Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer review

Vauxhall is massively slimming down its whole range, so in the UK there are four trim levels and a very short options list that's essentially limited to metallic paints, a tow bar and that upgraded leather interior. 

The base spec Design starts at £28,160 with the 109bhp petrol powertrain and is reasonably well-equipped. For that you get LED lights all round, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert and automatic emergency braking. There’s the Pure Panel interior too, plus a decent sound system, a leather steering wheel and 16-inch wheels.

The black-packed GS Line is more about the style, with sporty front and rear bumpers, black 17-inch wheels, blacked-out Griffin badges, a black roof and black headliner inside. Your entry point for that is the more powerful 128bhp petrol with a manual gearbox at £31,055. Worth mentioning that the step up does also bring dual-zone climate control, the super soft AGR approved seats and the 360-degree parking camera too.

The plug-in hybrid can only be combined with GS Line trim at this stage, with prices starting at a seriously punchy £39,135.

If you’re leasing, the combustion engines start at £167 per month on a two-year PCP with an £8,300 deposit. Around £30 per month extra steps you up between the trim levels. On the same deal the PHEV will start at £280 per month.

Worth remembering that Vauxhall is readying a fully-electric version of the Astra Sports Tourer too. If that arrives soon it might only have the MG 5 EV and the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo to go up against in the electric estate market, so should do fairly well.