F30 3ltr diesel v New vauxhall Astra VXR

[smashy]

Ok ,this is for someone who has bigger brains than me.

Ive been reading about the 276bhp Astra VXR ,the new hot hatch beast on the block.

0-60 in 5.9

Now the new F30 3.0d 0-60 in 5.6

Its nuts to me that hot hatchs arenow out gunned by a diesel ,so would you get as much driving pleasure(noise aside) out of the F30 and still get 20+ MPG into the bargain?

[Fox-]

The Astra is FWD and therefore launching isn't its strong point. The F30 will have less issues getting that initial power down and the launch is everything for 0-60.

[roofer]

Front wheels were made for steering, they cannot do both transmission of power and drive without corruption. I know the Astra has a trick diff fitted, however, its steering will still be corrupted, ergo, its ste. HTH.

[rumple]

roofer said:

Front wheels were made for steering, they cannot do both transmission of power and drive without corruption. I know the Astra has a trick diff fitted, however, its steering will still be corrupted, ergo, its ste. HTH.

Didnt the new VXR have a good review ?, for once.

[Fox-]

rumple said:

Didnt the new VXR have a good review ?, for once.

When compared with a load of other FWD big power hatchbacks? Quite possibly.

[smashy]

Well you guys that said the FWD would be an issue ,this from the Telegraph which gave it a very favourable review,youwere right.



Well, it's fast and then some. From a standing start to 60mph takes 5.9sec, the turbo kicking in from 1,400rpm and providing a huge wedge of torque that takes you to 5,000rpm and beyond. In a straight line, and despite those clever suspension struts, the resultant scrabble as the front tyres claw for traction still results in some torque steer, which can make overtaking a bit of a heart in mouth affair. As a result, you hold the Astra's wheel like a lively toddler's reins at a themepark, all the while the engine's coarse growl is accompanied by a theatrical woosh from the sports exhaust. The result is a car that you tend to drive the VXR in short accelerative bursts, allowing a small pause after each gear change so that you can get both hands back on the wheel before squeezing the throttle all the way to the floor.