Chevy Cruze Diesel

            During the fuel and energy crisis in the 1970s and 80s, automakers began introducing diesel powered cars. Diesel engines are more efficient than cars that run on regular 87 octane gasoline.  Part of this that is because diesel engines have a much higher compression ratio than a typical gasoline powered engine.  With

the higher compression, diesel engines don’t need spark plugs to ignite the fuel/air mixture; it is done on its own.  Since diesel is a more efficient way to run an engine, why hasn’t it caught on with the American public?

            Back in the 1980s, diesel engines were rushed into public to provide a more efficient alternative to regular gasoline. However, these cars were noisy, smelled weird and were unreliable. Those cars also tended to shake due to the vibration of the diesel engine.  This left a bad taste in the public’s mouth and diesel powered cars soon began disappearing from the streets. 

            Thanks to technological advances, the diesel engine is beginning to make a comeback and this is evident with Chevrolet introducing a diesel version of the popular Cruze.  This is not the old diesel from the 1980s, this is an all new animal based on its much larger cousin, the Duramax diesel.  Chevy is using a steel crankshaft with aluminum pistons and aluminum heads.  All of this brings in a compression ratio of 16.5:1; compared to the standard 1.8L I4’s 10.5:1.

            Diesel engines run at lower RPM than their gasoline engine counterparts, so they’ll make more torque than horsepower.  The Cruze diesel makes an impressive 264 ft-lbs of torque compared to 125 for the 1.8L. The diesel can make up to 280 ft-lbs of overboost torque for a maximum of 10 seconds.

            The real eye opener with the Cruze diesel is the fuel economy.  Car and Driver reported at 55mph, a fuel economy of 58.4mpg. The EPA rated the fuel economy at 46mpg highway and 27mpg city.  This is better than the Cruze diesel’s competitor, the Volkswagen Jetta.  The Jetta is rated at 42mpg highway.  The Cruze also makes more horsepower at 151 compared to the Jetta’s 140.  Torque also goes to the Cruze at 264 ft-lbs compared to the Jetta’s 236. The Cruze also has a better warranty at five years/100,000 miles.  The Jetta is five year/60,000 miles.

            It’s clear that Chevy is developing a formidable diesel automobile, and changing the public’s opinion on diesel engines from their bad experiences in the 1980s.

Matthew Colan

Handy Chevrolet