We review the Vauxhall Sports Tourer SRi NAV from price to economy and all its features

I HAVE three pension plans running right now.

A scratch golfer (good prospect), an extreme athlete (there’s no money in it) and a junior David Beckham (never gonna happen).

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So my mid-life crisis will have to wait a little.

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Right now, I need a sensible car to hump around all the kids’ gear. I need a load lugger — not a classic Porsche.

The shortlist includes the Ford Focus estate (best handling), Peugeot 308 SW (biggest boot), Kia Cee’d Sportswagon (seven-year warranty) and this British-built Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer. Or, to you and me, the Astra estate.

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Now Vauxhall has played a blinder here, for three key reasons:

• It’s much lighter than the old car. And less timber means more energy. You know that.
• It’s bigger inside.
• And it’s CHEAPER.

Let’s start with the money. The 1.4-litre petrol starts at £16,585, or £209 a month on finance. The cheapest 1.6-litre diesel is £18,285.

As for running costs, even the twin-turbo 160hp diesel I tested, for “enthusiast drivers”, averaged 55mpg and 500 miles on a tank. And I drove it “enthusiastically”.

Great engine, plenty of torque, and just £30 road tax.

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In the back, the Astra trumps the Focus for load space, matches the Cee’d but can’t live with the pricier 308.

But you can have a hands-free tailgate that opens and closes with a little Flatley jiggle.

Up front, the interior is the same as the Astra hatch, the 2016 European Car of the Year (big up, Ellesmere Port).

That means a clean, connected dash with 7in touchscreen that syncs with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

But the ace card is OnStar, Vauxhall’s 24-hour helpline service with operators based in Luton. It also doubles as a 4G wifi hotspot for seven devices.

That’ll keep the family quiet.

VERDICT: Good car. Haggle hard.