Opel Diesel: The Ultimate Guide

Hello everyone.

Have you also read the report in the Autobild magazine from January 30th about the Opel diesel?
Let's quickly go over the key details:
The base engine is a 1.9-liter four-cylinder that has been equipped with a turbocharger.
Power: 212 hp and 400 Nm of torque from 1400-3600/min.
Boost pressure: Over 3 bar.

With this performance, the Vectra accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h, all while consuming approximately 7.5 liters of fuel.

Here's my question: Can this really work in the long run? Are 112 horsepower per liter of displacement even reliable? What do you think of this engine? If it works well, why aren't other car manufacturers building engines like this?
VW really needs to step up its game.

For me, one thing is certain: if Opel releases this diesel model, I will unfortunately have to trade in my Passat for a Vectra or Signum.

Michi3

Well, register loading is an old technology, but it's quite complex and therefore difficult to control. I believe the last time it was used was in a Porsche.

The system is therefore also very expensive, which is why it is rarely used. VTG is cheaper and provides a similar effect to register loading.

I would definitely take a test drive before exchanging your car.

Okay, that's all for the data! But what if the car develops a technical problem? Opel probably won't be able to help you much with that. This is completely new territory for the workshops, and they're at a loss. Furthermore, their old diagnostic technology isn't designed for such modern vehicles! My friend is a master mechanic at Opel, and he was already pulling his hair out when the CR engine came into the Corsa. By the way, the CR engine in the Corsa is a Fiat engine, because Opel can't produce it themselves! And the inline-six diesel engine in the Omega is 'borrowed' from BMW. So, the Opel engine developers aren't all that great!

michi3 wrote:

Can this work well in the long run? Are 112 horsepower per liter even achievable with good reliability?

Hi Michi,

In principle, yes, if one takes the time to conduct truly comprehensive test runs under real-world conditions and consistently eliminates all identified weaknesses.

Just like VAG did, before the first 1Z models were sold to customers .
(-> frequent transmission failures, loose timing chain sprockets, excessive NOx emissions, etc., etc.)

It wouldn't surprise me if Opel's new creation were developed more thoroughly before being sold... after all, Opel apparently wants to surpass the VAG TDIs, and I suspect that this won't just affect the liter performance, but also the reliability .

What I'm also wondering is, does Opel have a good traction control system (ASR)?
"400Nm with a car that only has front-wheel drive? Well, tire wear will be high, and it will be interesting in wet conditions."
By the way, the BMW 330d has similar performance figures. Why didn't you buy that one? At least its rear-wheel drive manages to get the power to the road reasonably well.

Hello,

VW didn't remove the 150 hp 1.9 engine from its lineup for no reason. It remains to be seen whether Opel can actually produce a reliable 1.9 engine with 212 hp.

Looking at Opel's engine development over the past 20 years, I have little hope.

Best regards,
Christian.

Hello everyone.

That's the question I'm also asking myself: Will Opel be able to ensure the durability of this engine? I'm simply fascinated by what can be achieved with a 1.9-liter diesel engine.
Also, this engine could have advantages over a 3-liter 6-cylinder engine with "similar" performance: lower weight, lower taxes, reduced fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs, etc.
What I also wonder is, if this system works well, what will car manufacturers do with their 3, 4, and 5-liter diesel engines? What about a 5-liter V10 diesel with 550 horsepower and 1000 Nm of torque? Who will buy such a car, and how much will they pay?
I have read that other manufacturers are also experimenting with engines that use register charging.
Could this be the start of the next diesel revolution?
I will definitely follow it with interest!

Have a nice Sunday.
Michi3

michi3 wrote:

Hello everyone. Also, this engine could have advantages over a 3-liter 6-cylinder engine with "similar" performance: lower weight, lower taxes, lower fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs, etc. Michi3

"Well, I think you might be mistaken there! The weight differences between a 3-series BMW and a Vectra aren't that significant, if they even exist. Steuer is probably right that the tax is lower for a 1.9L engine. However, I highly doubt that the fuel consumption is lower, and I also doubt that the maintenance costs are cheaper."
But overall, it's impressive what kind of performance can be extracted from a 1.9L diesel engine. Similar performance figures were/are also achieved from the 1.9L AFN engine (standard output 110 hp).
The problem with this:
I claim that a 5-cylinder or 6-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 2.5-3 liters and the same power output would be significantly cheaper to produce. Furthermore, the durability of a 3-liter V6 engine would be much greater than that of a 1.9-liter engine with the same power output. A smaller engine with high power output requires high-quality materials and places enormous stress on those materials. In cars with low displacement and high power, the maximum power is also shifted to higher RPM ranges. This will also be the case with diesel engines, not just gasoline engines.

Regarding Opel engines:
The engines that Opel produced around the years 1988-1995 were, at least in part, unbeatable in the gasoline engine segment, with no real competition from VW. Take, for example, the GSI engine from the Kadett C. It was an incredible machine.

Hello,


Take the GSI engine out of the Kadett C. It's an amazing machine.


Hmmm, I'm not aware of a GSI engine being available in the 'C' Kadett. As far as I know, that only came with the 'E' Kadett. Are you perhaps referring to the 'GTE' engine?

However, I agree with you that the Opel engines (gasoline) in the 80s weren't the worst, except for the camshaft problems with the 1.3S model.


Regards...

......Kuhni!

Are you referring to the C20XE? I also don't think that's a bad engine, especially considering it has the highest specific efficiency for a gasoline engine (37%). We had a C16NE in a Kadett. It didn't last very long (200,000 km), and then it was really worn out (piston rings worn, one piston was gone, another was cracked, oil consumption was terrible, and we had to replace the spark plugs every quarter).

Best regards, WarLord.

Hello, can someone explain to me what a register loading is and how it works? (relevant link?)

What is actually the advantage of this, or the disadvantage, because nobody uses it.

Hello,

I found the Opel diesel engines of recent years to be more unbearable than unbeatable . Our Golf III TDI family cars were replaced in the late 1990s with Astra 2.0 DI 16V models. They were poorly designed and sluggish, producing 82 horsepower from a 2.0-liter engine, later boosted to the current 100 and 125 horsepower. All of them shared/have a high oil consumption of up to 1 liter per 1000 km, which resulted in several engine failures and a 5-liter oil canister in each vehicle .

Back then, I always made sure to keep driving a used III-series TDI until the end of the lease, no matter how it looked. I preferred it to any Astra.

Opel invested very little in diesel technology, likely because the Americans at GM were holding back the funds. With their stake in Fiat, GM was hoping to acquire the significantly better JTD common-rail diesel technology at a low price. The Corsa already features the 1.3 JTD engine. Otherwise, besides the 1.7 CDTI, there are only the older, less efficient EU3 diesel engines, and the new 3.0-liter engine, which isn't particularly modern either.

The 'register-augmented magic engine' probably should be seen as more of a marketing gimmick in Opel's current product range, intended to bring the topic of diesel engines back into the conversation. For VW, there's nothing to add in this regard; they've been ahead in diesel technology for over a decade, in my opinion.

There's nothing wrong with Opel's gasoline engines, but don't get an Opel diesel just because they sometimes make a little noise.

See also www.astradiesel.de.

Best regards, Marcus.

Steffarn wrote:

Hello, can someone explain to me what a register load is and how it works?

Register charging involves two turbos placed one after the other.

Quote:

What is the actual advantage of this thing, or the disadvantage, because nobody uses it.

The advantage is the ability to optimize performance for different speed ranges (one for the lower range and one for the higher speeds).
The disadvantage is the financial cost. Two turbos mean higher costs and a greater potential for wear and tear.

Specifically with diesel engines, I'm not entirely clear on the purpose of the "register turbo" arrangement. A similar effect could potentially be achieved with variable geometry turbochargers (VTG) at a lower cost.

Kuhni wrote:

Hello, Quote: Take the GSI engine out of the Kadett C. It's an amazing machine. Hmmm, I'm not aware of a GSI engine being available in the "C" Kadett. As far as I know, that only came with the "E" Kadett. Are you perhaps referring to the "GTE" engine? However, I agree with you that the Opel engines (gasoline) in the 80s weren't the worst, except for the camshaft problems with the 1.3S model. Regards... ......Kuhni!

Sorry, E-Kadett.

By the way, weren't Opel's diesel engines actually BMW engines until now? At least the larger 2.5-liter engines in the Omega, as far as I know.

By the way, weren't the diesel engines in Opel actually BMW engines until now? At least the larger 2.5-liter engines in the Omega, as far as I know.

You're right, but only the 2.5L engine was available in the Omega, and that model is no longer produced.

Best regards, Marcus.

Wasn't the 2.5L diesel engine the x25 tds (I have no idea about the BMW engine codes, I think they're called Mxx)?

Best regards, WarLord.