Opel Astra gets new mild-hybrid powertrain

The backbone of the former PSA’s European petrol offering has long been the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 130 hp. You can find it everywhere in the compact and medium-sized range, and have done so for years. The engine is available with a manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission (from Aisin), but the latter option will disappear. Instead, Stellantis introduced a new, 136 hp powertrain more than a year ago. It is also built around a 1.2, but exchanges its traditional eight-speed gearbox for a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It also gets a little bit of electrification in the form of a 28 hp and 55 Nm strong electric motor, which earns it the ‘Hybrid’ designation from Stellantis.

Remarkably, this powertrain did not appear in a new and fresh model in 2023, but in the Peugeots 3008 and 5008, which were already on their last legs. The much newer Opel Astra and Peugeot 308 had to do without it until now, but that changes today. At least, for the Astra, because Peugeot apparently does not have the new price list ready yet. The Astra costs at least €36,999 as a 1.2 Turbo Hybrid e-DCT and is 500 euros more expensive across the board than before. In theory, you earn that back, because with a WLTP consumption of 4.7 instead of 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers, the hybrid Astra is considerably more economical than the previous 130 hp version.

The complete price list of the new Astra models can be found below, supplemented for completeness with the unchanged manual transmission models. In addition to the versions mentioned, the Astra is also available as a PHEV and as a fully electric Astra Electric, but we will not consider those unmodified versions here. Would you prefer as much space as possible? Then we have two more good news for you. The first is that the Astra, as a Sports Tourer, is not a cent more expensive than the five-door hatchback, the second is that the mild-hybrid version cleverly hides its battery under a seat and therefore offers as much loading space as a regular petrol version. In such a Sports Tourer you can store a maximum of 1,634 liters, compared to 1,553 liters in a version with charging option.

Prices Opel Astra