Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi

This sixth-generation Astra is an almost entirely new car, but some of its engines live on from previous generations, including the old 1.7 litre, 109bhp Isuzu turbodiesel, which is now the least potent oil-burner in the range until the 109g/km 1.3 CDTi turns up next year.

This engine does not go under the Astra’s bonnet unmodified however, because it now meets Euro V emission standards, and its installation has been modified in the quest for refinement.

There’s also a 123bhp 1.7 CDTi – although this is a different and quicker engine, it produces the same combined fuel consumption figure of 60.1mpg and identical Co2 emissions of 124g/km.
What’s it like?

For this 109bhp engine none of these figures is especially competitive, the 104bhp Golf 1.6 TDI beating it on every count for emissions (119g/km), fuel consumption (62.8mpg), 0-62mph (11.3sec) and top speed (117mph), while Ford’s Focus 108bhp 1.6 TDCi also trounces the Vauxhall.

And the same is true on the road. Although the Isuzu motor is much quieter than before, whether you’re sitting behind it or hearing its presence from outside the car, it still sounds like a set of deftly deployed maracas, and there’s a muted over-run growl to match
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Marking the sixth generation of Astra in 30 years, the new car’s design team was led by Mark Adams, the same team behind the European Car of the Year-winning Vauxhall Insignia.

With its strong, cab-forward silhouette, steeply-raked windscreen and sloping rear roofline, the new Astra makes ingenious use of many of the design features found in the Insignia, but in a fresh and innovative way. Also like the Insignia, it has spent over 600 hours in the wind tunnel, benefiting performance, economy and overall refinement.
“We’re continuing with the same premium design cues as the Insignia, inside and out of the car,” said Adams, Vice President of GM Europe Design. “However, the main design themes, like the wing-shaped light signatures and the ‘blade’ pressed into the car’s flanks, needed an individual execution to avoid ‘cloning’ the model ranges. This is why, for instance, you see twin wings in the rear lights and a reversed blade on the rear quarters.”
Underpinning the Astra’s rakish, 4.4 metre-length body, is an all-new chassis with a 71 millimetre-longer wheelbase, benefiting both passenger comfort and packaging. Wider tracks front and rear feature, as does a new rear axle design, which not only improves stability and agility, but takes the Astra’s ride comfort into a different league.
Enhancing the Astra’s dynamic performance still further is the option of the clever FlexRide system, a rarity among its competitors, which offers drivers three unique damper settings – standard, sport and tour – while being fully adaptive to changes in driving style and cornering speed.
With the all-new Astra’s release, expect big strides in quality to those found in the Insignia, combined with improvements in packaging, seat design and in-cabin storage. The unique wrap-round dash treatment, designed for new Insignia, will also appear in the Astra, but with a different take on that found in the European Car of the Year 2009.

Unique in this category of cars will be Astra’s latest generation AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting), which features bi-xenon lighting that changes its intensity and reach to suit prevailing road conditions. A similar system was introduced on the Insignia, and is now recognised as one of the most advanced systems available.

The highlight of the new Astra’s powertrain line-up is the introduction of an all-new, 140PS turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol unit, which builds on our commitment to engine downsizing and reduced emissions/fuel consumption, while retaining the performance of a larger capacity vehicle. The 1.4T joins three further petrol engines, which range from 100PS to 180PS, and four diesel engines ranging from 95PS to 160PS. All engines are Euro 5 compliant.
“The only part of the Astra which isn’t new is its name,” says Andy Gilson, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director. “And that name currently accounts for around 30 per cent of all Vauxhall’s car sales, with the five-door hatch taking 60 per cent of those sales alone.