By Seán Creedon
The European Soccer Championships are starting in Germany this weekend and of course Euro ‘88 brings back great memories to Irish fans, when Opel gave their backing to Jack Charlton’s Boys in Green.
The Opel Astra was not around back in 1988 when we used to see Irish stars like Frank Stapleton promoting the brand. The Astra didn’t arrive until 1991 and it quickly established a good name for itself.
The car is now so well known that you don’t really need to mention the manufacturer’s name when talking about it; people just say I’m driving an Astra.
At first glance you wouldn’t think this is a fully electric model, which I think should be a strong selling point for Opel, who have recently dropped the price of their new EV to the same as the petrol version. A smart decision.
Externally it looked great, I drove a very attractive blue version which was very impressive. The official colour was Voltaic Blue and it was complimented with a black roof.
Inside the controls on the dash are tilted ever so slightly towards the driver which is always a good idea. You get a neat ten-inch infotainment screen and physical buttons for the A/C and a good old-fashioned button for the volume control.
Underneath the infotainment screen there is a discreet storage area where you can place your phone while driving, if you don’t want to use hands-free.
SPACE
In the back seat there is room for two adults in comfort, three at a squeeze. The boot is small and as usual with most electric cars no spare wheel. No Frunk, but normally they are rarely used.
I think Renault were the first to have keyless entry and the system works perfectly in the Astra now. Once the key is on your person the doors lock when you leave and then they unlock as you approach the car.
I really enjoyed my time in the Astra. It’s very comfortable and my only small complaint is that the interior is very black and I would have liked a cream or white roofline to brighten up the décor. But no doubt that’s the look the designer wanted, but I think he/she must have been a Johnny Cash fan, there is so much black!
PRICE
The price of new cars has risen since Covid and the Astra is not the cheapest out there. Prices for the Astra range start at €30,295, while my test car with some extras will cost you €43,993. Road tax is €120. The range quoted with a full charge is 405km, but I think that’s a bit optimistic. Maybe 350km or 370km is more accurate, but it charges very quickly.
I noticed in recent weeks that the queues at charging points are not as bad as they were earlier in the year; maybe more taxi drivers have got home chargers. However, after the early adaptors switched to electric cars, the EV market is definitely slowing this year and the Government will need to introduce more incentives if they are to reach their ambitious targets for EV cars by 2035.
People do care about the environment and many motorists I talk to say they would invest in a hybrid, but not a fully electric, just yet.
