Vauxhall has massaged interest in the new Astra ahead of its
Frankfurt world debut by announcing the engines it will be powered by at launch. All of them boast better economy and emissions than their equivalent predecessors, with a brand new 1.4-litre turbocharged unit headlining the range.
Power ranges from 84bhp to 178bhp to begin with and comes from seven engines: four petrol and three diesel units. Those visiting the black pump (to refuel that is, not just for the sake of it) will have either a 1.3-litre, 1.7-litre or 2.0-litre oil burner under the nose, all of which, says Vauxhall, emit CO
2 at a rate of 129g/km or below if linked to a manual gearbox. The 1.3-litre has 94bhp and the 2.0-litre 158bhp. No word on the precise output of the middle sibling.
Buyers can eschew the diesels in favour of turbocharged 1.4- and 1.6-litre engines, the former producing 138bhp and pulling 148lb.ft from just 1,850rpm, and the latter generating a range topping 178bhp. The 1.4-litre unit effectively replaces the current Astra's 1.8-litre lump, providing equal power but reducing emissions and consumption while improving torque. There is also a pair of naturally aspirated petrol units of 1.4- and 1.6-litre capacities at the lower end of the range.
Later on there'll be an ecoFLEX model too with a mere 109g of CO
2 spilling from the tailpipe during any given kilometre, though when that's due to arrive we're not told. Likewise there's no word on the VXR/OPC hot hatch variant.
Mark Nichol - 24 Aug 2009