British automaker Vauxhall has officially opened orders for its inaugural fully electric estate car, the Astra Sports Tourer Electric. With prices starting at £39,995 on-the-road (OTR), eager customers can anticipate receiving their vehicles from the second quarter of 2024.
The pricing details were initially disclosed in June, unveiling the Astra Electric’s £39,995 price tag. Introduced in November of the previous year, the Astra Electric not only brought forth its price but also detailed technical specifications. For its drive system, Opel/Vauxhall opted for the same technology found in the Peugeot sister models, 308 and 308 SW.
The electric drive system, a 115 kW unit from the joint venture with Nidec, is manufactured in Trémery, France. This system provides a maximum torque of 270 Nm and a top speed of 170 kph. The 54 kW battery capacity allows for an impressive range of up to 258 miles (415 km) as per WLTP standards. Swift charging is facilitated by a 100 kW DC charger, taking approximately 30 minutes to reach 10-80% State of Charge (SoC) on a CCS connection. Alternatively, a Type 2 charger can achieve the same result in up to 8 hours using a 7 kW home wall box charger or 5 hours and 45 minutes on an 11 kW connection.
In terms of storage space, Stellantis, the parent company of Vauxhall, notes that the Astra Sports Tourer Electric offers 516 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1,553 litres when the 40/20/40 seats are folded – a feature identical to Plug-in Hybrid variants.
For context, the Astra Sports Tourer GSe, running on a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine connected to an 81.2 kW electric drive, boasts a maximum torque of 360 Nm. Vauxhall’s latest foray into the electric vehicle market reflects the broader industry trend towards sustainable mobility solutions.