Astra range to get more sporty

In the week that Opel introduced its new Astra to Irish forecourts we can reveal some of the new variants coming our way in the…

In the week that Opel introduced its new Astra to Irish forecourts we can reveal some of the new variants coming our way in the next year or so.

Opel has worked hard to close the gap on the long-time leader of the hatchback sector in Europe, VW's Golf.

In terms of variants, VW was quick to release the seven-seat version of its Golf, the Touran - even before it revealed the new Golf. However, Opel's counterpart, the new Zafira, will be one of the last variants of the new Astra to be introduced to the market.

Meanwhile, in late summer this year, the sporty three-door Astra will be launched. It borrows heavily from the styling of the GTC concept, unveiled at the last year's Geneva Motor Show.

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Measuring 4,250 mm in length and 1,729 mm wide, the newcomer will be bigger than the current car and nearly as long as the five-door version. The swooping roofline and short overhangs work to give the three-door a distinctive shape, and a practical interior is expected to offer seating for five.

Opel's design team for Astra seems to have caught the public mood for change better than its counterpart at VW, which opted for incremental an nip and tuck.

The market reaction has instilled a confidence in the Opel team to carry forth its more innovative look and the three-door's aggressive nose and wide grille are just some of the results.

But there's more to come, including a glass-roofed three-door Astra, though a production of the version hasn't been decided yet. Opel had already built Vectra-variants with the glass top for research reasons. The glass roof could be combined later with the new Coupé-Cabrio Opel, in the pipeline for a spring 2005 launch.

Finally, there's the estate version of the new Astra - known as the Caravan - to be launched later this year.