Which is the best diesel engine in the Opel Astra?
The question
Opel Astra 1.3-1.7 diesel engines: which is the best one?
Asked by john Delaney ยท
Expert answer
Hi John,
I'd go for the 1.3. True, it's not as grunty as the 1.7, but the 1.7 is a truly ancient engine, able to trace its roots all the way back to the early nineties when Isuzu first designed it and no-one in General Motors knew what the heck this de-hee-zel stuff was and they sure weren't going to put it in a car. The 1.3 by contrast was co-developed with Fiat in the early 2000s so is a much fresher, more high-tech design and it's a better engine all-round.
Both are a touch noisy compared with the best latest-gen diesels, but again the 1.7 is far worse in this regard and also has an annoying tendency to stall when pulling out of junctions. So go for the 1.3. A cracking little engine.
Hope that helps
Answered by Neil Briscoe