2013 Vauxhall Astra Energy 1.4 --- gutless!!
Discussion
I recently changed my 2007 Astra Energy for a 2013 Astra Energy, what a disappointment!!
The 2007 car was fun to drive with good performance for a 1.4 run of the mill car, even with over 100,000 on the clock it went really well.
The 2013 car is hopeless below 3000 rpm, no way can you drive from a junction in 2nd gear and trying to accelerate in 4th is embarrassing!!
I was wondering if the 17" wheels have anything to do with this (the 07 car had 16"), have they left the transmission (ratios on diff & gears) the same for the 17" wheels resulting in the gearing being too long.
I was wondering if getting the car chipped for more torque might help.
Advice and comments gratefully received.
The 2007 car was fun to drive with good performance for a 1.4 run of the mill car, even with over 100,000 on the clock it went really well.
The 2013 car is hopeless below 3000 rpm, no way can you drive from a junction in 2nd gear and trying to accelerate in 4th is embarrassing!!
I was wondering if the 17" wheels have anything to do with this (the 07 car had 16"), have they left the transmission (ratios on diff & gears) the same for the 17" wheels resulting in the gearing being too long.
I was wondering if getting the car chipped for more torque might help.
Advice and comments gratefully received.
I can’t offer you much other than to agree that it is shockingly gutless!
We bought my wife’s Astra brand new but only test drove it in town so didn’t realise how lacking in grunt it was. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great car and has served us well for the last 6 and a half years but my god it is slow!
We always thought it would loosen up a bit as the miles passed, but it didn’t. It’s like it’s being strangled and isn’t getting any air. Normally a 16v engine likes to rev and Vauxhall 1.4 16v engines of old loved to rev but this one seems lethargic and breathless. It also sounds terrible over 3k revs.
Anyway, I doubt a remap will offer you much other than emptying your wallet. You could try running it on premium fuel - momentum 99, v-power, bp ultimate. We’ve found that helped a bit. Other than that maybe try a performance air filter. I haven’t tried this as the car is under Vauxhall warranty but it may help.
We’re used to it now, travel at nothing more than a leisurely pace and just don’t attempt many overtakes, especially on hills! Luckily it spends most of it's time in town. On the plus side, it’s very economical! We saw over 550 miles from a tank once during a tour round Scotland. I think that’s why it’s so lethargic - it’s strangled by emissions rules. Car weight doesn’t help. The Astra K is much lighter!
We bought my wife’s Astra brand new but only test drove it in town so didn’t realise how lacking in grunt it was. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great car and has served us well for the last 6 and a half years but my god it is slow!
We always thought it would loosen up a bit as the miles passed, but it didn’t. It’s like it’s being strangled and isn’t getting any air. Normally a 16v engine likes to rev and Vauxhall 1.4 16v engines of old loved to rev but this one seems lethargic and breathless. It also sounds terrible over 3k revs.
Anyway, I doubt a remap will offer you much other than emptying your wallet. You could try running it on premium fuel - momentum 99, v-power, bp ultimate. We’ve found that helped a bit. Other than that maybe try a performance air filter. I haven’t tried this as the car is under Vauxhall warranty but it may help.
We’re used to it now, travel at nothing more than a leisurely pace and just don’t attempt many overtakes, especially on hills! Luckily it spends most of it's time in town. On the plus side, it’s very economical! We saw over 550 miles from a tank once during a tour round Scotland. I think that’s why it’s so lethargic - it’s strangled by emissions rules. Car weight doesn’t help. The Astra K is much lighter!
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