Serious lack of power when driving up even slight inclines. 1.9 Diesel

[Wazbat]

Hi there,
I drive a 2005 citroen berlingo, with a 1.9 litre non-turbo diesel. We've been the owners for about 4-5 years and have always noticed it struggle up hills, though it'll comfortably reach 100-110 on any straight if you maintain the throttle at the same level.

I always thought that this was normal for diesels, but people who've ridden in the car with me have told me that it's not normal and that I shouldn't need to drop down to 4th gear on moderate inclines (or even 3rd (50km/h) when there were 5 people in the car).

Is this normal of diesels from this year? Someone said that it could be the EGR valve, would it be worth asking a mechanic to take a look at it? Or is this to be expected?

I have an OBD2 connecter oand the torque app on my phone, so maybe there's a sensor I could check while driving (though the car doesn't provide that many sensors over OBD2)

[cNova]

I think thats normal, the non turbo engines only have between 58 to 69 HP

[Wazbat]

It's the 1868 cc engine, which according to wikipedia has about 70 HP

[cNova]

You cant really expect a lot of a non turbo Diesel engine
These engines gain their power BY turboing them. Look at this video for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FMwc-U6pc

They need almost 20 seconds to reach 100 kph and their max KPH is like 150 (Which is nothing)

Compare that to a VW Turbo diesel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmtDgoXxYRY

The differences are huge

[Wazbat]

Yeah, whatever car I pick up next has got to have a turbo. I've been in some 1.6 petrols with a turbo and they're lovely.

I mean I can deal with general slowness, I just need a bit of power on the uphills.
Also, maybe I'm not driving it properly? That video shows him regularly going over 3000 RPM and even hitting 4000. I try and make 3000 my own limit, should I go over that when accelerating up hills? I've only had my licence a year

[Morgen]

Google says peak power for your engine is at 4000 rpm. So if you want more power going up a hill then I'd ride those gears a bit higher.