Paris 2010: Opel Astra Sports Tourer

Opel Astra Sports Tourer - Click above for high-res image gallery

Opel is keeping busy, and aside from moving into a handful of new markets and pulling the sheets off of a hot concept, the German manufacturer has been whittling away on its wagon interpretation of the company's Astra. The 2011 Astra Sports Tourer wears the brand's trademark nose and sculpted sheet metal, but throws in an arching roofline for good measure. Inside, buyers can look forward to a set of snappy folding seats in the rear Opel claims should help make the car appealing to both families and small businesses looking to haul goods.

Power comes from either an uber-thrifty 95-horsepower engine or a more robust 180-pony lump, and a total of three transmissions are available – a five-speed manual, six-speed manual and six-speed automatic. The company says that European buyers can expect to see a start/stop system land on its 1.3-liter turbo-diesel engine in the Astra Sports Tourer as well. Hit the jump for the full press release.

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The Opel Astra Sports Tourer Priced at 18,000 euros

* Compact Wagon is dynamic, practical – and affordable
* World premiere at Paris Motor Show
* New Astra Hatchback already has 200,000 orders

Rüsselsheim. The Opel Astra Sports Tourer makes its debut at the Mondial de l'Automobile 2010 in Paris (October 2 – 17), but it can be ordered now. The athletic station wagon is as beautiful to look at as it is practical to use. And, it is eco-friendly and affordable to boot. The 1.4 ecoFLEX (74 kW/100 hp) starts at 18,000 euros in Germany. The compact wagon comes with a wide powertrain line-up of three diesel motors and five gasoline engines ranging from 100 to 180 hp.

An efficient trunk design and premium features enhance the functionality of this dynamic, beautifully sculptured wagon which has a load space between 500 and 1550 liters. With the seatbacks down, the cargo load length is increased to 1835 mm – 28 mm more than the current Astra wagon.

New in the compact segment is the FlexFold Rear Seat system, which allows each section of the 60/40 split-fold rear seatbacks to be folded forward at the press of a button located in the side walls of the cargo compartment: A spring is electrically released, automatically activating swift, remote folding of the seatbacks. The Easy Access Cover slides upward and out of the way with a simple tap. The cover retracts with a quick hand motion.

Low cost of ownership is guaranteed due to the Astra Sports Tourer's favorable insurance rating by the Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV), an umbrella organization of German insurers. The Sports Tourer received the lowest insurance rating (fully comprehensive, or, "Vollkasko neu" rating 13) of all the compact class wagons the GDV has valued.

The Astra Sports Tourer incorporates exciting Opel innovations that make life more comfortable and driving safer. These include the only front ergonomic seats in the segment certified by independent back experts from the Aktion Gesunder Rűcken (AGR); the adaptive mechatronic FlexRide chassis, the AFL+ adaptive forward lighting and the Opel Eye.

Launched at the 2009 IAA, the Astra five-door has been very well received, with nearly 200,000 orders collected in less than one year.