Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer GSe Review & Prices

Vauxhall has a pretty good legacy of affordable performance cars - from hot hatches like the Astra GTE and Corsa VXR to the VX220 sports car and the Monaro muscle car. With the introduction of the GSe badge, Vauxhall hopes that it can revive some of that past magic but in an electrified and thoroughly 2024 package.

The result is the Astra GSe, available as the Sports Tourer estate we have here or a regular hatchback. The problem is, it’s a bit like a crack accountant wearing their granddad’s war medals - they might be excellent at their job, but they’re fishing for accolades that they didn’t earn.

The truth is that the Astra GSe is as comfortable, as pleasant to live with and as practical as any other Astra - but it’s not worth the extra money because it’s not a true hot hatchback. Or in this case, a true hot estate car.

Proper performance models like this do exist - you could check out the Skoda Octavia vRS Estate, or the Volkswagen Golf R Estate, for not much more money. Alternatively if the boot space doesn’t bother you, try the Ford Focus ST.

You can tell a GSe from a regular Astra by a few external tweaks. Reprofiled bumpers, blacked-out exterior trim and unique 18-inch alloy wheels - plus a very slightly lower ride height and yellow GSe badging - are the markers. Inside, the only changes are the materials - leather has been swapped for Alcantara on most surfaces.

Interior space isn’t bad at all. There’s a little more rear seat space in the Astra ST than there is in the slightly tight hatchback, though the one-piece sports seats in the front do limit your view out a little. Still, two six-foot adults will be able to get comfortable, though not as easily as they could in a Skoda Octavia Estate.

Boot space, meanwhile, is 516 litres, making it smaller than the massive 610-litre Skoda Octavia vRS Estate and 605-litre Volkswagen Golf R Estate. It is however a practical space and on par with most plug-in hybrid alternatives - and certainly a step up over a regular hot hatch.

The Astra’s interior is a really nice place to sit - it’s high-tech, well designed and comfortable. Again, however, this all applies to the normal Astra and Astra Estate - the GSe additions don’t really improve the ambience at all. While the Alcantara seats are comfortable and grip you better than leather in the corners, they’re less family-friendly since you can’t just wipe them clean.

The interior is still very dark and monochrome, with just a few bright yellow GSe badges failing to lift it. It feels a little half-arsed, though as the range-topper of the Astra Sports Tourer line the GSe does come with a huge amount of standard equipment.

The GSe uses a plug-in hybrid engine, which gives good performance while aiming to reduce running costs and company car tax. The 1.6-litre petrol and electric motor produce a combined 225hp, while new front dampers and quicker steering aim to make the GSe feel more sporty. The effect, sadly, is minimal - while it’s pretty fast, the powertrain is uninvolving and the GSe isn’t really that much fun in the corners.

Instead, like other Astras, it’s pretty quiet and comfortable - great traits, but not what you’re expecting from a practical performance car.

If you don’t mind your fast estate being sporty only in name, then have a look at our best Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer GSe deals. You can check out deals on other Vauxhall models too, or search for a used Vauhall for sale here. Remember Carwow can even help you sell your old car.

With prices starting around £44,000, the GSe is barely more expensive than the range-topping Ultimate in plug-in hybrid form - so it’s not poor value if you’re looking purely at power figures. However, the Ultimate isn’t the Astra we’d recommend, preferring both the normal petrol engine and one of the lower trim levels.

It’s quite a lot pricier than a Skoda Octavia vRS Estate, and a couple of thousand more than the slightly more powerful Cupra Leon Estate e-Hybrid. It’s much cheaper than a Volkswagen Golf R Estate, but that’s a whole different echelon of performance.

Fast and comfortable, but not at all exciting to drive - which is a shame

In town

The Astra’s plug-in hybrid system means you can drive around town on electric power alone - provided you keep it charged up. An official range of 40 miles is more like 20-25 in the real world but that’s still a useful amount for most across-town jaunts.

When you run out of battery, though, the engine and gearbox can be a little jerky - a Skoda Octavia vRS, with its DSG automatic, is smoother.

The GSe gets lowered and stiffened suspension compared to the regular Astra Sports Tourer, but don’t panic that this means it’s rock-hard over bumps. In fact, it’s still very absorbent and comfortable, dealing well with speed bumps and potholes. The steering is slightly quicker than the base car, but this isn’t really noticeable around town, and it’s still light enough to make parking and manoeuvring easy.

On the motorway

The GSe’s comfortable suspension helps make motorway trips relaxing, and there’s more than enough power in reserve to make overtakes and short slip roads easy.

Wind noise is well contained, but there’s a little more road noise than the regular Astra Sports Tourer. While the electric motor can power you up to motorway speeds, it’s more likely you’ll be using the 1.6-litre petrol for most of your cruising - and it can sound a little gruff, especially if you ask for some revs.

On a twisty road

This is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the Astra GSe. The regular Astra hatch and Sports Tourer aren’t much fun on a twisty road thanks to their soft suspension and remote-feeling steering. Sadly, the GSe doesn’t do enough to change that.

It rides on eco-focused tyres, which don’t have a lot of grip for fast cornering - so the front end has a tendency to lose grip and wash wide. The steering is quicker than the regular Astra, but you still need to apply more lock than you might expect, and it doesn’t communicate what the front wheels are doing.

While outright pace is pretty good - 0-62mph takes just 7.5 seconds - the Astra’s weight also counts against it, giving it a lethargic rather than responsive feel. Compared to a proper hot hatchback like a Volkswagen Golf GTI, the difference is night and day - the Astra GSe barely feels warm in comparison. Even a regular - not performance-spec - Ford Focus or Mazda 3 are more satisfying to drive quickly.

Not the biggest boot for an estate thanks to the hybrid system, but decent room on offer

Practicality in the Astra Sports Tourer GSe is almost identical to hybrid versions of the regular Astra Sports Tourer, so we don’t go into huge detail about it here. The main difference for front seat passengers is that the GSe gets some AGR-certified (the German campaign for healthy backs) front seats with sporty, one-piece headrests. They’re not perhaps as immediately comfortable as you might expect, but after a long trip you’ll realise that they’re actually very supportive and help reduce fatigue.

Space in the back seats

Rear seat space is identical to the regular Sports Tourer, which is to say it’s alright but not exceptional. There’s much more room in a Skoda Octavia vRS estate. Rear passengers also get a slightly reduced view out thanks to the front seat headrests.

You get reasonable-sized door bins, a couple of cupholders in the central armrest and usefully a pair of USB-C ports for keeping gadgets topped up.

Boot space

With 516 litres on offer, the GSe suffers the same reduction in boot space as the regular PHEV Astras - pure petrol models have a much more impressive 597-litre space, the extra room coming mainly from a large underfloor storage compartment. A Skoda Octavia vRS Estate has much more room - up to 610 litres. However, the Astra does get more space than the comparable Cupra Leon eHybrid, which only has 470 litres.

A moderately sporty makeover doesn’t ruin a nicely-appointed interior, but it can be very dark

There’s little to complain about on the inside of the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer GSe. Like the regular Astra, it has a more conventional interior than the Peugeot 308 with which it shares its mechanicals - you get lots of physical switchgear, including climate controls, which is a nice addition that’s missing from so many alternatives.

For GSe models the upholstery has been changed from leather to Alcantara suede for the most part - this is grippier, helping stop you from sliding about in the corners.

Changes are otherwise limited to the aforementioned sports seating design, a thicker rim for the steering wheel and a couple of fairly half-hearted GSe badges. These are yellow, giving a slight pop of colour to an otherwise totally black cabin. It can be very dark in here, and some options to lift it would be appreciated.

Another gripe is the digital instrument cluster - it only has a limited number of display modes, and none of them ape a physical speedo or rev-counter - which performance car enthusiasts like to see.

Official numbers for the Astra GSe are impressive, with an economy figure of over 200mpg according to WLTP tests. In the real world, this depends hugely on how you utilise the Astra’s battery and engine combination. On a full charge, we found around 25 miles of pure-electric range was possible (versus the 40 miles claimed by Vauxhall), which is a useful figure for quick jaunts into town or the daily commute.

On a longer trip, using the Astra’s own sat-nav, it’ll use battery power as and where needed to maximise economy. We found that with a discharged battery, economy hovered around 40mpg. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of charging to your calculations though, as it’s not free.

Charging up should take between three and four hours from a regular home socket, though for an additional cost you can upgrade the Astra to 7.4kW charging - where a full charge from a home charge point will take closer to two hours.

CO2 emissions are set at just 26g/km, though, so the Astra GSe attracts an extremely company car-friendly benefit-in-kind rate of just 12%.

Once again, this is unchanged from the regular Astra. Euro NCAP’s slightly disappointing four-star rating applies to the Astra Sports Tourer GSe, reflecting poor performance in the vulnerable road user and safety assist categories.

The GSe gets every bit of safety equipment Vauxhall offers, some of which is optional on lower trim levels. Adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot alert and lane-keeping aids are all nice to have. You also get Vauxhall’s IntelliLux matrix LED headlights - which are excellent - and a system which can even allow the car to execute lane changes for itself.

Astra reliability is typically not too bad, though the GSe’s complex plug-in hybrid system has been known to suffer some electrical faults.

Warranty cover for the GSe is the same as the regular Astra, at three years and 60,000 miles - albeit with unlimited mileage in the first year in case you’re completing a full circuit of the M25 every day.