Vauxhall open orders for the new Astra Sports Tourer Electric

22 November 2023

Vauxhall has opened orders for their first fully electric estate car, the Astra Sports Tourer Electric, with just a handful now available to the market. The new model by Vauxhall makes up only one of three electric estate variants available on sale in the UK, with first deliveries from Spring 2024.

The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric has gone on sale, expanding the currently limited choice of electric estate cars. When we say limited choice, we mean a choice of one: the MG 5 EV Estate (if you accept that the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo isn’t really a proper estate car).

The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric features a 54kWh battery, giving an electric driving range of (WLTP) 256 miles. The electric motor has a power output of 156hp and torque of 270Nm, delivering a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 9.2 seconds.

We should talk about efficiency. The Astra Sports Tourer Electric is capable of 4.2 miles per kWh. UK motorists are still in the process of getting their heads around the concept of miles per kWh compared to miles per gallon, but any figure of more than 4 miles per kWh is above average for EV efficiency.

Efficiency is aided by the Astra having a heat pump, which uses waste heat from the battery and electric motor to warm the cabin in cold weather, minimising loss of battery range.

Also helping with its efficiency is the fact that the Astra Sports Tourer Electric weighs only 68kg more than the Plug-in Hybrid version. It also has a special ‘eco tyre size’ of 215/45R18 A+ (large wheels and tyres are a key contributor to the reduced efficiency of EVs).

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric can be rapid charged at up to 100kW DC, which should give a 20%-80% charge in 26 minutes. All Astra Sports Tourer Electric models come with a three-phase 11kW AC onboard charger as standard, enabling a 0-100% charge in 5 hours 45 minutes, or 8 hours from a 7kW home wall box.

The Astra’s battery is integrated into the chassis below the front and rear seats, resulting in a 31% increase in torsional stiffness compared to a petrol Astra Sports Tourer.

Because this is an Estate, boot size is likely to be important to calculate, for example, how many dogs can be accommodated in the rear: there are 516 litres of luggage space, increasing to 1,553 litres when the 40/20/40 seats are folded. Ultimate versions include roof rails and a hands-free powered tailgate.

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric is available in a choice of three trim level: Design (£39,995), GS (£42,345) and Ultimate (£45,460). The first deliveries are due in spring 2024).

All models have satellite navigation as standard. A feature available on Ultimate models is Vauxhall’s IntelliLux LED Pixel Light technology, which uses 84 individual LED elements per headlight to provide clear lighting whilst automatically cutting out oncoming road users from its beam.

With the arrival of the Astra Sports Tourer Electric, Vauxhall now offers six fully electric passenger vehicles, and it will offer a fully electric version of every model from 2024.