I had a 1.7Di (Small turbo, no intercooler) Corsavan, and it lacked lowdown torque, although when you got it on boost and kept it there, it fair flew.

The only diesel in a car I can think of with the low down drag the PD's have is the TDDI in the older Fords. The price of progress is they seem to want to make diesels more "petrol like", which I can understand from a noise point of view, but I like low down torque, I don't like having to rev stuff. I generally prefer 8 valve engines to 16 valve, even in petrol vehicles. I used to love that I could do a hill start in the old Transit by putting it in 2nd and letting the clutch halfway up without pressing the accelerator.

I've had the CDTI engines ones, FMIC and proper turbo, pulls well enough, but sluggish when taken up to the full pay load but spritely when empty

I had a 1.7Di (Small turbo, no intercooler) Corsavan, and it lacked lowdown torque, although when you got it on boost and kept it there, it fair flew. 

 

The only diesel in a car I can think of with the low down drag the PD's have is the TDDI in the older Fords. The price of progress is they seem to want to make diesels more "petrol like", which I can understand from a noise point of view, but I like low down torque, I don't like having to rev stuff. I generally prefer 8 valve engines to 16 valve, even in petrol vehicles. I used to love that I could do a hill start in the old Transit by putting it in 2nd and letting the clutch halfway up without pressing the accelerator.

Yep, mine's the same it's probably the combination of 16v (single cam) and small turbo = no low down grunt/torque

I'm the same as you ie I don't rev the nackers of engines (I'm the same on the bike) hence I didn't keep a 1.8vtec for long, maybe if the 1.7 was an 8v it might be different but it's not. I'll maybe find what the older 8v dtl's are like, get a go in them just to compare. I really like the Astra but that's the one (only one though) aspect of it that really ****es me off

I'm just the same with a bike, I went to do a refresher and the bloke stuck me on a 125 to do the cones, sufficed to say I totally balls it up. We talked the problem over and found a solution. He stuck me on an F650 and I was fine from there on.

I'm used to a mk1 bandit 12, got an old zx9r just now though....I just wish I could get the same low grunt/torque in that bloody Astra

Edited 17 January, 201511 yr by Cleo

I had a 1.7Di (Small turbo, no intercooler) Corsavan, and it lacked lowdown torque, although when you got it on boost and kept it there, it fair flew. 

 

The only diesel in a car I can think of with the low down drag the PD's have is the TDDI in the older Fords. The price of progress is they seem to want to make diesels more "petrol like", which I can understand from a noise point of view, but I like low down torque, I don't like having to rev stuff. I generally prefer 8 valve engines to 16 valve, even in petrol vehicles. I used to love that I could do a hill start in the old Transit by putting it in 2nd and letting the clutch halfway up without pressing the accelerator.

Like how you can drive in traffic jams up to about 20mph "feet off" with a 1.9TDi?