The 2013 Chevy Cruze

            The 2013 Chevy Cruze is becoming the standard for fuel efficiency, comfort and power for the smaller class of cars out there today.  At Handy Chevrolet, we have a variety of different model Cruzes to choose from to suit anyone’s needs.  Approaching 40mpg highway, you won’t have to be filling up the tank once a week, more like once every two weeks.

            The engine in the Chevy Cruze is a 1.4 Liter I-4 with 16 valves and an intercooled turbocharger.  The Turbo 1.4L makes 138hp at 4900RPM and 148 ft-lbs of torque at 1850RPM.  You can also choose from a naturally aspirated I-4 that makes the same 138hp but at 6300RPM.  Torque is down slightly from the turbo 1.4L to 125 ft-lbs at 3800RPM.  Both the turbo and non-turbocharged are electronically fuel injected. Also being offered this year is the 2.0L turbocharged diesel I-4, which makes 151hp at 4000RPM and 264 ft-lbs of torque at 2600RPM.  Both of the non-diesel engines feature electronic fuel injection and the diesel is direct injected. 

            Interior packages come in the LS, 1LT, ECO, 2LT, and LTZ.  The LTZ is the most luxurious of the options, which feature options like leather seats, heated steering wheel, and a premium 9-speaker sound system.  The lower models are still features with 6-speakers as standard.  The LS, 1LT, ECO and 2LT Cruze models can also come with a manual 6-speed transmission if you want.

            What is the starting price for the Chevy Cruze?  $17,170 and the highest price for a new Cruze is in the low $30,000 range.  With the cheap price and the fuel savings you will get driving a Cruze to and from work, it is worth buying.

Matthew Colan

Handy Chevrolet

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