| General Motors finally is waking up to the idea of diesel passenger cars in the U.S. market, evidenced by the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze diesel. Europe, however, is still streets ahead. The Old World likes vehicles that are practical and efficient—such as the Opel Zafira, a high-roof people mover based on the Astra. It now comes with an entry-level, 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel that makes 134 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to propel the Zafira up to a full 120 mph, while fuel consumption is a mere 57.4 mpg in the European cycle. In real-world driving, it should get close to 50 mpg.
Opel claims that the new 1.6 diesel is the "cleanest diesel in the history of the company," with an EU-6 emissions rating. The company also claims that the engine sets "benchmarks for performance with its high power and torque density but also for refinement." That might be true in the 1.6-liter segment, but as far as power goes, we'd prefer the Zafira 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI with its 195-hp, 295-lb-ft engine. For reference, the U.S.-market Cruze diesel comes with a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel that makes 148 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That is an excellent start. The Opel Zafira won't come to the U.S., though; the 1.6-liter diesel could, as it would fit into every Delta- and Epsilon-platform GM car.
In Europe, the Zafira competes with the Ford C-Max, which is conventionally powered over there, and the Volkswagen Touran. Opel's sister brand, Chevrolet, offers the crossover-like Orlando in this segment.  from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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