New, Cleaner Diesel For Sporty Astra GTC Coupe

KEEN to boost availability of its new, greener diesel engine, Vauxhall has fitted it’s ‘whisper’ 1.6-litre motor to its rakish three-door Astra GTC.

The coupe bodied Astra joins the five-door and estate Sports Tourer models, and it boasts numbers that should appeal to tax-savvy company car drivers as well as private buyers seeking to save some cash.

The engine replaces the 1.7 CDTi, providing 136 horsepower - a slight increase on the outgoing unit- delivered through an improved six-speed manual transmission.

Available in Sport, Limited Edition and Sri Trims, equipped with Start/Stop plus a braking energy recuperation system as standard, the GTC 1.6 CDTi delivers fuel economy of up to 68.9mpg on the combined cycle and has CO2 emissions of between 104g/km and 109g/km depending on the model chosen.

The already Euro 6-compliant 1.6 CDTi is claimed to be one of the best engines in its class for noise and vibration thanks to a host of engineering improvements. The Astra GTC can be ordered with the new engine for prices starting from £22,260.

By Press Association reporters