This is the all-new Opel Astra sedan, the fourth and likely last member of the Astra family after the five-door hatchback, the Sports Tourer station wagon and the GTC coupe as the upcoming convertible model is said to gain a new nameplate in the likes of the VW Golf-based Eos.
If you have already laid eyes on the North American market Buick Verano or its Chinese twin, the Excelle GT, the 2013 Opel Astra sedan’s appearance won’t surprise you.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t some styling changes, just that they are limited to the front and rear ends with the European model sporting the typical Astra face and new tail lamps that ditch the Buick’s chrome ‘eyebrows’ along with a restyled boot that integrates a spoiler in its design.
The new Astra sedan is 4,658mm long, 1,814mm wide and 1,476mm tall making it 239mm longer than the hatchback. The two body styles share the same wheelbase of 2,685 mm.
All that extra space benefits the trunk that offers 460 liters of volume, or 90 liters more than the five-door model. By folding down the 60:40 split rear seat, the luggage volume can be increased up to a maximum of 1,010 liters.
At the start of sales this summer, the new generation of the Astra sedan will offer an initial choice of seven engines. These include four gasoline units with outputs ranging from 99hp (100PS) to 177hp (180PS), of which three can be combined with a six-speed automatic transmission.
There will be three diesel engines rated at 94hp (95PS), 108hp (110PS) and 129hp (130PS) respectively. The 1.7-liter CDTI ecoFLEX diesels with 108hp and 129hp come fitted with Start/Stop as standard returning consumption figures as low as 3.7lt/100km (63.6mpg US or 76.4mpg UK) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 99g/km.
Opel said it will sell the new Astra sedan in select Western European markets such as Germany and Spain but not the UK, in Eastern Europe, Russia and Turkey.
The world premiere of the new member of the Astra model family will take place at the Moscow Auto Salon 2012 on August 29.
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