CARS OF THE WORLD

Opel Astra Country Tourer 2023.

Opel Astra Country Tourer 2023. The new Opel Astra Sports Tourer.

The next-generation hatchback was unveiled last week, and the production version of the station wagon is expected to debut in about six months.

A few years ago, the former PSA group bought the Opel brand and its British counterpart Vauxhall from the U.S. concern GM.

Now they belong to recently formed automobile giant Stellantis (it is the result of Peugeot Citroen and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merger).

The Astra is still one of the most popular models of the brand, its production was established back in 1991, and the car of the fifth generation (with the index K) is presented in Europe since 2015.

Since the release of the «fifth» Astra sales in the European market has gradually fallen: so, in 2016, 250,410 cars were sold, and in the «dokovid» 2019 figure dropped to only 136,638 units.

In the last crisis year, customers bought 70,550 units (-48.4%), and now the negative dynamics persists: in the first five months of 2021 in the Old World were sold 25,753 Astra (-4.8%).

It is possible that the decline can be explained by the fact that the fans of the Astra are simply waiting for the new generation of the model to appear on the market.

The new generation of Opel Astra was presented exactly a week ago. Live sales of this «five-door» will start at the beginning of 2022.

And presentation of a universal model — with prefix Sports Tourer — will have to wait. It is expected that the debut of the «shed» will take place in a little more than six months.

So far there is no official information about how the new generation of Opel Astra station wagon will look.

So, artists have a chance to present their variant of exterior of future novelty. Thus, a designer of a Spanish edition motor.es shared his vision of the Astra’s «shed».

Obviously, the front part of the new Astra wagon will not differ from a hatchback’s «muzzle».

We recall that the appearance of a «sixth» Astra is designed in the style of Opel Vizor, which previously helped to decorate, for example, the Mokka of the second generation.

This car is equipped with LED headlights, and such headlights have already the basic version.

Visually the lighting equipment forms a single whole with the radiator grille. Optional matrix headlights with 84 diodes in each unit are available.

It is expected, that the new generation Opel Astra wagon will be longer than its predecessor (the version with index K has 4702 mm), it’s also likely to have increased rear overhang.

It will allow increasing a volume of the trunk, but it is not reported how much more (the «fifth» Astra Sports Tourer has 540 liters).

Judging by the rendering, the stern will get sloping luggage door, other taillights more narrow and stern shape.

In the center between them will be a brand logo in the form of «ringed» zigzag lightning, below — the letters that make up the name of the model.

The interior will be the same as that of the hatchback, that is created in accordance with Opel Pure Panel concept (as well as the crossovers Mokka and Grandland).

On the front panel, there are a pair of 10-inch screens, which are combined with each other: the one in front of the driver’s eyes is a virtual «dashboard», and located closer to the center is a touchscreen multimedia system.

There are physical buttons on the central console, with which you can control, for example, the climate control; and on the central tunnel there is a joystick that allows you to control the «automatic».

The «stuffing» of the new Astra Sports Tourer probably won’t differ from the hatchback’s technology either. Units are borrowed from Peugeot 308: the range includes petrol «turbo» with volume of 1,2 liter with capacity of either 110 or 130 hp, and also four-cylinder 130 hp 1,5-liter turbodiesel.

All variants are paired with a six-speed «manual», while 8ACP is offered only for 130-horsepower engines.

Besides, there are rechargeable hybrids in the range of new Astra. At the heart of the installations are either 150-horsepower or 180-horsepower petrol «turbo four» PureTech with the volume of 1,6 liters (150 or 180 hp).

They work in tandem with a 110-horsepower electric motor integrated into the eight-speed «automatic». Aggregate capacity of the system in the first case is 180 hp, in the second — 225 hp.

We shall note that the «fifth» Astra’s range includes petrol turbo engines with capacity of 1,2 and 1,4 liters and capacity from 110 to 145 h.p., and also 1,5-liter diesel engine with 105 and 122 h.p.