Holden Astra Sportwagon 2018 Review

There’s no questioning the importance of first impressions. In this case, the 2018 Holden Astra Sportwagon scored big time.

And it all came down to experiencing what sedan-based wagons tend to do best – carry stuff.

Watching the Astra Sportwagon’s powered tailgate glide open as I waved my right foot under the back bumper, I saw straight away that Holden has given us a genuinely capacious load carrier here. A heavy, bulky four-way folding ladder fitted easily into the space behind the front seats with room to spare, as did our customary test template – an adult-size mountain bike – a few days later.

If there was a strong argument to be mounted about the practicality of conventional wagons in an SUV-centric market, the Astra Sportwagon’s penchant for swallowing decent loads is a convincing one. The aforementioned appurtenances fit into the Astra better than they had previously into an (unmentioned) mid-size SUV.

In fact the Astra Sportwagon, like its few market peers such as the Renault Megane, Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308 wagons, is more spacious in the load area (540 litres) than the bulk of medium SUVs. A lot of this can be attributed to the Sportwagon’s extended rear overhang, something not considered kosher in any sort of SUV.

There are exceptions – such as Holden’s own Equinox SUV that blitzes its SUV opposition with no less than 1798 litres total load capacity – but if you take the average maximum-load figure, small wagons rule.

And there’s also the fact that, as wagons are based on regular-size cars, the loading height is lower and generally less stressful on the back muscles than high-riding SUVs (of course it could be argued that the easier cabin entry offered by the higher hip point of SUVs could be a deal-maker for many buyers).

Physically, the Holden Astra Sportwagon fits neatly into its competitor group. Significantly, at 4702mm, it’s the longest. Length, width and height in the load area are pretty much the same as Megane, Golf and 308, attested to by the quoted cubic capacity.

Its only shortfall is the 1200kg braked towing capability, which is down on the Megane (1300kg), Golf (1500kg) and 308 (1400kg).

So how does the Astra Sportwagon fit into this seething milieu of family-oriented load-carriers that are clamouring for your attention?

Pretty well, it must be said. The UK-built Sportwagon not only rates highly in load space but, as it shares more than just its essential styling – from the B-pillar forward – with the sporty Astra hatch (built in Poland, the sedan in Korea), it measures up nicely in a dynamic sense.

The small weigh deficit of around 50kg between it and the Astra hatch is not enough to blunt performance and the general ride/handling balance (the shared 2662mm wheelbase is shorter than the Astra sedan) is pretty much the same.

The muted rasp from the 110kW/240Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine is suggestive of eager performance and is essentially on a par with Megane, Golf and Peugeot 308 wagons in terms of power-weight ratio and on-road performance.

The conventional six-speed auto – minus shift paddles – is well matched to the engine too, a little less efficient than the dual-clutch transmissions seen in Megane and Golf but not way off the charts in delivering effective power and helping the engine maintain minimal CO2 emissions. In fact, at a claimed 5.9L/100km the Astra is pretty competitive with all but the diesel-engined 308 wagon; same with the 137g/km CO2 figure.

On test, we averaged 7.9L/100km over a week’s driving in a variety of freeway and urban conditions, which was a little way from the 5.9L/100km official claim.

The Astra Sportwagon steers and rides similarly to the hatch: That is, it errs more on the sporty side than the cushier sedan, with pleasantly light steering (maybe be too light and slow, at 2.7 turns from lock to lock, for some) and a well-controlled ride that subtly reveals the design input from local Holden engineers.

It also does well in terms of cabin noise, not always an easy thing to do with a big, potentially resonant interior. This helps endow the wagon with a relaxed cruising gait on the open road.

And, like the load area, passenger space is impressive. Long-legged front-seat passengers will love the amount of travel provided, as well as the rotating-knob backrest adjustment, and those in the back won’t complain about leg room, almost regardless of who is seated up front.

What they might notice back there is the degradation in presentation. The trim goes from soft to hard and unyielding, the piano black garnish on the door pulls disappears, there’s no fold-down centre armrest and no air vents. Although the dash seems upmarket, moreso than the sedan’s lumpier, less-flowing presentation (and it gets an electric park brake in lieu of the sedan’s conventional pull-up lever), the disconnect with the rear cabin is disappointing.

The dash itself brings the same basic functionality, but not the same design, as the Astra sedan. Essential controls are located in the same places and are quickly acclimatised to, although there are a number of things exclusive to the hatch and Sportwagon to be appreciated. These include the climate-control air-conditioning (manual for the sedan) and the toggle-style steering wheel switches for cruise control and radio volume.

Bluetooth is all too easy to activate and, although I’m no fan of touchscreens, I at least found the landing pad icons large and easy to find, and that there’s a nice rotating dial to easily control zooming in or out on the sat-nav.

Standard gear on the LT Sportwagon is a notch or two up on the LT-spec sedan, too.

Although the LT sedan comes with self-parking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, it misses out on the wagon’s City Stop low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), making do with a strident collision warning instead.

All Astras get a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Both LS+ and LT Sportwagons come with AEB as standard, as well as lane-keep assist, but the LT goes further with blind-spot monitoring, self-parking, a bigger 8.0-inch screen with sat-nav, climate-control, leather trim, heated door mirrors, the hands-free power tailgate mentioned earlier (I found it a little inconsistent to use) and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The three-year warranty is pretty basic, shared with both Volkswagen and Peugeot, although the kilometres are limited, unlike Volkswagen, to 100,000km and roadside assist is only provided for one year. Renault leads the field with five years of unlimited warranty backed up by roadside assist for the full term.

The Astra requires servicing every nine months/15,000km, which puts it behind Renault (12 months/30,000km), Volkswagen (12 months/15,000km) and Peugeot (12 months/20,000km).

Station wagons may not be the flavour of the moment by any means. But that doesn’t mean they lack relevance, price-competiveness or appeal. Astra Sportwagon pricing generally undercuts its rivals from Renault, Volkswagen and Peugeot, and certainly matches them in all the important, practical criteria.

Small wagons tend to offer a pretty good deal in terms of load for loot. The Holden Astra Sportwagon comfortably makes the cut.