Comfortable, practical, smart: New seat architecture and tailgate opening via a kick
Athletic, elegant, well-conceived: The design of the future station wagon bestseller
Fast, powerful, efficient: Latest generation turbocharged engines with up to 200 hp
Ultramodern, connected, safe: Opel OnStar, new IntelliLink and IntelliLux LED®
Rüsselsheim. Opel will continue its success story in the compact class with no less than two new models that will be presented at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (September 17 to 27). The hatchback version of the new generation Astra will make its first big appearance in front of an international audience and it will be accompanied by the Astra Sports Tourer that will celebrate its premiere at the world’s most important motor show. The youngest member of the compact class station wagon generation comes with the same trendsetting development features as its five-door sibling that has been available for order since June. The Astra Sports Tourer is based on a completely new lightweight vehicle architecture that will make it up to 200 kilograms lighter than the outgoing model. Given that the station wagon will also be combined with the latest generation engines, the Astra Sports Tourer will be punchier, livelier and more fun to drive. Simultaneously, fuel consumption has been curbed giving it convincing attributes for company car and frequent drivers who often look to both practical and representative station wagons.
When the order books open in a few weeks’ time, the Astra Sports Tourer will be available with Opel OnStar and the new IntelliLink infotainment systems ensuring that it has an ultramodern and extensive connectivity offer. The same applies to the numerous safety and assistance systems along with the equipment features previously only known from cars from higher segments. And last but not least, the new Astra Sports Tourer will turn heads with its elegant, lean and athletic styling. The interior demonstrates perfectly just how intelligent the design and the entire packaging are: the newcomer has exactly the same dimensions as the outgoing model but is considerably more spacious inside, offering more comfort for the driver and passengers along with more loading space.
“Our new Astra Sports Tourer and our new Astra hatchback – they are two sides of the same coin. Both represent a quantum leap for Opel and for the compact class. Apart from offering ultramodern connectivity and evolutionary design, the station wagon version focuses even more on efficiency,” said Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. “Our Sports Tourer is the perfect combination of practicality and dynamism: more space, less weight and in addition clever, trendsetting equipment details and features such as the power tailgate that opens and closes automatically with a little kick of the foot. This is how compact class station wagons should be nowadays.”
Efficient packaging: Athletic design with amble space
The new Astra Sports Tourer impresses with its athletic appearance. Just like its five-door sibling, it takes Opel’s design philosophy ‘Sculptural Artistry meets German Precision’ to the next level: efficient, light and dynamic. The newly designed double chrome bar on the grill carries the Blitz and the front headlamps melt into the radiator grill to form a graphic unity. The Sports Tourer further extends the dynamic lines of the 5-door. The slightly arched sloping roofline gives the station wagon a longer appearance – an effect that is further enhanced by the divided C-pillar. The rear view combines high functionality with sporting, elegant design. The Astra Sports Tourer has a stable, robust and safe stance – the muscular rear-wheel arch contours and the divided rear light clusters add to this impression.
The latest generation Sports Tourer has the same dimensions as the outgoing model with a length of 4,702 millimeters, a width of 1,871 millimeters (with exterior mirrors folded in) and a height of 1,499 millimeters – however, it offers much more space for passengers and luggage. The driver can enjoy 26 millimeters of additional headroom, passengers in the rear have 28 millimeters more legroom – two convincing improvements for spatial perception and travelling comfort. Furthermore, the new Astra Sports Tourer can now shoulder 1,630 liters of luggage thanks to the efficient packaging.
Clever and variable: Loading space improvements that help on a daily basis
Opel offers an extremely practical novelty for the new Astra Sports Tourer, which will help on a daily basis: for the first time, the tailgate can be opened without a touch or a remote control. In combination with “Keyless Open” a simple small kicking motion under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate. A further kicking motion under the bumper will close the tailgate. The clever system can detect any obstruction and stops the mechanism in case of emergency. Furthermore, the tailgate can still be opened by a switch on the driver’s side of the car, buttons in the luggage compartment or via the key’s remote control.
In order to increase loading space the new Astra Sports Tourer comes with optional 40/20/40 foldable rear seats enabling even more flexible loading space configurations. Furthermore, the FlexOrganizer product range with side rails, dividing nets and various fastening options is available and an option so that all loaded materials can be stored safely and tidily.
Lightweight construction + new generation engines = great driving fun and economy
Each Sports Tourer component was looked at with practicality and efficiency in mind. This is not only visible when it comes to the efficient use of space but especially when it comes to the weight. Compact design on the in and outside and the lightweight bodyshell helped the station wagon shed up to 200 kilograms. High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels, modifications to the axles, to the front and rear along with new production process all played a part in the impressive result. The entry-level Astra Sports Tourer weighs 1,263 kilograms (including driver) and is thus 130 kilograms lighter than the comparable outgoing model. This obviously has a positive effect on agility, ride comfort, consumption and costs.
The engine portfolio with outputs ranging from 70 kW/95 hp to 147 kW/200 hp also adds to the aforementioned virtues. The Sports Tourer will only be powered by engines of the latest generation. The diesel and gasoline engines with a displacement range of 1.0 to 1.6 liters all combine highest efficiency with excellent responsiveness and running smoothness.
The new 1.6 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo that will celebrate its premiere at the IAA is the top-of the-range engine available for the Astra Sports Tourer. The combustion chamber of the 147 kW/200 hp direct injection turbo unit can withstand peak pressure of 130 bar and mobilizes an impressive 300 Nm of torque (with overboost). This powerhouse also delivers outstanding smoothness over the full engine speed range. To achieve this, the engineers made numerous optimizations to the induction and exhaust systems including decoupling the cam cover from the cylinder head via specific fasteners and a dedicated sealing system. Despite direct injection and focused combustion, engineers were able to reduce noise levels substantially compared to the previous engine. Because of these ‘sound-engineering’ measures, the customer will appreciate quiet and smooth idling, with a pleasant sound quality even at high road speeds, engine speeds and loads.
Innovative technologies: Safety, comfort and connectivity taken to a new level
Apart from impressing with ultramodern, trendsetting engine, the new Astra Sports Tourer also sets new standards in safety, infotainment and comfort. The intelligent IntelliLux LED® matrix light in the new Astra is another absolute novelty in the compact segment. It enables permanent extra-urban driving with glare-free high beams and automatically and continuously deactivates individual LED modules when oncoming traffic or a vehicle immediately ahead are detected. The area around the light source is simply masked out and the rest of the road remains brightly illuminated. The groundbreaking system thus increases the active safety of all road users while also bringing additional comfort to the Astra Sports Tourer driver when driving at night. Numerous innovative assistance systems drawing on the latest generation Opel Eye front camera offer the driver further support – starting with the more extensive and precise Traffic Sign Assist over Lane Keep assist, that even offers active steering corrections in case of an emergency, right up to the Forward Collision Alert with Collision Imminent Braking that can even bring the car to a standstill at speeds under 40 km/h.
On the inside, another unique element for the compact segment can be found: Opel OnStar, the personal connectivity and service assistant, serves as a guardian angel for the driver and passengers. In addition, two new IntelliLink systems will be introduced. The latest generation of the infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Elsewhere, the new AGR-certified premium ergonomic seats add additional comfort with side bolster adjustment, massage and memory function along with ventilation. Passengers in the rear can also look forward to an additional optional comfort feature with seat heating being available for the two outer rear seats.
The Astra Sports Tourer is traditionally responsible for around 30 percent of Astra sales in Europe. The main customers are company car drivers along with families who want to combine practical loading space solutions with high travelling comfort. The biggest markets for the versatile station wagon are Germany, the UK and Italy. In Germany, order books for the new Astra Sports Tourer will open on October 10, 2015. The other countries will follow.
