ABG Driving Impression: Opel Astra 1.4L Turbo
Click the Astra Turbo for a high res gallery
One of the vehicles that General Motors provided for evaluation during their Powertrain Technology briefing was an Opel Astra equipped with a new 1.4L turbocharged four cylinder. This engine is a result of work that GM is doing to develop downsized turbocharged engines that can maintain reasonable levels of performance while improving fuel economy. This is a similar approach to that being taken by Volkswagen with their TSI and Ford with their upcoming Twin-Force engines.
The 1.4L turbo had an output of 140 hp paired up with a six-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the VW and Ford engines, GM stuck with multi-port fuel injection on this engine instead of switching to direct injection. Nonetheless the engine produces as much power as the current 1.8L normally aspirated engine. On a short test loop that included highway speeds and a simulated urban environment, the engine proved to be very responsive with no noticeable lag.
The Astra itself is pretty much the car that will be appearing in Saturn dealerships this fall. Even though the Astra will be the entry-level model for Saturn, it will have a high level of standard equipment including both thorax and curtain airbags and ABS and traction control. From this quick drive it was clear that the Astra will probably be the best small car that GM has ever offered in the North American market. If they add direct injection it would be even better. No production date was stated for these small displacement turbocharged engines, but it seems safe to assume that they will appear in the next couple of years.
Gallery: 2007 Opel Astra 1.4 Turbo
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 7:49PM (1/28/2008)
Did someone erase the mpg figures? I don't see them...
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Sam Abuelsamid 7:56PM (1/28/2008)
No mileage figures were given since it's a prototype vehicle. Expect about a 10-15% boost over the 1.8L.
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PANKAJ NANDA 9:37AM (5/25/2008)
SIR I,VE WRITTEN MY COMPLAINT TO MANY TIMES BUT DIDNOT TURN KINDLY SOLVE MY COMPLAINT I ALSO MY IT EMAILID MYGMLINK@GM.COM
YOUR MOST UNSASFIFD COSTOMER
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grimmex 3:27PM (8/28/2007)
Thank you for adding the fuel consumption figures along with the other statistics on this car. That's exactly what I was wondering about!
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Don 4:28PM (8/28/2007)
Good stuff...but you just know we won't see this engine paired with that great 6-speed.
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tio 7:39AM (8/29/2007)
Not in the usa, we will get a low power 1.8 with Lazymatic transmission or a five speed manual.
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