Opel announced today that it would offer this feature on the Astra model equipped with the 160 hp 2.0 CDTI engine, in order to help it reduce the consumption levels by an estimated 13 percent (for the version equipped with the six-speed manual transmission).
That means that the model, despite its rather big power output, doesn't need more than 4.9 to 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers to run properly. At the same time, emission figures have decreased from 129 to 119 grams per kilometer of CO2.
The start/stop technology to be featured on the Astra is part of a bigger array of features that will help the car maker's flagship range get to the hearts and minds of the consumers that are worried about spending a fortune on fuel.
Brought together under the generic name ecoFLEX Technology Package, the start/stop is paired to the CleanTech Combustion Technology, a feature that allows for the adjustment of fuel injection to the combustion process in real time, by using a closed-loop system.
Opel has big plans for the start/stop technology in the future. Already present in some models from the Agila, Corsa and Astra, the feature that shuts downs the engine while idling will expand rapidly through the lineup.
By the early months of next year, Opel will have no less than 34 cars that use start/stop on the market.
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