intelligent Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), which has eight
different bi-xenon settings and automatically adapts the headlights
according to weather and road conditions.
DESIGN
The Astra Sports Tourer’s exterior design aims to raise the bar in
the compact-estate market, bringing a touch of class and dynamism,
without compromising the car’s high levels of practicality. The tapered
profile, falling roofline and prominent ‘blades’ set into the sides of
the car are complemented by a muscular shoulder line, which leads
gracefully into eye-catching sculpted rear light units.
Inside, occupants will benefit from the same embracing, premium cabin
as in the new Astra hatch, with features like the wraparound wing front
fascia and unique ambient lighting.
POWERTRAINS
From launch, Astra Sports Tourer buyers will have a choice of six
frugal, yet lively engines, with an ultra-low emissions,
Start/Stop-equipped ecoFLEX model available soon afterwards.
The petrol line-up starts with the 100PS 1.4i ECOTEC-4 with variable
valve timing and sequential fuel injection, while a 1.6i ECOTEC-4 with
115PS is also available. The Sports Tourer’s most powerful petrol engine
will be the smooth and punchy 1.4i Turbo which produces 140PS, yet
achieves a combined fuel consumption of 45.6mpg and CO2emissions
of 145g/km.
A new ecoFLEX model will be available soon after launch and will be
one of the first Vauxhall models to get Start/Stop technology. Based on
the 1.3 CDTi 95PS engine, the ecoFLEX features a Diesel Particulate
Filter (DPF) and variable geometry turbocharger.
Two 1.7-litre CDTis, with either 110 or 125PS, and a 160PS 2.0 CDTi,
which combines high performance with 55.4mpg combined economy and
emissions of just 134g/km, complete the Sports Tourer’s diesel engine
range.*
*All figures quoted are provisional
CHASSIS
From the start of the Astra Sports Tourer’s development, Vauxhall’s
target was to maintain current levels of ride and handling enjoyed by
the five-door hatch. As a consequence, its wheelbase remains the same at
2685mm, as do its front and rear tracks (1544 and 1588mm respectively).
Also carried over is the hatch’s innovative compound crank/Watt’s
link rear suspension, which combines exceptional body control and ride
characteristics and is unique to Vauxhall/Opel. For the Sports Tourer,
the compound crank’s settings have been revised, as have damper
calibrations, to cater for the model’s higher load capabilities without
compromising the hatch’s dynamics.
Vauxhall has also carried over the steering settings from the hatch,
which are bespoke to all new UK Astras. This programme offers drivers a
more natural feel, thanks to careful tuning of the car’s electronic
power steering system.
FlexRide, Vauxhall’s adaptive suspension system, is also available as
an option on the Sports Tourer. The system continuously adapts to
changes in driving style and cornering speed. In Standard mode, FlexRide
offers the whole bandwidth of settings available and adjusts to suit
the driver’s behaviour. In Tour mode, damper settings are relaxed to
optimise ride quality, while in Sport mode, throttle and steering
responses are sharpened, in addition to the adoption of stiffer damper
settings.
For customers who tow, the Sports Tourer will be available with
Vauxhall’s electronic Trailer Stability Assist system, which subtly
brakes individual wheels to maintain control of the trailer/caravan in
emergency situations.
