Over a number of days motoring journalists from the four corners of Europe were brought to our shores to drive the 1.6-litre 'Whisper Diesel' (in Opel Mokkas) and the 2.0-litre (in Opel Insignias).
The engines replace the rather rough and not very impressive 1.7 and 2.0-litre units that we know well from the Opel range, and which have fallen behind the latest offerings from Opel's competition.
The 2.0-litre has good power with 170hp and buckets of torque (pulling power), with 400nm on tap. It is also Euro6 compliant.
The also-Euro6-compliant 1.6-litre (with two outputs of 110hp and 136hp) is even more impressive as it is extremely quiet and powerful for its size.
The Mokka diesel was up to now pretty ordinary, but in the 136hp guise we tested it is really good.
The four-cylinder diesel delivers much livelier performance about town and when needed cruises at high-speed with ease.
Opel Ireland can look forward to increasing sales, thanks to these new engines.
Available to order now, the engines will make their way into the German manufacturer's broader range over the coming weeks.
Try either of them and you won't be disappointed.
