The new Opel Astra changes everything and switches to the plug-in hybrid

With the takeover of Opel by the French and the integration into Stellantis, the Opel Astra shares its platform with the Peugeot 308 and DS4. The beginning of a new era for the Astra, which takes the opportunity to offer a rechargeable hybrid version. We tried it.

Since the acquisition of Opel by the French, the Opel found colors. The in-house designers have given the new models a new recognizable front end. A new face that goes through the Vizor, a grille dressed in black, which is gradually found on all models of the brand.

But this first Astra of the Stellantis era also relies on solid volumes and finely sculpted bodywork. Like the hood and shields with a worked design. We recognize the Opel at first glance, which had not happened for several decades.

A pleasant interior

Inside too, Opel changes everything. Comfortably installed in the AGR-certified seats, you benefit from good visibility and an excellent driving position. Unlike its cousin Peugeot 308, the Opel does not rely on the iCockpit dear to Peugeot.

The Astra offers an equally modern but more streamlined dashboard. Even if the whole does not exude cheerfulness, the ergonomics are good and the interface intuitive. The objective assumed by Opel is to offer a refined interior, with a detox atmosphere.

Fewer buttons, fewer distractions, for focused drivers. Build quality and materials mark a huge leap forward. This Astra inspires confidence.

Driving

Equipped with a 180 hp hybrid engine, our Opel Astra lets you choose between three driving modes. Electric, which as its name suggests, allows you to drive in 100% electric, hybrid, normal mode, which allows you to use the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and Sport mode, which uses the petrol engine more…and your ears.

When starting, if your battery is charged, you start in electric mode. What to leave in silence from the house, without waking the neighbors. In electric mode, it is possible to do about forty kilometers with a light foot and to reach 135 km/h.

An efficient chassis

From the first laps, the Astra gives confidence. The heading is good, and the turns are just a formality. By recovering the Peugeot 308 platform, the Astra changes worlds.

But its suspensions and rolling trains are not only borrowed from the Stellantis catalog. Opel engineers have been there and have been able to fine-tune the settings of the Astra. The car is a bit firmer than its French cousin, without degrading comfort, even with 18-inch rims.

It’s on the expressway and on the highway that you can really feel the difference. The famous “Autobahn hit” dear to Opel finds its perfect illustration here. It’s precise, it turns flat and the suspensions are designed to be able to drive at high speed in complete safety, on the German motorway of course.

What consumption?

With the battery charged, in hybrid mode, fuel consumption is just under six liters per hundred, which is a good value. Once the battery is empty, as is often the case with plug-in hybrids, consumption soars to around eight liters in the combined cycle.

As always, it will be necessary to make the share of the things. If you do 50 kilometers a day in the city or in the countryside, and can charge daily at home, plug-in hybrid technology will be very efficient.

If you only make long motorway journeys, it will be no. The weight of the batteries, the very low autonomy in 100% electric mode, are not suitable.

How do I charge the battery?

The net battery capacity is 10.7 kWh. It can be recharged on an AC 11 kW terminal in 4 hours. At home, on a household outlet, it will take 7 hours and five minutes. Ideal when you come home in the evening and leave in the morning.

Our test model had a €750 “7.4 kW charger” option. A beefier integrated charger, which allows you to recharge on a terminal in just 1h55. Very little interest in the end, this kind of vehicle is clearly intended to be loaded slowly in the evening at home or at the office.

Qualities that pay

For this first test, we chose the 180 hp Hybrid version. It will be joined by a 225 hp version in a few months. But this Astra is also available with 110 and 130 hp petrol engines. The attack price of this Astra starts at €24,050 at the cost of some equipment sacrifices.

But our test model, an Opel Astra Ultimate 1.6 hybrid 180 hp BVA, still peaks at €43,700 excluding options. Certainly the equipment is complete and the services up to par, but let’s compare to the €36,650 of a non-hybrid gasoline version in the same high-end finish.

The price difference rises to €7,050 between the petrol version and the hybrid version! Let’s be clear, excluding tax incentives, especially for businesses, this hybrid version will never be profitable.