Vauxhall Astra GTC gets new 1.6 litre ‘Whisper’ diesel – price from £22,260

The Vauxhall Astra GTC is the latest Vauxhall kodel to dump the old 1.7 litre diesel in favour of the new quieter, more efficient 1.6 CDTi.

Just like all major motor manufacturers, Vauxhall are busy improving their engine range with new, more efficient and more powerful lumps.

One of Vauxhall’s major engine projects has been to get the old 1.7 litre CDTi out of its cars and replace it with their new ‘Whisper’ 1.6 litre CDTi.

The first Vauxhall to get the new 1.6 CDTi was the Zafira Tourer in early 2013, and the latest is the Astra GTC.

The Astra GTC loses its 1.7 CDTi in favour of the new 1.6 CDTi, which means an extra 6bhp (now 134bhp) and an extra 15lb/ft of torque (now 236lb/ft) and also gets an improved six-speed manual ‘box.

You can have the Astra GTC – with the new 1.6 CDTi, in Sport, Limited Edition and Sri trim, with stop-start and brake recuperation as standard – and get official economy and emission figures of up to 68.9mpg and as little as 104g/km.

Stuart Harris, Vauxhall’s Head of Carline Brand, said:

We are delighted to see the 1.6-litre ‘Whisper Diesel’ introduced into our flagship GTC model.

The new 1.6-litre engine is a result of significant investment and provides an exceptional blend of performance, refinement and economy.

It’s yet another example of how car makers are fighting back against the rise of hybrids and BEVs with ever more efficient and powerful ICE engines, achieving economy and performance that couldn’t have been imagined even a decade ago.

The new Vauxhall Astra GTC 1.6 CDTi is now on sale, from £22,600.