New Opel Astra J OPC Engine - King of Torque

Turbocharged Direct Injection 2.0 liter engine with 280 hp and 400 Nm of torque

The strongest four cylinder gasoline engine on the European market in terms of highest specific torque comes from Opel.

The turbocharged, direct injection, 1998 cm³, all aluminum unit in the Astra OPC not only has a maximum power output of 280 hp; with 200.2 Nm per liter, it has higher specific torque than any of its rivals, more even than super sports cars. The maximum torque of 400 Nm is developed at 2,450 rpm, stretching all the way to just under 5,000 rpm in a very wide plateau which ensures that the Astra OPC can deliver high performance in a variety of situations.

The Opel engineers carried out far reaching changes on the existing turbocharged direct injection 2.0 liter gasoline unit used in the Insignia, giving it a more sporty edge and adding extra power to it. A completely new state of the art engine air intake system was developed in order to feed as much air to the turbocharger as possible. The turbocharger itself was further improved to withstand more charge air pressure and therefore the durability of the charger was increased accordingly by using new components. The build-up of pressure starts as early as around 1,400 rpm; gas pedal movements thus result in immediate and powerful propulsion. The maximum charge pressure has been increased to 1.5 bar – that represents a 25 percent increase compared to the one previously used in the Insignia.

A powerful car like the Astra OPC needs a powerful sound track that appeals to the emotional side of the high performance car enthusiast. That is why sound engineering played an important role in the development of the car. The engineers wanted to deliver the robust and masculine exterior sound typical of all Astra OPCs. 

They also wanted to re-create the jet noise like sound on the interior which OPC fans will remember from the last Astra when the driver accelerates from the mid to high rpm range. This is especially noticeable when changing up from third into fourth gear under acceleration.

12 percent fuel saving

The Astra OPC that comes with Start/Stop technology as a standard, consumes 8.1 liters per 100 kilometers, a CO₂ value of 189 g/km. These are highly competitive figures in the high performance segment. Compared to the previous model (221 g/km, 9.2 l/km), CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption are now 14 percent/12 percent lower. The new high performance coupe can sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in just six-point-zero seconds.

Before the modified Astra OPC engine could go into production, it was subjected to a series of challenging tests. Then it was put to an endurance test of 10,000 kilometers in the Opel Astra OPC on the Nordschleife segment of the Nürburgring race track under racing conditions which equivalent of 180,000 kilometers on normal roads.