Auto Express are reporting that there might be a 212bhp Astra VXR diesel :eek: in the pipeline - no hinting at prices but I've got a good idea what's replacing the Furby

Auto Express are reporting that there might be a 212bhp Astra VXR diesel :eek: in the pipeline - no hinting at prices but I've got a good idea what's replacing the Furby

Nice. They showed that engine in a Vectra concept at last years Motorshow. Twin turbo cdti unit. Massive torque. Big smiles all round I should imagine,

Can't imagine the fuel economy will be stunning , but it should be entertaining to drive

it will be

Can't imagine the fuel economy will be stunning , but it should be entertaining to drive

I had the vectra 2.2 CDTi for the weekend, never got better than 31mpg! Though it was rather nippy

Can't imagine the fuel economy will be stunning , but it should be entertaining to drive

Which is why I dont see the point. Lets see, main reason for driving a diesel is fuel economy (basically, that includes the vRS too - i chose mine for that reason, otherwise it would have been an Octy vRS). However, if its not going to be all that economical, whats the point? The petrol VXR has an ample 236 lb ft, is cheaper to buy, will almost certainly sound and drive a lot better.

There becomes a point when diesels IMO just dont make sense, and for me, this is one of them :P

But ive got about 180bhp and can easily get over 50mpg, and never see less than 46? :confused:

but 212bhp and a huuuge lump of torque will be too much for a fwd chassis

There becomes a point when diesels IMO just dont make sense' date=' and for me, this is one of them :P[/quote']

It is definately not about economy anymore.It is the type of drive.5.0 V10 VW tdi as an eg :eek:

Astra should be quick.Not keen on them though

Which is why I dont see the point. Lets see, main reason for driving a diesel is fuel economy (basically, that includes the vRS too - i chose mine for that reason, otherwise it would have been an Octy vRS). However, if its not going to be all that economical, whats the point? The petrol VXR has an ample 236 lb ft, is cheaper to buy, will almost certainly sound and drive a lot better.

I don't really care about economy. I bought the Furby because nothing else put a smile on my face like that did on test drive.

Mid range torque is what makes a car truly entertaining IMHO, not revving the tits off it and looking like a moron.

I got tired of having to rev like an idiot to get anywhere so diesel was the best option - I honestly believe petrol is a dying fuel and will soon be surpassed by diesel engines in all areas.

BTW, don't start with the petrol vs diesle debate AGAIN - I said soon, not has already been.

But ive got about 180bhp and can easily get over 50mpg' date=' and never see less than 46? :confused:

but 212bhp and a huuuge lump of torque will be too much for a fwd chassis[/quote']

Sorry for dragging this slightly off topic, but how the hell do you lot drive the furby? I dont exactly drive it like a saint, but i've still not got over 44mpg out of it on the few times ive tried... my overall mpg is 37.2 at the moment!!! :(

i could never find a diesel as entertaining to drive as a petrol, low revving quiet and boring. they may have shve but they seriously lack the wow factor of a petrol.

high revving, popping, burbleing, spitting flames bouncing off a rev limiter whilst making a georgeous loud noise.

petrol everytime thanks

forgot to ask steve, what with diesel beingthe obviously better fuel how many racing teams use diesel in there cars? :confused:

Which is why I dont see the point. Lets see' date=' main reason for driving a diesel is fuel economy (basically, that includes the vRS too - i chose mine for that reason, otherwise it would have been an Octy vRS). However, if its not going to be all that economical, whats the point? The petrol VXR has an ample 236 lb ft, is cheaper to buy, will almost certainly sound and drive a lot better.

There becomes a point when diesels IMO just dont make sense, and for me, this is one of them :P[/quote']

While I fully understand your view, I didn't buy mine for economy. Thats just a bonus. I bought mine for the mid range pull, and general real world driving enjoyment. Obviously much better now with the added mods. As Colin says though, the torque will probably be way too much for the crappy Vauxhall chassis anyway, so one wouldn't be able to get the most out of it on a decent road. Should be awsome on the motorway though. As for the petrol vs diesel, its doesnt matter a toss to me, it's all about the grin factor, and for me, the modern diesel engine provides plenty of that, with decent economy when you are not in a rush, low tax, and silly cheap insurance. I almost bought a 3 month old WR1 impeza for 29k amongst other cars that I viewed. The Fabia was the overall package that I was looking for, and the fuel it ran on didn't make a difference to my desicion whatsoever.

Can't wait for a VXR petrol vs Diesel thread to appear on VXR . net or whatever the forum is for those vehicles

Should be a good one, 212 derv vs 240 petrol, xxx nm (guessing at 420+nm) vs 340 nm......

forgot to ask steve, what with diesel beingthe obviously better fuel how many racing teams use diesel in there cars? :confused:

Lloyd Allard races a Golf Pd in some series or other against petrol cars. I'm sure some will know and post it, but he runs 265bhp from a 1.9 pd, and does very well indeed. VW have a 200bhp diesel caddy van in the same series.

Lamborghini are rumoured to be testing the V10 diesel engine in the Gallardo too, so maybe a 24 hour race car may appear too? Who knows.

This doesnt mean i regard diesel as a "better" fuel though. I do agree that diesel technology will prevail in the future over petrol in more areas other than for economy.

Lets see, main reason for driving a diesel is fuel economy

Ah, but would the 2.2l turbo diesel produce better economy than a 2.2l turbo petrol?

Rob.

Don't think so.

Ah' date=' but would the 2.2l turbo diesel produce better economy than a 2.2l turbo petrol?

Rob.[/quote']

Of course it would. Look to BMW's figures for a similar car, similar capacity petrol vs diesel mpg comparison. 330i and 330d. Draw your own conclusions.

Of course it would.

Was a rhetorical question...

Would agree the BMW units are a good example.

Rob/

Bit of info on the 212bhp vauxhall diesel engine in the link.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/42174/ultimate_vectra_faces_dday.html

Just for you sceptics.

But ive got about 180bhp and can easily get over 50mpg' date=' and never see less than 46? :confused:

but 212bhp and a huuuge lump of torque will be too much for a fwd chassis[/quote']

Its not about what you can get though... surely an Astra VXR in whatever guise will be bought to be driven very quickly by most, otherwise why would they buy it over one of the cheaper models?

And I dont care what anyone says, a diesel can be made to give just as bad MPG as a petrol. I used to be able to get 25 MPG out of my Fabia vRS by thrashing it.

And I know people say "but diesels dont suit that driving style", well ok fair enough, but that means its not as much fun as a petrol of similar performance IMO. Theres just something about revving an engine hard as bengie says. One reason in fact why I became intoxicated with the 182 the moment I hit the loud pedal and let it have what for!

I'll agree its subjective - its all about what you want out of the car. I agree the Furby has a strong pull, and ingear times are better than even the 182... but for me, the 182 has enough pull to not feel gutless, and has a top end that seems to pull even more fiercely than the Fabia - its just that in the Fabia, it pulls maybe a tiny fraction less in absolute terms, but it does so it much earlier, in the Clio admittedly you'd have to be doing about 45ish in 2nd before it REALLY started to go.

Its what I expected, and I can certainly see for short distances the Fabia will more than give it a run for its money, but on an open road, the petrol car is just more satisfying to me.

To be honest, when i had the vRS, I tended to rev it quite a lot, and as you say, i may as well have had a petrol, because for me driving like that its not much more economical than a petrol.

While I fully understand your view' date=' I didn't buy mine for economy. Thats just a bonus. I bought mine for the mid range pull, and general real world driving enjoyment. Obviously much better now with the added mods. As Colin says though, the torque will probably be way too much for the crappy Vauxhall chassis anyway, so one wouldn't be able to get the most out of it on a decent road. Should be awsome on the motorway though. As for the petrol vs diesel, its doesnt matter a toss to me, it's all about the grin factor, and for me, the modern diesel engine provides plenty of that, with decent economy when you are not in a rush, low tax, and silly cheap insurance. I almost bought a 3 month old WR1 impeza for 29k amongst other cars that I viewed. The Fabia was the overall package that I was looking for, and the fuel it ran on didn't make a difference to my desicion whatsoever.

Can't wait for a VXR petrol vs Diesel thread to appear on VXR . net or whatever the forum is for those vehicles

Should be a good one, 212 derv vs 240 petrol, xxx nm (guessing at 420+nm) vs 340 nm...... [/quote']

My reasoning exactly

I had an Impreza WRX PPP before the Fabis, and a V70R AWD before the Scoob and they where awesome from a certain point of view. my insurance renewal on the scoob was

I read somewhere that the twin turbo Vauxhall / Opel unit was torque capped until a suitable gearbox could be produced.

Also, I would not describe the Astra Chassis as crappy. The ride / handling compromise is IMO quite a bit better than the Fabia VRS. The Fabia won it for me on engine output and on visibility.

Chris

Didn't the Petrol VXR lose out to the Megane Sport in the TG test! It was all over the place because it couldn't get all its power down onto the road. It suffered badly from torque steer so I would imagine the diesel version would be worse even considering the extra engine weight.

Vauxhalls have never been great handlers - about the best was the last astra and thats not saying an awful lot. Its reminiscent of the old Astra GSI - too much power for the chassis.

Also, i'm sure i read somewhere that one magazine had roadtested it, and it managed only 16.5 seconds to 100 mph... now to me, for a car with a 0-62 time of 6.2 seconds and 240 bhp, that doesnt seem too impressive - the 180 bhp Clio 182 and 197 bhp CTR can both nearly manage that.

Its reminiscent of the old Astra GSI - too much power for the chassis.

Same story for the 16v GTE MkII Astra.

The MkI 8v Astra GTE was the best as far as i'm concerned. It all went downhill after that.