Astra 1.9 CDTi

Thinking of getting one as my firm's relocating and the Scoob's pretty shit fuel consumption wise, fancy the SRi [150] apparently these are tunable up to 210BHP pretty cheaply and still give 40mpg!

Anyone driven/own one, comments?

Reply to
Me
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Heh, wait 'til you get yourself one with two turbos instead of one. You'll look back fondly at how many miles you're currently getting :)

Hehehe, no.

HTH

Not very refined for a modern diesel, but surprisingly decent to drive (for a Vauxhall).

Reply to
Lordy.UK

no where near as fun as a Golf MK4 1.9 TDI bet the golf could see a few more horses too.

Reply to
Vamp

Unlikely.

Whilst, in theory, it may be possible to squeeze 210bhp from them, that won't be a simple chip for either.

Still, it's a pretty decent engine, but I'd prefer my Alfa engine in an Alfa, not a Vauxhall.

Reply to
SteveH

My VAG 1.9TDi is only putting out 170bhp at the wheels, but still returns an average of over 50mpg. The PD 150s have bigger turbos so tend to hit

190-200bhp with most remaps.
Reply to
Depresion

Small inside compared to the MK4, difficult to see out of the tiny back window. Apart from that the 0-60 is OK in around 9 seconds although the 1.8 petrol can do that. MPG very good providing you are on a motorway at 60mph, in the town it isn't as high as claimed. The best thing is mid range power between 30 and 50. Handling is OK, but it is an Astra so a long way behind other cars such as a VW. I wouldn't have one, even if you can pick up a 2 year old one for £9500 from a Vauxhall dealer. forget tuning, 210BHP may be claimed but isn't possible, it's usually only a maximum of 20BHP at the wheels for hundreds of pounds. A chip is wired to work on the SPORT button. Off and it's normal, SPORT and it is +20BHP. That also causes a lot more smoke. If you take it any further you will find the fuel pump, injectors and air intake/exhaust can't cope. The engine wasn't designed for that power.

Reply to
Trev

i.e. the same as a truck.

Reply to
Steve Firth

That's a big "apparently," sounds like pub talk. It's relatively cheap to increase the output to ~175 from 150 bhp. Even if you could increase it to over 200 bhp, you won't be able to use all that power and still return such high figures. Oh and they'll soot when chipped too.

Personally, I like the way the new shape Astra drives. It's fluid, it rides well, one of the better modern small hatches. The 150 1.9 diesel feels like a decent modern higher performance diesel, too. Not brutally quick in comparison to what you have, but for many drivers, it feels silly. Something shouldn't have such strong acceleration and still be seeing well over 50 to the gallon if driven sensibly.

Just bear in mind that if you drive it hard you'll not see terrific fuel consumption. Better than you'd be getting from the Scoob, but slower.

I've also experienced that 1.9 in the Vectra, Saab 9-3 and 9-5, Vauxhall Signum. It's one of the better four cylinder diesels about, it manages to feel sweet and revvy without the same sensation of a lack of low down ummph that the BMW 2.0 unit suffers from. Against this, they're all front wheel drive and can struggle with this donk.

And that kinda hits it on the nail for me. If you're buying new, another £1,500 or so puts you at the BMW 120d. Yes, in some respects the 1-series is wrong, but in most it's just right. Again my opinion. The '07 120d feels quite a bit quicker than the Astra; I drove the auto, which the salesman enthused that it has a 0 - 62 time of under 8 seconds but will still return a claimed >50 mpg. The manual is quicker and more economical, oh and £1,500 less too.

Reply to
DervMan

Only the not-yet-out twin turbo unit, and i dont tihnk they are fitting that in the Astra??

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

It's essential to take a test drive and to try parking the bloody thing (reverse parking). Try parking several times in supermarket car parks, on road and in parking bays with a bollard.

Because after you've tried a few you will walk away from the Astra, the rear visibility is about the same as on the Lotus Europa or a Lambo (i.e. none).

Other than that, it's not as if the Astra is bad, it's just bloody dull. The Alfa 1.9 JTDm is much, much better in every respect.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Someone in another group is ranting about the Prius. I was shocked to find out that a 1 year old Prius and a 1 year old C200CDi are the same price (£21-22K). And they do about the same mpg, in fact the Merc does better than the 45mpg recorded by Auto Express for the Prius.

The choice between the two shouldn't take more than a microsecond.

Reply to
Steve Firth

The C-class is a world above a Passat, end of.

There's no choice between them, buy the Mercedes every time. I would.

Reply to
Pikey Pete

I drove the Merc Hull-Earls Court - South London - Lewisham - Hull and averaged 43mpg, driven in my usual manner and with 4 adults and luggage.

Prius? Pah.

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

And a world away too.

Me too. I'd take a petrol C-Class over a TDI Passat.

I'd take a V12 petrol C-Class over a TDI Passat if I had to fuel it myself.

I'd never take the Passat.

Reply to
DervMan

Then you're even more foolish than I originally thought.

You're paying £7k for the badge, which is insane.

There is no way in this world that something smaller, with largely equal performance and the same level of trim is worth that much more.

Unless you *really* want to have a Mercedes badge on the front.

Reply to
SteveH

I can think of one advantage of the Prius: it's near silent at slow speeds, so you can creep up on people in car parks.

Are MB able to export the new C-Class diesels to the USA yet? Last I heard the US were still working on getting their sulphur out of diesels so as not to ruin European specification donks.

Reply to
DervMan

But I don't think Tim has driven a Passat to compare it with.

Christ, I'd even drive a Mondeo TDCI before spending that much money on a C-Class.

BMW and Mercedes prices make little sense when viewed as a car, rather than some kind of status symbol.

Reply to
SteveH

You can get a proton impian for 10595, why waste money on the passat unless you *really* want the VW badge on the front?

The Mercedes competes in a market with the 3 series and the A4. The Passat against the Vectra and Mondeo.

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

Except that they have that thing that your Alfa 75 has, that your Passat doesn't, that being Rear Wheel Drive.

And they have that thing your Alfa 156 has that the Passat doesn't, Style and respectable image.

And the have that thing the Passat has that the Alfa's don't. Reliability and residual value.

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

Well, there is no way you can compare an Impian with the mainstream cars. Comparing so-called 'executive' class cars with 'mainstream' family cars gives a much closer comparison and you have to be splitting hairs to separate them.

See above - the gap between them is so small that it's all about badge and in the case of the BMW and Merc., RWD.

Besides, an A4 is at least a couple of grand cheaper than a C-Class, too.

Even a 159, in 1.9JTDm 16v Lusso trim, complete with standard leather, only comes in at just over £22k. Even if you went for a 200bhp 2.4JTDm you'd have change over the C-Class.

Reply to
SteveH

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