Opel Astra Electric Sports Tourer test: space and price at the top

Are you one of those people who complain about people shopping at the tax-free store in Gardermoen, or do you think the tall white candles at IKEA are a bit too plain?

Then the new Opel Astra Electric Sports Tourer is definitely not for you. This is not a car for snobs.

The Opel Astra Electric Sports Tourer, or let's call it the Astra for simplicity, is an electric car that will appeal to practical Norwegians on a limited budget. Here there is no abundance of wealth, luxury equipment or expensive rims to decorate.

Strong range, ferocious fast charging, or strong acceleration aren't on the list either.

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This is how much it costs

Rather, what you get is very good space at a not-intimidating price. Importer Bertel O. Steen initially wants NOK 388,900, then equipment such as a heated steering wheel and 18-inch wheels are included.

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The cost of the test car, among other things, Alcantara sports seats and electric adjustment for the driver, as well as a very user-friendly function in which the windshield is heated via threads in the glass, as well as an electric tailgate and a sunroof, 418,100 NOK. .

Bertel O. Steen cleverly presents the Astra as an electric hatchback for the same price, but why should anyone choose it when a station wagon costs the same?

No, it's the station wagon you want, since you can afford some requirements.

The interior isn't very exciting, but the steering wheel is easy to grip and the controls are quite logical. Photo: Hakon Sabo/FinanceAffairs

Short range?

If you want to be able to go on a long trip in the winter, without having to stop to charge, the Opel Astra won't impress you. The WLTP range is 413km, which in our testing indicated an honest 240km in three-degree warm winter weather and a predominance of motorway driving.

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Range testing conducted by NAF, where the vehicle was driven in winter conditions until fully unloaded, showed a range of 296 kilometers and corresponds to a deviation of approximately 28 percent from the WLTP.

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When summer creeps in, there's reason to believe the car will do more than that, but it's safe to say the Astra station wagon isn't the winner of the bunch.

At the same time, not everyone needs to have an obviously good range in order to feel satisfied. If you're charging at home, commuting a bit to work and transporting the kids to many of the activities a modern family does, this station wagon might do a good job. The battery capacity is 50.8 kWh (net), which of course helps explain why the range isn't great anyway.

The new Astra Sports Tourer Electric swallows 516 liters in the trunk. If the rear seats are folded down, it increases to 1,553 litres. Photo: Hakon Sabo/FinanceAffairs

It charges very quickly

There is no doubt that you need to stop to recharge your batteries if you want to set off on a proper trip. If you have high demands on charging speed, there's another reason to look away from this car. You only get 100 kilowatts of charging power, which is far from the 250 kilowatts you get in a Tesla Model Y.

Again, it can be argued that there should not be a high charging speed, but this of course depends on how you plan to use the car.

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Should the Easter holiday departure date be added to the same day as all other days? Yes, it may take a long time to get there if you also want some electricity for driving in the mountains and the charging queue is long.

If it is only driven from Givnaker to Gardermoen to travel to warmer regions with the family, the situation is different.

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The button on the right determines how much power the motor will produce. Photo: Hakon Sabo/FinanceAffairs

Stellantis buttons

Fortunately, it's easy to find your way behind the wheel of an Opel Astra. It can't be said that it's unusually exciting, but in any case you get a fair number of physical buttons, something that seems to be lacking in new electric cars.

The infotainment system isn't among the most intuitive, but it's not bad at all. The Opel Astra is based on the same platform as many Stellantis group cars. Here there are options from Citroën, Peugeot, DS and Jeep.

You might recognize some of the buttons, without them actually slowing you down, and the switch is still the same as on an older Citroën, funny enough.

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If you like playing music in the car, you should be careful, however: the sound system is one of the worst we've tested in a long time, and unfortunately it's not feasible to pay extra for an upgraded system.

It is still a pleasure that the sports seats are good to sit on. The steering wheel is also sporty and the Opel has good control over the driving characteristics itself. The car is reasonably comfortable and the steering is precise enough. That the car is a bit flimsy shouldn't surprise you, given the price, but you still feel like this car represents a lot of bang for the buck.

In this sense, the Opel hits it well despite the disappointing audio system.

The interior isn't very exciting, but the steering wheel is easy to grip and the controls are quite logical. Photo: Hakon Sabo/FinanceAffairs

That's how fast it is

There is only one electric motor to enjoy in this car. It is located at the front, as in other electric cars on the same platform, so here it is front-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive (unfortunately also for a Jeep).

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The Opel Astra is capable of putting its power to the ground, but anything else would be really surprising given there's not particularly a lot of power available. The electric motor produces 156 hp and 270 Nm, but only when a separate “Sport” driving program is selected.

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It's a bit doubtful that you'd bother actively selecting this, so in most situations you'll have to make do with 'Normal' mode, where the engine gives you 136bhp. This means that the car doesn't feel particularly powerful, but it's probably not that risky in a car like this.

At the same time, it must be said that this station wagon rides easily when you put your right foot on the ground, and for slightly snooty car buyers, we think the engine power is sufficient.

It accelerates from 0 to 100 in 9.3 seconds and the top speed is 170 km/h.

Lots of space

In the front, you and your passenger can sit comfortably. There is not a lot of space in the back seat, but the luggage compartment swallows 516 litres. Another German station wagon immediately entering the market is the new BMW i5 Touring, which is in a completely different price range and boasts a capacity of 570 litres.

If the rear seats in an Opel are fully folded, the car swallows 1,553 litres.

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These are numbers you can tempt yourself with if the rest of the car is to your liking, but the Opel misses the finish line slightly when it can be read in the brochure by the kilograms of trailers the car can tow. This number is a disappointing 0.

Perhaps the consolation is that you can load 80 kilograms on the roof.

The Opel electric station wagon is a safe and durable vehicle that you might not dream of, but it can be easy to live with, provided you are aware of its limitations. For speed in the local environment without attracting attention, it is excellent.

This article was previously published in Finansavisen engine.