The all new Astra 1.9 litre diesel offers Australian motorists what European's have had for decades.... the economy of diesel engines in a sporty passenger car. One of the most important new technologies in diesel engines is common rail direct injection. Common rail direct injection does away with traditional pump injectors and replaces them with a central storage "rail" or tube where the fuel is kept under extreme high pressure and then released via precise, electronically controlled solenoid injectors directly into each cylinder. The high pressure creates a fine mist of fuel for a more efficient burn. The manual produces 110 kW and returns 6.0 litres /100kms fuel economy while the automatic 88 kW and 7.4 litres/100kms.
Performance - Greater amount of torque (power) at lower engine speeds provides greater driveability than petrol powered equivalents, particularly in terms of hills and overtaking.
Economy - Diesel powered cars use less fuel and as a result attain higher fuel mileage results than equivalent petrol engines.
Emissions - A diesel powered car will produce considerably less CO2 emissions than an equivalent petrol engine.