2014 2.0L Turbo Diesel Cruze is here!

[Ryland]

EPA numbers on the Cruze Eco with an automatic is 39mpg, not 40mpg, of course the EPA numbers on the manual 6 speed are 42mpg, but comparing a diesel with an automatic to a gasoline vehicle with a manual transmission is not fair when there is a gasoline version with an automatic.

Still, I agree that it can and should do better and I'd like to see what it does with a 6 speed manual transmission.

[mechman600]

I don't understand how 42 mpg highway is pathetic.
EPA rates a 2006 Jetta TDI at 38 mpg for the automatic (the manual is 37). The Cruze is 4 mpg higher while meeting much more stringent emissions.
2006 Jetta TDI owners are averaging 41.1 mpg.
Compare Side-by-Side
I suspect that people will average higher than 42 mpg with the Cruze diesel as well.

[hawk2100n]

I don't understand how this car could ever make financial sense. The $5000 premium over gasoline Cruze models not including how the dealers will also either mark-up or not give any discounts or incentives on this car make it really unappealing. I bet you could expect to pay full sticker price ($25,000) for this while a gasoline Cruze eco could be had for probably $18,000 or less. That's a lot of gas.

And that doesn't even include the price differential on diesel in the US which wipes out most of the savings for a Jetta TDi when you really look at the numbers.

Say fuel price is 3.50 for gas and diesel.

Cruze TD auto 42 mpg makes 8.3333 cents/mile
Cruze eco auto 39 mpg makes 8.9744 cents/mile

$5000/(0.089744-0.08333 $/mi)=780,000 Miles to recoup

But wait, isn't diesel over $4/gal in most places.

That changes it to
Cruze TD auto 42 mpg makes 9.5238 cents/mile
Cruze eco auto 39 mpg makes 8.9744 cents/mile

Making it impossible to recoup the cost. In fact it costs $82.41 extra to drive over the course of a year (15,000 miles).

If you want a diesel this is a cool car, but not as cool as a Jetta TDi in my opinion, unless you're a GM man/woman. If you want to save money, get a gasoline cruze eco.

But hey, maybe gas will get super expensive again.

--Just saw a post above. I will be really interested in seeing real world results. Fuelly has a good sample of Cruze and hopefully the diesels will pop up in there and impress.

[Diesel_Dave]

I had to chuckle at this quote:

It is the cleanest diesel passenger car engine ever produced by General Motors

Um, that's not saying much!

[tjts1]

If You’ve Got 115 Years To Spare, The Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Makes Sense | The Truth About Cars

[razor02097]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

I had to chuckle at this quote:



Um, that's not saying much!

Actually counting the vehicles they sell over seas it is.... If you are just looking at GM America then yeah... there aren't many or any GM diesel passenger cars to compare.

GM is finally throwing us a bone in the states... although it's a dry bone with no meat left... Details aren't really there and the facts are still pretty vague... If it can run on B100 or is able to be converted to run on waste oil without voiding the warranty somehow... the cost of recovery would be a heck of a lot better. I don't know all the details but I have read that VW doesn't want you to run anything more than B5 in their newer TDI engines.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I wonder if it wouldn't be better to use the Isuzu-designed 1.7L turbodiesel made at a former Isuzu factory (currently fully-owned by GM) in Biesko-Biala (Poland), also available for the Euro-spec Cruze (rated there at 130hp/221lb.ft.) altough it's currently bolted only to a manual transmission. If GM could at least get rid of the SCR it would be more competitive against the VW Jetta and the Mazda3 which is quoted to receive either the current 2.2L SkyActiv-D with lower ratings or the upcoming 1.6L SkyActiv-D.

[tjts1]

The SCR makes the engine more fuel efficient compared to periodically dumping fuel into the exhaust to regenerate the DPF. Thats why the US market Passat TDI with SCR is more fuel efficient than the Jetta TDI without.

DEF can be purchesed at any truck stop or Walmart for cheap. Its a non issue.

[PaleMelanesian]

It's likely more efficient because of SCR. The other option (that VW uses) is to burn extra fuel in the exhaust periodically to clear out the filters.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by fltrplntman

But the Cruze Eco gets 40 mpg for thousands less. Not to mention the difference in fuel prices.

Too bady the diesel doesn't come in 6mt.

Something else that needs to be noted as well is the fact that City fuel economy may be significantly different than the gasser.

It also may respond more favorably to certain driving techniques (as compared to the gasser)

Ah well.