Non sluggish hatch

Author
Discussion

Misspeapebble

Original Poster:

3 posts

5 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
Hi all.
I’m new to the group and after some of your expertise ?? I had a 2.0l Vauxhall Astra diesel and have swapped it for a 1.6 petrol and I hate it with a passion.Theres just nothing there.I only need the car for local driving and taking dog out which which is why I’ve gone for petrol, but it’s so sluggish.Thought id get used to it but can’t.Would a 1.8 Honda civic be better? Looking to spend no more than 3.5k.
Thanks everyone

A500leroy

5,581 posts

125 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
You need the turbo 1.4 Astra.

MattsCar

1,252 posts

112 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
Yes, the Honda will be more powerful, but, I think you have probably got used to the torque of a Turbo Diesel and no low capacity non turbo petrol engine will replicate that.

ZX10R NIN

28,351 posts

132 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
Misspeapebble said:
Hi all.
I’m new to the group and after some of your expertise ?? I had a 2.0l Vauxhall Astra diesel and have swapped it for a 1.6 petrol and I hate it with a passion.Theres just nothing there.I only need the car for local driving and taking dog out which which is why I’ve gone for petrol, but it’s so sluggish.Thought id get used to it but can’t.Would a 1.8 Honda civic be better? Looking to spend no more than 3.5k.
Thanks everyone
You've got used to the wall of torque a diesel provides at the flex of your right foot, the answer is to find a turbo petrol car & you'll be just fine.

Giulietta Veloce:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405099...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405079...

1.6T Astra SRI VX Line:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403257...

1.4T:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405230...

Misspeapebble

Original Poster:

3 posts

5 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
Thanks so much guys! Love this forum

Super Sonic

7,204 posts

61 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
You may find you need to hold each gear before upshifting to get the power. In my honda 1.8 civic I shift up at about 3k if I'm not in a hurry, or hold on til 5k to press on.
In my old accord r 2.2 the VTEC didn't kick in til 5.8k, at which point it felt like it was on a steam catapult!

Edited by Super Sonic on Sunday 9th June 19:43

Misspeapebble

Original Poster:

3 posts

5 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
Yeah I’ve had it about two weeks and tried that, I just feels like a heavy lump ha! Think I need a turbo engine.I dont fly around like a boy racer but just want something with a bit of power when accelerating

RichFN2

3,679 posts

186 months

Sunday 9th June
quotequote all
If it's a petrol civic then the type r is the only option if you want something that feels like it has some poke and you might get one in your budget, otherwise the 2.2 diesel is supposed to be nippy.

Mine is quick enough in VTEC to remind you it has 200bhp ( a far cry from today's hot hatches) but it still moves briskly out of VTEC. Around 150bhp from memory and being 2.0 has enough torque for what it is.

ChrisH72

2,346 posts

59 months

Sunday 9th June
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I had a 1.8 Civic and found it pretty gutless. Unfortunately it also felt strained at high revs which surprised me for a Vtec engine. I didn't keep it long.

Just swapped a Fiesta ST for an mx5 ND2. They both have 180bhp but the power delivery is very different. The Fiesta felt a lot quicker in normal driving having the turbo, whereas you really need to work the mx5. That's fun in itself of course and being lightweight you get instant response. It suits that kind of car. But in a hatchback I think having a turbo is much better, unless you have large capacity. Audi A3 3.2 v6 maybe? Not sure if you can get one in your budget.

Edit: Apparently you can.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024051095...

That would go well enough without a turbo.

Edited by ChrisH72 on Sunday 9th June 21:29

Whataguy

1,028 posts

87 months

Monday 10th June
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You need to really rev the 1.8 to get the best out of it. I’ve had them many times as service loan cars.

When I had a 2 litre Honda I would change up at 6k, which dropped the revs to 4k so kept you in the power band. It didn’t sound the best but you could do that for many years.

Fine on the open road, but you can’t do it around town with the gearing being high.

I’ve had a Volvo V40 diesel, I think using the same ford engine as the focus and the power delivery on that was completely different- I would shift that at 3.5k maximum for best performance.

There may be diesel bargains about if people are changing to petrol. Otherwise a turbo petrol will get you the torque.