Conventional Cars cruze-diesel

Published on April 19th, 2012 | by Christopher DeMorro

17

GM’s Chevy Cruze Diesel Rated At 72.4 MPG In UK

For the past year there has been plenty of speculation that GM would be bringing a diesel-powered Chevy Cruze to the U.S. market. The target date appears to be 2013, though there is an uncertainty when it comes to which diesel engine GM will opt for. In Austrailia, a 2.0 liter turbodiesel returns up to 49 mpg highway. But a new 1.7 liter diesel Cruze model in the UK delivers up to 72.4 Imperial MPG, which translates to about 50 mpg in the U.S.

Is America really going to get a 50 mpg diesel Cruze? I can’t say for sure, especially since MPG translations from one country to another are rough estimates at best, and wildly inaccurate at worst. For comparison’s sake, the 2012 Toyota Prius is also rated at 72 mpg in the UK, which translates to about 50 mpg U.S.

That is still mighty impressive for a non-hybrid, and will give those looking for an alternative to hybrids a viable option. Unlike most commercial hybrids, diesel cars can provide a more performance-oriented driving experience thanks to lots and lots of torque. The 1.7 liter turbodiesel in the UK Cruze is rated at 128 horsepower and 221 ft-lbs of torque, which is about the same horsepower but more than twice the torque of the Prius. That helps the Cruze diesel go from 0-60 mph in about 9.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 124 mph.

As far as pricing goes, the Cruze diesel has a starting MSRP of £16,725 (about $26,800) compared to the 2012 Prius, which starts at £21,350 (about $34,200). That’s a fair chunk of chedder, though what that will translate to over in the U.S. is anybody’s guess.

If it came down to choosing between a diesel and a hybrid, what would you choose?

Source: GM



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About the Author

A writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs, can be found wrenching or writing- or esle, he's running, because he's one of those crazy people who gets enjoyment from running insane distances.


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  • Ike

    I live in Canada and own a VW Jetta TDI (Diesel) my car is 15 years old and still get’s 50 MPG imperial gal. So In My Opinion a new Diesel offering should be able to beat that fuel milage.

    It’s promising to read about the 72 MPG Imperial gallon Diesel. Would love to see that. It would give you better fuel economy than VW Jetta and Golf diesels which would steal a good chunk of that market share. It would give you a car with hybrid crushing fuel economy and the ability to tow. Try doing that with a hybrid.

    I hope GM brings that varient to North America, especially Canada.

  • Mr Busyhands

    We have two VW diesels and love them. That said, when I made the decision to buy in 2005, the Toyota dealers were charging premiums for Prii, with a six-month wait, and diesel fuel was about 10% cheaper than regular gasoline. Shortly afterwards, diesel went up and has stayed 25-30% more expensive than gas. So, the economics of a diesel over a conventional gas engine are still advantageous. but only by a slight margin. And there’s no Prius shortage now, so the economics of a Prius look better than a TDI.

    I drove a rental Prius for a week and liked it fine. It didn’t have the excitement of spooling up the TDI’s turbo and squealing the tires. Getting 50mpg on cheaper regular fuel (and not having to search for a station with a diesel pump) is definitely a big plus, though.

    The diesels are pretty much indestructible, it seems, but when it comes time to replace one of them, I’ll definitely give hybrids another look.

  • Jace

    Why can’t I have a diesel hybrid?

    • dan

      Because that would make to much sense and we cant have that. The government would have a fit as they would not be getting anywhere near the same taxes.

  • Dave

    To answer the question “If it came down to choosing between a diesel and a hybrid, what would you choose?”, the answer is a resounding DIESEL. And we don’t have to wait for the Chevy Cruze. Volkswagen already offers a great diesel alternative to hybrids for a comparable price.

  • Indy Biodiesel

    I’ll second the vote for a diesel hybrid. Even more interested if it comes in a small 4×4 pick up.

  • Jim B

    I have 2 VW TDI in the drive, a 90 and a 140 hp. Also a retired Peugeot 505 turbodiesel.
    There is something wrong with your figures–I think you have confounded the mileage of the two different engines. 72.4 mpg Imperial = 60.3 US gallon mpg for the 1.7 L. That figure of 50 US mpg sounds about right for the 2.0 L. If you go to the British VW site and look at the mileage of their equivalents, the 1.6 and 2.0 TDI (both CR series, same as sold here) they are about that for the two sizes of diesel.
    http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/
    http://www.tdiclub.com/misc/conversions.html

  • Connor Showalter

    This is awesome. Cruze TDI here I come!

  • Bill Clark

    We owned a ’02 TDI for 9 years and 76K miles. The engine was indestructable, however the automatic transmission failed three times so we sold it to a new owner who put a new transmission and battery in it and was delighted. The mistake we made was not buying the manual transmission which almost no has problems with. On the other hand our ’05 E320 CDI has 105K on it and not an ounce of difficulties and averages 39 MPG on trips with a range of 800 to 900 miles depending on the outside temp. Cost per mile for the TDI was $0.50/mile counting everything. The CDI will reach the same cost per mile at about 203K with a lot more luxury and safety with 8 airbags and 4200 lbs. of solid tank like strength. Until the Cruze diesel comes out, last yr with gas being lower than diesel, we bought a Toyota Yarus with automatic and it has been getting an actual 39+ local driving and 41+ hwy trips. The fuel only cost per mile has been $.01 less than the TDI. Having had 7 diesels in our life, we much prefer a diesel’s torque and cruze sounds.

  • Al

    I had an 06 VW TDI, put 135000 when we traded it for a cruze. The VW DSG tranny was junk, $6000.00 for a rebuilt, the engine was great. I hope the diesel cruze will start easier in the winter then the vw and will heat the cabin better in the winter. I will take a look at the diesel cruze when it comes out but stay away from VW.

    • http://importantmedia.org/members/joborras/ Jo Borras

      UGH! That DSG tranny is terribad. Hopefully you got the manual-trans. Cruze.

  • big dog

    Drove diesels when I lived in Germany in 2010-2012, Audi and BMW both manual diesels. Hands down I’m Sold on diesels vs. a hybrid or an electric Volt. Would consider a hybrid if it was a diesel? If GD designed a 8 wheeled diesel hybrid military vehicle with no powertrain substituting 8 electric motors mounted in wheel hubs pushing 15 ton vehicle with speeds upto 70mph and 20mpg at speeds of 50mph.
    The mpg in the BMW was unbelievable avg 60+mpg or 100kpg @ 80+mph and rpm barely peaked 2000. Why US automakers have been so negative on the diesel touring/sedan vehicles is criminal and our Gov’t flawed stats and the ethnol loby machine buying our politicians is the real crime. I’m a buyer so long as GM delivers on production, quality and makes a manual drive; but, so far GM is mum on whether a manual is going to be an option. The only thing that bothers me is that the diesel engine is made in Korea and I understand its a joint own plant between GM and Fiat. Hopefully, they’re will be no supply problems for the US market as I have a feeling GM is going to give priority to its Euro mrkt. To date I have not found one single GM dealer excited about the Cruze diesel. Supply is an issue than I’ll buy the more expensive Audi A3 TDI to add to my diesel collection;-P Oh yeah, can anyone tell me why the cost of diesel is more expensive than gasoline? Is it cost of producing diesel?

    • John M.

      About the cost of diesel in the US.

      In the refining process, the US and Europe use different methods of cracking petroleum. The US method yields a higher output of light distillates (gasoline) while the European method yields a greater percentage of heavy products (diesel, heating oil, etc.)

      See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_(chemistry)

      Yes I know this is an old thread – maybe google will help someone with a related question.

  • Adam C

    Mitsubishi plans to (possibly) release an evo XI diesel hybrid in 2014, sounds great, but I don’t know where it will be available.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bill.rogers.7587 Bill Rogers

    An American diesel?? Didn’t we learn anything from the 70’s and 80’s? American car companies that DO NOT have a long history with diesels, like VW & MB, will simply screw it up and jade the American public on them all over again. And yes, I own 2 VW TDI’S and have for many years.

  • greg

    Bill Rogers: The engine to be used in the Cruze is the ubiquitous Fiat A20DTH, which has been characterized and calibrated extensively in many applications for many years. While your statement that ‘American car companies experience with diesel engines is not long’ is dubious at best, your assertion that GM will simply “screw up” this engine is flat out wrong. This engine combined with the Cruze platform has been extremely successful in Europe badged as Opel and Vauxhall. I have been conducting laboratory emissions and performance research on this engine for several months, and it exceeds the vw/audi group 2.0tdi in both emissions and performance. Attitudes like yours are the reason Americans have not embraced diesel powered cars and their multifold social, environmental, and economic benefits

  • Pingback: Europe-Only Honda Civic Diesel Boasts 65 MPG - Gas 2()

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