The e-version of the successful Astra was unveiled on the Brussels motor show in January this year, and has recently hit our roads. The dynamic PR department of Stellantis offered us the top equipment version for an extended test drive, and indeed we were very keen to get behind the wheel.

The Astra e seduced us with its refined smoothness and its remarkable efficiency. Driven sedately in dense urban traffic, we used only 12,4 kW/100 km, which is impressive indeed. The Astra is a worthy member of a new generation of compact EV’s with sufficient power, lower weight, reasonable battery sizes and a usable range of some 360-400 kilometers. On top of that, they are agile and a pleasure to drive. Just read further…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Stellantis is doing fine in the EV field, offering sensibly sized compact models across its range like the DS 3 we tested earlier. Here in the Astra we find the same new electric motor, good for 156 hp and 270 Nm of torque.

This offers zesty performance, which will satisfy virtually all of us in daily life. Indeed, the Astra will sprint with a whisper from standstill to 100 km/h in 9,2 seconds, and has a very creditable top speed of 170 km/h.

You can choose between three driving modes, eco, normal and sport. In the eco mode, engine power is reduced to 108 hp, but in practice this leaves you still with enough oomph thanks to the excellent torque characteristics of the electric motor. It gives you excellent efficiency, like we pointed out earlier. One drawback with the very hot weather we had during our test is the reduced power of the air conditioner in this eco mode. In the normal driving mode, power is set at 136 hp, with 156 hp being reserved for the sport mode. Nevertheless there is a kickdown function which puts the full engine power at your disposal irrespective of the chosen mode when you floor the throttle.

The screen in front of you displays the chosen driving mode, and is a school example of clarity and simplicity. You find all the essential information in a nutshell: battery capacity, range, driven speed and the music you are listening to… of course, it can be configured to suit your personal preferences.

The unique feeling of ’’ZEN’’…

More and more we start to like EV driving, especially in town. There is the uncanny smoothness when parking, maneuvering or driving very slowly in traffic jams. It is so beautifully stress reducing. On top of that, it is silent.  So you discover the merits of a good audio system, and indeed, the beauty of music… it makes spending time in heavy traffic a soothing and restful experience. This can be said more than ever when driving this Astra Electric. The DAB+ radio provides of course crystal clear sound, and with the display right in front of you informing you about the composer, the piece of music and performer, you just sit back and enjoy…

Ideal seating and ergonomics…

At Opel they take good seating very seriously. The driver’s seat is a so-called “active sports” seat, especially designed to give your back the best possible support. It carries the certificate label AGR, which means nothing else than that it is certified by the organisation ’’Aktion Gesunder Rücken”, or Campaign for Healthier Backs. Indeed, they give excellent support. The seat is also eminently adjustable, so sitting behind the wheel of this Astra is an undisturbed pleasure.

This feeling of absolute well-being is further enhanced by the excellent ergonomics of displays and commands in the cabin. Opel designers are convinced that less is more, and they have adopted this philosophy when designing the dashboard and its controls. Indeed, the dashboard layout is a model of simplicity and clever design.

All the controls are clearly labeled and tactile, and you don’t need a manual to get acquainted with all the functions in this Astra. The instruments, or rather the two coupled 10 inch screens are also a school example of clarity and readability. Some will say that everything is rather austere and without stylish drama and panache, but then you come to appreciate it increasingly in daily use.

Lively and agile

The suspension strikes also a very good balance between comfort, steering precision, handling and high speed stability. The Astra steers very pleasant and its overall agility on winding roads totally belies its 1,7 tonne weight, which is quite light anyway for EV standards. As said, the Astra strikes a very good balance between engine power, battery size and vehicle weight.

Just a word about the batteries. It is a 54-kWh lithium-ion battery with  102 battery cells housed in 17 modules. The Astra Electric can cover up to 418 kilometres in accordance with WLTP1.

Charging times are also quite reasonable. It can be charged to 80 pct of its battery capacity in under 30 minutes at a 100 KW charging station. The car is standard equipped with a three-phase 11 kW onboard charger for the wall box at home…

We already told you about the efficiency of the Astra. Thanks to the standard heat pump, this five-door Astra requires just 14.8 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometres (WLTP2 ). A word of praise again here, as in the test of the DS 3, is warranted for the ”B’’ position, where the car will use the regenerative braking to the full. This allows very smooth one pedal driving indeed, with the regenerative braking force being very progressive and smooth.

Practical

The Astra also has an estate version, and soon the Astra Electric will also be available as such. This makes this EV then a very practical proposition indeed. The batteries are housed in the platform floor and beneath the rear and front seats, and take some boot space too. The Astra Electric offers 352 litres of luggage space in the boot – with the seats folded down, the capacity increases to up to 1,268 litres. Sufficient we would say, but the soon to come estate version will offer more…

Electronic driver assistance…

On-board as standard are electronic aids from the front collision warning system with automatic emergency braking to the adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function and the Intelli-Vision 360-degree camera. In addition, the Intelli-Drive 2.0 system with semi-automatic lane change and intelligent speed adaptation is optionally available for the Astra Electric for the first time. The adaptive Intelli-Lux LED®Pixel Light ensures bright, glare-free illumination of the road at night. We also liked the very clear and readable head up display.

Conclusion

This Opel Astra is now even more endearing to drive in the electric version. It has lost nothing of its agility, the dynamic driving experience is now even better thanks to the smoothness of the drivetrain and the power delivery. Handling is just as good, striking a good balance between comfort and overall handling. The excellent ergonomics, the host of electronic driver assistance systems make daily life with the Astra a further pleasure…and just wait for the estate version!

Hans Knol ten Bensel