Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric review

Can the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric carve out a space for itself in the electric estate car segment?

In a world where new brands are arriving at a ridiculous pace and car makers are reinventing their identities and model ranges, the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric feels like a welcome constant.

It’s a name and body style that has been around for decades and while the powertrain is relatively new, you largely know what to expect once you understand that Sports Tourer is marketing speak for estate.

With SUVs dominating the family market, there aren’t many options for buyers who want a mainstream EV with estate car practicality, so the Vauxhall’s biggest rivals are the MG5 and the closely related Peugeot E-308 SW, which make for an interesting comparison.

For a long time Vauxhall has felt like the red-headed stepchild of the Stellantis group. Peugeot is the chic attention-grabbing one, Citroen is the quirky avant garde one, Fiat is the playful one and Vauxhall is the one in the corner in the grey cardigan.

While that means a car like the Astra Sports Tourer will never be the centre of attention, it does give it some latitude to be the sensible, straightforward one that meets the needs of a huge number of people.

Design, interior and technology

Within the ‘don’t be too cool or too crazy’ brief that Vauxhall seems lumped with, its designers have done a decent job of making the latest Astra more interesting than previous generations.

The striking Vizor grille helps, creating a feature from which the rest of the car grows. Sharp creases follow the ‘compass’ lines over the bonnet and along the doors and there’s a more angular, assertive look compared with its anonymous predecessors. The gloss black 18-inch wheels and two-tone paint of higher-specification cars definitely make an impact, too.

Oddly, the Astra Sports Tourer is one of the few cars where I don’t think making it an estate has done anything for the looks. Something about its low elongated proportions means it almost looks like a squashed, stretched hatchback. Nonetheless, it has a smarter, sharper look than the MG, although the Peugeot undoubtedly looks classier.

It’s a similar story with the interior, where the designers seem to have been given the brief of ‘keep it simple’. That means it doesn’t get the flashy interior touches of its Stellantis cousins such as Peugeot’s i-Toggles. Instead, it has a much more basic design but still with plenty of features – a head-up display, wraparound screens with digital dials and a 10-inch touchscreen. The materials feel fine rather than fancy, and there’s a lot of black plastic wrapped around everything.

Sometimes, though, not getting the very latest innovations is a blessing. For instance, the Astra features nice simple buttons for the heated steering wheel and seats, rather than leaving you to battle with touch menus like in a Fiat or Peugeot.

For an estate car that should major on practicality, rear space in the Astra isn’t a strong suit. Despite having a longer wheelbase than the hatchback, leg/knee room isn’t very generous and, more annoyingly, there’s a transmission hump down the middle that makes the central seat really awkward for passengers.

More positively, the boot is a good size and really practical to use. A wide aperture gives way to a completely flat floor for easy loading and the Astra Sports Tourer has a luggage capacity of 516 litres. For reference, the taller, heavier Grandland SUV only offers an extra 34 litres of space.

Rivals such as the E-308 and hybrid Toyota Corolla have more room but the Vauxhall outstrips the pokey MG, and elements such as the small netted pockets behind the wheel arches mean it offers a simple, usable space that estates have always been renowned for.

Battery, motor and performance

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric only comes with one powertrain, making things simple for buyers.

It’s a familiar Stellantis setup that mates a 154bhp motor on the front wheels with a 51kWh battery.

That makes for a leisurely 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds and while there’s some immediate shove under heavy throttle, it quickly runs out of puff.

Official testing puts the Astra Sports Tourer’s range at 256 miles thanks to quoted efficiency of 4.2m/kWh. As ever, that’s best taken with a pinch of salt but the Astra’s lower, more streamlined shape means it gets closer to those numbers than some cars within the group.

Charging is capped at 100kW for DC and 11kW AC, meaning at best it’ll take just over half an hour to go from 10-80%.

Predictably, the Astra’s driving manners are wholly unremarkable. As well as that limited acceleration, the steering and chassis feel set up for bimbling rather than blasting, which is pretty much what you want from an electric estate car anyway (unless you’re buying a Porsche). The ride is a touch on the firm side but cabin refinement is good thanks, in part, to the sound-proofed windscreen.

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric price and specification

In the battle to attract private buyers to its EVs Vauxhall has barely stood still on pricing this year.

When my Ultimate spec test car was delivered, its pre-option list price was £45,650. That has subsequently been dropped to £40,695 without any loss of equipment.

That’s £4,500 more than the entry-level Design trim but it does pack a generous amount of high-end equipment, including adaptive Intellilux LED lights, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera, plus a powered tailgate, heated seats and steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof.

If you can live without the sunroof, powered boot, HUD and smart headlights, the GS trim brings a lot of the other luxuries for a couple of grand less.

Like-for-like, the Vauxhall is around £1,000 cheaper than the equivalent Peugeot, although the Design trim undercuts the E-308 by around £3,000 by sacrificing equipment.

Less good news for Vauxhall is that MG charges just £34,000 for a top-of-the-range MG5, although the Astra has the MG soundly beaten on quality and practicality, and offers 20 miles more range.

Verdict

In some ways that difference to its rivals allows the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer to slip in as the sensible middle choice in the limited electric estate market.

The Peugeot is more stylish but more expensive, the MG cheaper but less appealing.

The Astra Sports Tourer’s range and driving experience are nothing to write home about and £40k+ for Ultimate spec is a lot of money, but it does offer a practical and well equipped choice for buyers not afflicted by badge snobbery or the current SUV obsession.

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Ultimate

• Price: £40,695 (£41,395 as tested)
• Powertrain: single-motor, front-wheel-drive
• Battery: 51kWh
• Power: 154bhp
• Torque: 199lb ft
• Top speed: 105mph
• 0-62mph: 9.2 seconds
• Range: 256 miles
• Consumption: 4.2m/kWh
• Charging: up to 100kW