2011 Astra Sports Tourer is almost here. The vehicle will make its official debut at this year's Paris Motor Show in September and hit UK showrooms by the end of 2010.

The Sports Tourer will boost the model range of the new Astra, which has now sold over 28 000 units in the UK since its launch in December 2009.

The Astra Sports Tourer and hatchback version will be among the first Vauxhall models to adopt Start/Stop technology, which significantly reduce emissions and fuel consumption.

Although Astra Sports Tourer has the same wheelbase ( 2685mm ) as the hatchback, it offers more load length with 28mm, which reflects on the load volume also increased with 30 litres to 500 litres with the rear seats up.

Furthermore, Sports Tourer offers additional optimisation of the available space, a new FlexFold feature (standard or optional depending on trim level) allows each section of the 60:40 split-fold rear seatbacks to be lowered at the press of a button housed in the walls of the cargo compartment. The maximum load capacity is increased up to 1550 litres.

Vauxhall Astra brings premium features to the compact segment like Intelligent Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), which has eight different bi-xenon settings and automatically adapts the headlights according to weather and road conditions granting perfect visibility at all time.

The exterior looks modern and is aimed to raise the bar in the compact-estate market. It features a touch of class and dynamism, without compromising the car's high levels of practicality.

The tradition of Vauxhall to deliver perfect comfort for the occupants is kept. They will benefit from the wraparound wing front fascia and unique ambient lighting. The engine range is not quite big, but it is satisfying. The choice is between six ultra-low emissions engines with perfect fuel consumption. Of course, the Start/Stop ecoFLEX system will be available soon afterwards.

The petrol line-up starts with 1.4i ECOTEC-4 delivering 100PS. Second is 1.6i ECOTEC-4 with 115PS and the most powerful version of Astra Sports Tourer features 1.4i Turbo to produce 140PS, the small turbocharged engine has a combined fuel consumption of 45.6mpg and CO2emissions of 145g/km.

There is also a choice of three diesel powered engines. The first one is 1.3 CDTi with 95PS featuring a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and variable geometry turbocharger.

The second in the range is 1.7-litre CDTis with either 110 or 125PS, and a top-of-range 160PS 2.0 CDTi, which delivers ultimate 55.4mpg combined economy and emissions of just 134g/km.

More information about the trim levels and price list will be soon available.

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