However, Germany and several other central European markets gobbled up plenty of Astra Sports Tourers because of the excellent deals and reasonably efficient engines. We don't expect any of that to change, even though Opel now has the full backing of PSA, the biggest carmaker in Europe right now.
We've seen the French doing a lot of interesting stuff in the family car business lately. Peugeot has boosted its quality while Citroen is now making rugged-looking cars almost exclusively, ranging from the armor-clad C3 to the funky C5 Crossover. But the Astra wagon will probably just get a couple of new engines; no off-road body kit or excitement.
Two powertrains are almost guaranteed to come to its range next year. There's the petrol-powered 1.2-liter turbo, which should be offered between 100 and 155 HP, and the 1.5 diesel with 100 to 130 HP. There's a slim chance of a 2-liter diesel, but you can say goodbye to all hopes of a GSi model with over 200 HP. Peugeot made that pretty clear by killing the 308 GT and GTi.
Hybrids could offer a bit more poke, but they probably won't be available in the Astra range for a couple more years. This test prototype has no extra charging ports, and its cosmetic upgrades are limited too.
We see fresh headlight and taillight graphics, as well as a new mesh grille to go with the revised bumper. Expect to see the model in full no later than this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
