The Opel Astra was once the undisputed number 1 in Dutch car sales. Take the year 1999, when 40,399 were sold. Over the years, that number has decreased considerably: in 2020, for example, only 3410.
Could the new Astra do something about that? Opel was never into outward excesses, but has now got the hang of it. The Opel Mokka was the first Opel with the new design, now the Astra follows. Opel Vizor, is the name of the family face inspired by the first Opel Manta. The length remained almost the same, the Astra grew by only 4 millimeters. The wheelbase was a bit longer: 13 millimeters.
Astra as a plug-in hybrid
An electric Opel Astra will therefore not be available, which is not very surprising. The new Peugeot 308 will also not be fully electric and both cars share the same chassis (EMP2 platform). The Astra will come on the market as a plug-in hybrid (180 or 225 hp). Furthermore, Opel only tells that there will also be ‘regular’ petrol and diesel versions, with a choice of six-speed or eight-speed automatic transmission. The 1.2 Turbo with 110 hp is the base engine.
Inside, unlike the Volkswagen brands, Opel realizes fortunately that physical buttons are indispensable for logical operation. The instruments are fully digital. Two 10-inch screens form a whole with the ventilation grilles. Thanks to a layer that prevents upward reflections in the windscreen, an instrument panel cover was not necessary. The identical buttons on the center tunnel show that the Astra and the Peugeot 308 share many parts.
Chairs and lights
Opel is always proud of two things: its intelligent lighting and its ergonomic seats. Opel is also at the Astra again proud. The lighting is called adaptive Intelli-Lux LED Pixel Matrix lighting in full. Say that fluently once. The headlamps consist of 168 LED elements.
The ergonomic chairs have received an approval stamp from the AGR: Aktion Gesunder Rücken. And if it has a stamp in Germany, it really counts…
Astra and safety
Opel has equipped the Astra with the common safety systems of 2022: adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, where the speed in bends is automatically adjusted and you can drive in traffic jams without having to do anything yourself. Furthermore, the Astra has traffic sign recognition, a track assistant that keeps you in the middle of the lane and a 360-degree camera.
Opel Astra for sale in 2022
If you are curious about the new Opel Astra, you must be patient until 2022. Only then will it be released on the market and the prices will be announced. The order books will be opened at the end of this year. Then more news will be known about the Astra station wagon.
Will the Opel Astra, just like the Peugeot 308, get shameless hubcaps? And what else is Opel up to? Sign up for our newsletter for free and you won’t miss any news!