The Holden Astra Sportwagon hits dealers in October,
once again giving the Lion brand a presence in the diminished small wagon class
that it exited last year when it discontinued the Cruze.
The UK-built Astra load-lugger
joins the Poland-made Astra hatch and Korean-made Astra sedan
in Holden’s globalised small-car family. It’s the thirteenth new vehicle to
launch following Holden’s 2015 promise to launch 24 new models by 2020.
The Sportwagon gets the same tuning setup as the
hatch, co-developed by the Holden team based in Victoria, over multiple
European testing drives. The imminent arrival also competes in a class of few
rivals, with obvious alternatives being the recently released Renault Megane
wagon, plus the related Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf wagons.
Many other brands, such as Hyundai with its i30, are
eschewing this class due to an iffy business case given most are made in and
for Europe, and/or growing demand for SUVs instead. The key selling point for
the Astra wagon is its boot capacity, which is 1630L with the back seats folded
(25 per cent greater than the hatch).
The range kicks off with the LS+ at AUD 25,740 before
on-road costs, a little over AUD 3000 cheaper than a Golf 110TSI Trendline wagon,
and tops out at AUD 29,940 for the loaded-up LT. Both get the
base 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine with 150 Hp/240 Nm, and a six-speed auto as
standard. The 200 Hp 1.6 turbo from the hatch is a no-show.
Additionally of potential importance to fleet
buyers a full suite of active safety technology including Auto Emergency
Braking, Lane Keep Assist and Forward Collision Alert are all available as
standard across the range. All combine to offer a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
