What the Golf is to VW, the Astra is to Opel. For decades, the compact model has symbolized the Rüsselsheim brand with the lightning bolt. You have now reached generation number six. And it takes a leap that has never been seen before in the Astra’s thirty-year history.
Not only does the new Astra, due to the takeover by the PSA group, have French technology under the sheet metal, but for the first time it will also be available as a plug-in hybrid and in the coming year even as a fully electric version. Of course, there are still petrol and diesel engines.
Opel has lived for a long time with the reputation of being “eternally second” to its Wolfsburg opponent. In the past, the Astra came in its home country Germany in comparison to the Golf on just a quarter of its registration numbers. However, that could change in the future – in favor of the Astra. Its design is a small revolution compared to its predecessor. The Astra has a sporty profile with clear edges and good proportions. He will stand out in traffic, attract glances.
At 4.37 meters, about as long (+4 mm) as its predecessor, it is optically more solid on its wheels. Reason: Its width grew by 5.1 centimeters, the roof is 1.5 centimeters lower and the wheelbase is 1.3 centimeters longer. The so-called Vizor grill, in which the headlights and grill represent a very technical design element, is already known from the mocha. The most noticeable feature on the flank is the rear roof pillar (C-pillar). It is a bit reminiscent of the dorsal fin of a shark, especially with the bi-tone paintwork. A trunk with a volume of 422 liters, which can be expanded to 1250 liters, is hidden under the tailgate.
The Astra offers the real wow factor in the cockpit. As a volume manufacturer, Opel would never have been credited with what the digital world is presented there, but rather expected in an Audi, puristic, clean and high-quality. A huge, thin display spans behind the steering wheel, which even includes the ventilation flaps on the left edge, a unique feature in the automotive industry to date. A special barrier film also debuted. It lies behind the glass cover and should act like a sun blind. This enabled Opel designers to omit the often ugly roof above the display, which gives the whole thing even more precision and high-tech character.
Good for everyday life: Below the screen there are various switches and buttons for functions that you want to activate with a click and not via the menu navigation on the display. Even the classic rotary control for the volume has not been saved, as VW did with the Golf.
But Opel doesn’t just want to score with its “Pure Panel Display”, but also with high-tech features that are often only found in higher classes. These include, for example, a head-up display and assistance systems that enable semi-autonomous driving.
“For the market launch at the beginning of next year, the Astra will be launched with both gasoline and diesel engines, so it will also be electrified for the first time,” says Opel’s new CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz, who is having his first working day in Rüsselsheim just for the world premiere of the compact model. The plug-in hybrid version of the Astra is available in two output levels, with 132 kW / 180 PS or 165 kW / 225 PS. Both have a 12.4 kWh battery, which should enable an electric range of around 60 kilometers.
The petrol engines start at 110 hp. This is a 1.2-liter three-cylinder, which is also available in a 130 hp version. The WLTP consumption is between 5.4 and 5.8 l / 100 km. The Astra’s only diesel engine also produces 130 hp. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder delivers a torque of 300 Newton meters and should require 4.4 liters per 100 kilometers.
A little later next year, Opel will submit a so-called performance plug-in hybrid. It has a system output of 220 kW / 300 PS. The Rüsselsheim engineers are thus following the strategy of their French colleagues. It stipulates that the most powerful models must always be plug-in hybrids. “Astra will finally be available as a fully electric version at the beginning of 2023,” promises Hochgeschurtz. Opel has not yet revealed the exact data, but since the Astra shares the platform with the Citroen C4 and it is already available as a battery-powered vehicle, its values can easily be transferred to its brother from Rüsselsheim. That means: 100 kW / 136 PS power in connection with a 50 kWh battery. This should allow a range of around 300 kilometers.
When Opel opens the order books in October, the base model in Germany starts at 22,465 euros. The prices for Austria have not yet been determined. (SPX)