First drive: Vauxhall’s Astra Sports Tourer doesn’t excite, but does everything else well

What is it?

Vauxhall. Estate. Diesel. Not exactly words that get the heartstrings twanging, are they? Yet those in the market for a truly sensible car – rather than an exciting or interesting one – would do well to consider them. This is the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer – or estate, if you look past the marketing gobbledegook. It’s based on the latest Mk7 Astra, giving it a good starting point to work from, and offers a range of efficient engines alongside a usefully practical body.

What’s new?

The Astra is one of the most popular car models in the UK’s motoring history, so there’s very little that won’t feel instantly familiar to most buyers. Despite this, there’s actually a lot that’s changed over the previous-generation model, which this car replaced back in 2015.
The Astra is 200kg lighter than the model it replaces, and crucially for tech-savvy modern buyers the dashboard is far simpler and more high-tech.
In the transition from hatch to estate, very little has changed – there’s just that extra bodywork above the rear axle, along with a chrome styling line to mark this out as the Sports Tourer model.

What’s under the bonnet?

There are a few petrol engines on offer, but provided you do enough miles we’d recommend the diesel engine that came with our test car. It’s Vauxhall’s own 1.6-litre ‘Whisper’ diesel, and it’s ideally matched to the Astra – smooth, powerful enough and remarkably refined – a brief burble when setting off soon settles down. It’s capable of 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds – not exactly speedy, but with a decent slug of mid-range torque you won’t struggle to keep up with traffic.
It’s also very efficient, returning nearly 60mpg during our time with the car.
On the petrol front, there’s a 1.0-litre three-cylinder that’s probably best avoided if you’re planning on using the car’s ample carrying capacity, a brace of 1.4-litre turbos and a 1.6-litre with 197bhp.

What’s it like to drive?

Given that this is an inherently sensible diesel estate car, you might be expecting it to be a bit rubbish to drive. But that’s not the case at all.
The Astra is particularly well-balanced, remaining taut enough to resist body roll while staying comfortable over most surfaces. This car is a top-drawer motorway cruiser, with a relaxed sixth gear gait and decent refinement.
There’s a firm edge to the ride around town, however, and the steering is a little over-light. It’s this latter point that prevents the Astra from being really entertaining despite good grip in the corners. Vauxhall doesn’t offer a sporting model of the Astra like it does with the Insignia, so if you crave something with more panache you’ll need to opt for a rival.

How does it look?

There’s more than a passing resemblance to the larger Insignia Sports Tourer, which is no bad thing – it’s a handsome car. The Astra’s proportions are slightly less easy on the eye, with the stubby estate boot a fair bit less graceful than its bigger sibling. It also misses out on the latest Vauxhall corporate grille, instead opting for a double-bar arrangement that looks a little fussy.
A chrome line down the car’s windowline draws attention to the extra bodywork of the estate, while the tailgate is plain and inoffensive. Altogether, the Astra package is one which seems to be designed to be as undivisive as possible – it will blend in instantly in any company car park.

What’s it like inside?

The Astra is a slightly smaller car than its rivals, and though that pays dividends for parking it means it loses out on overall carrying space. The 540-litre boot is still deep and wide with a low loading sill, but its capacity trails that of the 605-litre VW Golf Estate.
There’s plenty of space for passengers though, with capacious rear seats. As for the dashboard design and styling, it’s once again plain and inoffensive – though in this case, that’s ideal as it means everything is exactly where you expect to find it.
Materials are of reasonable quality, but the Astra’s interior is an unrelenting sea of black. A few chrome touches can’t take away from how dark things are in here, and some lighter upholstery, differently textured materials or even a glass roof would be highly appreciated.

What’s the spec like?

Step up the trim levels and the Astra ST quickly becomes pretty expensive. Our top-spec Elite Nav weighed in at almost £30,000 and for that you don’t exactly get limousine-levels of equipment. Sure, climate control, cruise control, leather upholstery and an 8-inch infotainment display are all standard, but the alloy wheels are only 17-inches, there’s no glass roof, no surround-view cameras and no digital dial pack.
We’d be far more tempted to opt for a lower-spec car and add on some choice options, such as the brilliant but pricey IntelliLux LED matrix headlights.

Verdict

The Astra gets a bad rap for being ‘just another Vauxhall’ but it honestly deserves more than that. It’s a good-to-drive and reasonably practical, with some of the best diesel engines available in this class. Sure, it’s not exciting – but not a lot in this class is, and the Astra’s ubiquity and popularity mean it should be pretty dependable. If you’re looking at a Golf or Focus Estate, think carefully about test-driving an Astra, too.