FOR centuries, scholars of all persuasions have been burning the proverbial midnight oil in a bid to feed their minds on the apocryphal tree of knowledge.
In the motoring world, these are the days of the diesel and the thinking men and women of the car companies are now reaping the rewards of the initial groundwork done in the 19th century by the accepted founding fathers of the oil-burning engine, Rudolf Diesel and Herbert Akroyd Stuart.
For diesel-powered vehicles are currently big business, with more than a third of all new cars sold during this year expected to be of the oil-burning persuasion, as the pace hots up in the bid to provide even more cost-effective transport capable of emitting even lower levels of CO2 and providing effective air quality control.
Vauxhall has recently raised the stakes with an impressive pair of oil burners for its new Astra, Vectra and Signum models.
The new 1.9-litre engine offers advantages in economy, performance and reduces the tax liability for company car users.
It replaces the existing 2.2-litre diesel engine in the Vectra and Signum ranges and will be added to the Astra line-up later this year.
Buyers can choose between two power outputs of 120bhp and 150bhp, with a £500 premium for the latter.
The new engines also have lower CO2 emissions and comply with the new EuroIV emission standards, which means that company car drivers no longer incur the extra three per cent diesel tax loading, saving a typical 40 per cent tax-payer more than £600 a year.
Recently, I took to the roadway in the company of a Vauxhall Vectra SRi, urged on by the more powerful diesel engine of the two, the 1.9 TDCi 150bhp.
Coupled to a new six-speed gearbox, the power source does everything it says on the box, offering a 0-60mph acceleration time of under nine seconds, with a top speed in excess of 130mph, where legally allowable, and, depending upon individual driving styles, promises around 45mpg on the combined driving cycle.
This new diesel gels well with the SRi set-up in the new Vectra, delivering some smoothly refined power to whisk the SRi silhouette, with its lowered suspension, along at the pace which it has been created for, proving a perfect companion while cruising the long haul.
The Vectra SRi is also a hatchback with attitude illustrated by the businesslike appearance at the sharp end where a deeper front bumper and aggressive looking sport-style grille make a pretty bold statement.
It is hugely torquy, too, with 232lb/ft primed to kick in from 2,000rpm to 2,750rpm, providing a broad mid-range of pulling power helping to shorten your stay in the overtaking lane and providing urge to take full advantage of the new Vectra suspension set-up and Vauxhall's pioneering technology designed to improve driving dynamics.
And improved they most certainly are thanks to the Interactive Driving System which connects the control and safety functions of the individual chassis components to help provide some great ride and handling.
Mounted on 17-inch 12-spoke alloys, linking together a series of twisty bits is a joy and, while the lowered sports suspension of the SRi is a little on the firm side, it doesn't compromise the comfort of the ride in, what is, a manouevrably roomy cabin.
The Vectra SRi comes pretty generously kitted out with air con, supportive front sports seats with eight-way adjust on the driver's side, rain sensitive windscreen wipers, anti-dazzle rear view mirror, driver information centre, stereo radio/CD player, remote control dead locking and security alarm coming as standard.
Safety features include driver and passanger airbags, front side impact airbags and full size curtain airbags, plus, Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) is on hand to assist the unwise and the unwary.
These days, the Vectra is a much more upmarket motor in both looks and build quality and, with the addition of these two new diesel engines, even better equipped to continue to successfully compete in the upper echelons of the family and fleet sector of the automotive world.
FAST FACTS
Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTi SRi
Price: £19,290
Mechanical: 150bhp, 1,910cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6-spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 135mph
0-62mph: 8.8 secs
Combined mpg: 47.9
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 159g/km
BiK rating: 17%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles