Vauxhall’s new generation compact estate, the Astra Sports Tourer, has made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
And like its five-door hatchback stablemate, the newcomer is built at the company’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire and comes with new engines and technology plus a fresh design.
Its slightly arched sloping roofline gives the Sports Tourer a longer appearance even though the car has the same dimensions as the outgoing model.
However, it offers appreciably more space for passengers and luggage – the driver can enjoy 26mm of additional headroom while rear passengers have 28mm more.
Cargo capacity, too, is better with a total of 1,630 litres thanks to more efficient packaging.
With that in mind, for the first time on a Vauxhall the boot can be opened without a touch or remote control – combined with the brand’s Keyless Entry and Start a small kick under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate.
A further kick under the bumper will close the tailgate and the system can detect any obstruction and stops the mechanism in case of an emergency.
Added load space can be accessed thanks to 40/20/40 folding rear seats and Vauxhall says its FlexOrganiser range, with side rails, dividing nets and fastening options, will be available as an option.
The sports tourer will be powered by a line-up of petrol and diesel engines ranging from 100PS to 200PS, including an all-new 150PS 1.4-litre Direct Injection Turbo and the recently-launched 1.6-litre CDTi Whisper Diesel.
And the 200PS version of the 1.6-litre ECOTEC petrol unit will celebrate its world premiere at Frankfurt.
The Astra Sports Tourer also features OnStar connectivity with its high-speed 4G LTE mobile network, emergency response notification and stolen vehicle recovery alert along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, available through a new version of the IntelliLink system.
