astra diesel 1.9 cdti sri 165
Discussion
Here's the thing with diesels and economy; they might ue less compared to an equivilant petrol engine, but you pay more per litre, so does it really balance out?
Anyway, it's nice to have a diesel but be aware of the potential problems with diesel particulate filters and also dual-mass flywheels (although these flywheels are also present in some petrol-engined cars).
Anyway, it's nice to have a diesel but be aware of the potential problems with diesel particulate filters and also dual-mass flywheels (although these flywheels are also present in some petrol-engined cars).
OP I had that same engine in a 63 plate Astra Elite 2.0 CDTI 165ps stop/start. It was horrendous on fuel. When properly warmed up and actively trying to drive like a nun on a very long motorway run, I could break 45mpg. Around town if I was out more than 20 minutes I could get 40mpg but on shorter trips (which most are around town) I was struggling to break 28mpg to 32mpg!
I don't drive like a madman either. My previous car was a Superb 1.9 PD TDI and that gave us 78mpg on long runs and nearer to 45/50mpg around town under the same driving conditions. The Astra just drank fuel like a fish.
We have now switched to a 2.0 petrol Mazda 6 tourer and get BETTER fuel economy than we did in the Astra. We now get 38-40mpg around the city with 48-50mpg on a run easily - and that's giving it beans! My advice is listen to that little voice in your head.
ETA it wasn't that quick either, plenty of small hatches thrashed us off the lights without even trying. The power output looks great on paper, and it's certainly not a slouch, but the powerband is useless even for a diesel. It's dead before 1,500rpm and doesn't develop any useful power until it hits peak torque at 1,750rpm. The powerband runs out at 2,200rpm or so meaning you get barely 500rpm of usable power! It's therefore incredibly frustrating to make any enjoyable or decent progress in and you find you're constantly changing gear, which defeats the object of a lazy diesel. Precisely because the power band is so tiny, and the car has six long gears, you are ALWAYS off boost again when you change up a gear so you'll spend your whole drive with "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Woosh-a-bit. Change up. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing..."
It's absolutely frustrating and horrid. Get a petrol, or at least a decent diesel.
I don't drive like a madman either. My previous car was a Superb 1.9 PD TDI and that gave us 78mpg on long runs and nearer to 45/50mpg around town under the same driving conditions. The Astra just drank fuel like a fish.
We have now switched to a 2.0 petrol Mazda 6 tourer and get BETTER fuel economy than we did in the Astra. We now get 38-40mpg around the city with 48-50mpg on a run easily - and that's giving it beans! My advice is listen to that little voice in your head.
ETA it wasn't that quick either, plenty of small hatches thrashed us off the lights without even trying. The power output looks great on paper, and it's certainly not a slouch, but the powerband is useless even for a diesel. It's dead before 1,500rpm and doesn't develop any useful power until it hits peak torque at 1,750rpm. The powerband runs out at 2,200rpm or so meaning you get barely 500rpm of usable power! It's therefore incredibly frustrating to make any enjoyable or decent progress in and you find you're constantly changing gear, which defeats the object of a lazy diesel. Precisely because the power band is so tiny, and the car has six long gears, you are ALWAYS off boost again when you change up a gear so you'll spend your whole drive with "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Woosh-a-bit. Change up. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing..."
It's absolutely frustrating and horrid. Get a petrol, or at least a decent diesel.
Edited by M6L11 on Friday 23 January 13:44
neil1jnr said:
Go for Petrol, have you seen how cheap it is!
Diesel's are far too overated.
Essentially, this. Diesel's are far too overated.
The new Astra isn't a bad car per se - certainly a huge improvement over the previous models. There's a plethora of nice turbo petrol engines to choose from as well I believe.
M6L11 said:
OP I had that same engine in a 63 plate Astra Elite 2.0 CDTI 165ps stop/start. It was horrendous on fuel. When properly warmed up and actively trying to drive like a nun on a very long motorway run, I could break 45mpg. Around town if I was out more than 20 minutes I could get 40mpg but on shorter trips (which most are around town) I was struggling to break 28mpg to 32mpg!
I don't drive like a madman either. My previous car was a Superb 1.9 PD TDI and that gave us 78mpg on long runs and nearer to 45/50mpg around town under the same driving conditions. The Astra just drank fuel like a fish.
We have now switched to a 2.0 petrol Mazda 6 tourer and get BETTER fuel economy than we did in the Astra. We now get 38-40mpg around the city with 48-50mpg on a run easily - and that's giving it beans! My advice is listen to that little voice in your head.
ETA it wasn't that quick either, plenty of small hatches thrashed us off the lights without even trying. The power output looks great on paper, and it's certainly not a slouch, but the powerband is useless even for a diesel. It's dead before 1,500rpm and doesn't develop any useful power until it hits peak torque at 1,750rpm. The powerband runs out at 2,200rpm or so meaning you get barely 500rpm of usable power! It's therefore incredibly frustrating to make any enjoyable or decent progress in and you find you're constantly changing gear, which defeats the object of a lazy diesel. Precisely because the power band is so tiny, and the car has six long gears, you are ALWAYS off boost again when you change up a gear so you'll spend your whole drive with "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Woosh-a-bit. Change up. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing..."
It's absolutely frustrating and horrid. Get a petrol, or at least a decent diesel.
I disagree, I have the 2.0cdti s/s in SRI trim, which I primarly bought as a commuter and family hack as I also have an mx5 for fun. I find it a nice car to drive, its pretty quick and has plenty of grunt for overtaking on the motorway. I find it quite refined and it seems well put together. I also prefer the way it looks compared to the golf and focus etc. I do between 15 and 20k a year and am averaging 50 – 60 to the gallon so its definitely cheaper for me that a petrol equivalent. I don't drive like a madman either. My previous car was a Superb 1.9 PD TDI and that gave us 78mpg on long runs and nearer to 45/50mpg around town under the same driving conditions. The Astra just drank fuel like a fish.
We have now switched to a 2.0 petrol Mazda 6 tourer and get BETTER fuel economy than we did in the Astra. We now get 38-40mpg around the city with 48-50mpg on a run easily - and that's giving it beans! My advice is listen to that little voice in your head.
ETA it wasn't that quick either, plenty of small hatches thrashed us off the lights without even trying. The power output looks great on paper, and it's certainly not a slouch, but the powerband is useless even for a diesel. It's dead before 1,500rpm and doesn't develop any useful power until it hits peak torque at 1,750rpm. The powerband runs out at 2,200rpm or so meaning you get barely 500rpm of usable power! It's therefore incredibly frustrating to make any enjoyable or decent progress in and you find you're constantly changing gear, which defeats the object of a lazy diesel. Precisely because the power band is so tiny, and the car has six long gears, you are ALWAYS off boost again when you change up a gear so you'll spend your whole drive with "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Woosh-a-bit. Change up. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing..."
It's absolutely frustrating and horrid. Get a petrol, or at least a decent diesel.
Edited by M6L11 on Friday 23 January 13:44
kuro said:
I disagree, I have the 2.0cdti s/s in SRI trim, which I primarly bought as a commuter and family hack as I also have an mx5 for fun. I find it a nice car to drive, its pretty quick and has plenty of grunt for overtaking on the motorway. I find it quite refined and it seems well put together. I also prefer the way it looks compared to the golf and focus etc. I do between 15 and 20k a year and am averaging 50 – 60 to the gallon so its definitely cheaper for me that a petrol equivalent.
I agree the new Astras are solidly built and very nicely put together. The economy was truly shocking though, and as stated it certainly wasn't a driving style issue. Was your SRI an Astra or Insignia? The latter was slightly detuned and much better on fuel than the same engine in the Astra. If yours was indeed an Astra then maybe I got a Friday afternoon car, because it only ever got the best fuel and was driven sensibly but could I heck get decent economy. I never once in 12 months got a brim-to-brim MPG to start with a 5, which for a diesel is hilarious. I was generally in the 30s overall and believe me I tried! Here's what I used to regularly get from our Superb 1.9 PD TDI by way of comparison:
No such luck in the Astra! As you say it does shift but my point was the power delivery is awful. Even Vauxhall point out you only get 500rpm of usable power and it's so lacklustre and frustrating. It's impossible to change gear and stay in the power band because it's so narrow, so you're constantly wishing it would keep on rowing forward but it won't. The engine gets past 2,250rpm and just gets even louder and more agricultrual, but produces no extra MPH for the noise. I'd driven only diesel for 9 years before I got the Astra and it's the worst engine I've ever driven. Our 103hp PD engined Superb was far nicer in delivery even if a little slower.
Anyone wanting a modern diesel that does give power and economy should look at the Mazda 6 2.2 litre Skyactiv diesel unit. It pulls from idle and keeps on pushing all the way to the red line relentlessly, and still returns 50+mpg easily. For us the petrol is a better bet however as we're getting that on a run, out of fuel costing 7ppl less.
M6L11 said:
I agree the new Astras are solidly built and very nicely put together. The economy was truly shocking though, and as stated it certainly wasn't a driving style issue. Was your SRI an Astra or Insignia?
.
Its an Astra. Brim to brim on mine is an average of 52mpg with mixed driving. Possibly not as good as some diesels out there but still pretty good imo..
kuro said:
Its an Astra. Brim to brim on mine is an average of 52mpg with mixed driving. Possibly not as good as some diesels out there but still pretty good imo.
I never once saw MPG that high even with 100% motorway driving (90+ miles each way). Maybe I got a duffer, but even the NEDC figure is only 64 so that's pretty low for a diesel. Diesels throwing 70+ on the NEDC test will do 50mpg real so I'm amazed you're getting so close to claimed economy. HonestJohn's Real MPG shows 46mpg for this engine which is closer to what I was seeing with mixed driving. You're either lucky and should enjoy it, or you're working it out wrong. 
For that budget I got my GF a 2.0TSi Scirocco GT, Blue, leather, pana roof, DAB etc in that electric blue. £9.8k for a '58' plate on 60k miles
Lots of toys, goes well (200bhp standard) and gives her decent MPG for her 12k a year of suburban driving. Although its not ot diesel economy on a run its far bettet than an Astra (I had a 2007 1.7cdti sporthatch) and likely to give the same MPG or actual fuel cost on a PPM basis if your not on a motorway run.
Lots of toys, goes well (200bhp standard) and gives her decent MPG for her 12k a year of suburban driving. Although its not ot diesel economy on a run its far bettet than an Astra (I had a 2007 1.7cdti sporthatch) and likely to give the same MPG or actual fuel cost on a PPM basis if your not on a motorway run.
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