The fully-electric Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer starts from £39,995

Vauxhall has revealed prices for its latest offering, and said offering is - praise be - an estate! Prices for the new Astra Sports Tourer, a car we first saw late last year, will start from £39,995.

That's for the 'Design' trim. There's also the option of a 'GS' (£42,345) and the range-topping, wrestling-esque 'Ultimate' Sports Tourer version (£45,460). Sadly, this latter version does not come with arm-tassels and giant hair.

What it does come with - along with the other two e-STs - is a 51kWh battery powering a 156bhp/199 lb ft electric motor capable of delivering 256 miles of range. That's packaged up into a more rigid chassis too. Vauxhall says it's 31 per cent stiffer than a petrol Astra estate, which'll apparently improve the car's handling traits.

Speaking of which, there are three driving models – Eco, Normal and Sport – and by selecting ‘B’, drivers can opt for more zealous regenerative braking. That helps eke a bit more range, too. Charging from 0-100 per cent takes almost eight hours with a domestic 7kW wallbox but the e-ST also supports up to 100kW DC charging. That means drivers can go from 20-80 per cent in less than half an hour.

Externally, the ‘Vizor’ front end package with its intelligent headlights and driver assist sensors keep this family workhorse from being too generic. The spangly 18in aero rims are wrapped in ‘eco’ rubber that improves efficiency.

Elsewhere inside the cabin, Vauxhall has ensured the Astra ST electric has all the mod cons and luxuries expected in today’s connected cars. Across all three trims there’s a decent amount of standard kit and driver assist features.

Think screens. Lots of screen. The driver-centric ‘edge-to-edge’ display is split into a 10in driver cluster and a 10in infotainment display. Fortunately, Vauxhall has been smart enough not to do away with all the buttons, so there’s still some switchgear saved from Digitised Damnation, so you can change the climate control.

The GS trim gets sports-style bumpers along with a 360-degree parking camera, keyless entry and heated seats and steering wheel. Pick the Ultimate Sports Tourer and you get a head-up display, fancier headlights, roof rails, wireless charging, a panoramic sunroof and an electric tailgate, too.

The suite of advanced driver assist features includes lane keep assist, pedestrian alert, blind spot monitoring, and have been joined by semi-automated lane changes. Those can be engaged, provided manoeuvres between 45mph and 70mph meet the conditions – one of which is absolute driver concentration we suspect. Ironic, really.

Vauxhall expects to start deliveries next spring. What do you think?