Opel sesame

SINGAPORE — The Opel Astra has to be one of the most underrated cars of the year. Opel, owned by American conglomerate General Motors and known as Vauxhaull in the United Kingdom, has made huge strides in the past year, spearheaded by the introduction of the much-improved Astra hatchback.

That car has always lived in the shadows of the class leader, the Volkswagen Golf, but the new Astra is better in all aspects and is well deserving of a prominent place near the front of the small Euro hatch pack.

What you probably do not know is that Opel also builds a wagon version of the hatchback. In typical European fashion, it has a cryptic label: Opel calls it the Astra Sports Tourer.

REAL ESTATE

The transition to wagonhood does not always work well, but the Astra pulls it off with a twist of its own. It is not just about slapping on an extra tall boot and windows, but it also has the flourish of chrome and rear doors/fenders that add a dash of estate flair.

It is 332mm longer, slightly taller and 42kg heavier than the hatchback, so there’s a small compromise for the main benefit of having an additional 170 litres of cargo space over the hatchback’s 370-litre boot.

With all the seats down, the car will swallow up a massive 1,630 litres of cargo. Making that job easier are the powered tailgate, remote folding rear seats and the tonneau cover that pops out easily since it is not too heavy.

The driving experience is spot on for a European hatch: A perky, turbocharged engine, active handling and good ride quality. It may not be quite as refined as the Golf Variant but it is not far off. Again, it is worth pointing out, even celebrating, the vast evolutionary gulf between the old and new Astra.

INSIDE STORY

As it is with the Astra hatchback, the interior is functional and well laid out. The build quality reflects the car’s price point perfectly: Not quite on par with its more expensive German rival but still better than those made in France or the UK.

Opel has made a lot of progress here but it still has room for improvement. In some parts, the plastic is still hard and clicky. Carry too much speed over speed bumps and the chassis loses a little composure.

Its greatest plus is that it’s priced very competitively. At S$133,888 with COE, it’s a convincing and not overly costly way to own a German wagon.

If that still sounds too expensive for a non-premium European brand, then you should know that there is a cheaper 1.0-litre version of the Sports Tourer (S$115,800 with COE) as well.

OPEL ASTRA SPORTS TOURER 1.4

Engine: 1,399cc, in-line four, turbocharged, 150hp, 245Nm

Performance: 210kmh, 0-100kmh: 9.4s, 5.6L/100km, 128g/km CO2

Price: S$133,888

On Sale: Now

PROS: A convincing European wagon: space, power, usability, style

CONS: Interior ambience could be better