I know mentioning the ‘C’ word in January is a ‘No No,’ but I have to tell you about the Opel Astra Sport Tourer that I drove over the Christmas break. It came in a lovely shade of red, which was very appropriate for the festive season.
The Opel Astra Sports Tourer is available in petrol and diesel, but my test car was a fully electric version with a range, when full charged of approximately 400km. Most of the new cars that I drove last year were fully electric and looking at my diary for 2026, electrics are dominating again.
Irish car dealers can only take the cars that the manufacturers supply and we are going to see a lot more electric cars coming our way. Electric is fine in urban areas, but I wonder about the benefits of a fully electric car in rural Ireland, if you don’t have a home charger.
Traditionally, Irish motorists don’t seem to buy estates or station wagons as they used to be called, in large numbers. In the old days when we had an independent newsagent in every village around the country, Estates were popular as the shop owners made weekly trips to cash and carry outlets to purchase merchandise. But now most newsagents seem to be part of large supermarket groups.
A few years ago, the EU set a deadline of 2030 to make the switch to fully electric cars. That date was pushed out to 2035 and a few months back, it was pushed further out and I’m not sure of the new deadline. Most of the cars in line for the Continental Irish Car of the Year were fully electric and it looks like whether we like it or not electric cars are here to stay, but I would prefer Hybrid.
The new Astra Sports Tourer continues Opel’s successful tradition of compact estates, which began over 60 years ago with the Kadett Caravan, the first such car in this class from a German brand.
Externally the car has that elongated look; inside the décor is mainly dark. I mentioned the dark look in a previous review and was reminded that that dark look was what the car designer had planned. You get a neat ten-inch infotainment screen on the dash, which is tilted slightly in the driver’s direction. Underneath the screen you get a few switches and a good old-fashioned knob for the volume control.
I liked the way the car locks as you walk away and then unlocks when you approach if the key fob is in your pocket. It’s a great service and many new cars now have that system. The approximate range with a full charge is around 400km, but you might not get that much in wintertime.
Huge space in the boot and when the seatbacks are folded down, the floor is completely flat. That boot space would be ideal for a person who like the country life of shooting or fishing. You don’t need a huge SUV to carry your fishing gear, a red setter or golden retriever.
My only small complaint was the driver’s window was a big narrow, or maybe I’m getting a big head driving all these posh cars!
Prices for the EV version start at €41,284. I liked it, but truth be told I would prefer a petrol or diesel version. However, I doubt if anybody in Brussels will listen to a fella like me living in a small island in the far west of Europe.
