2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel: Building A New Legacy

How long has it been since General Motors has had a player in the diesel car game?  If you said “30 years,” you’re both right and wrong.  Chronologically, yes, that was the GM’s last foray into the realm of Rudolf Diesel’s alternative-fuel engine, but the reality is the domestic giant has never actually fielded a legitimate diesel contender.

Until now.  The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is far more than just another entry in the burgeoning field of automobiles that have rejected a gasoline-focused approach in an effort to steal away customers seeking improved fuel efficiency.  It also happens to be an important step in the continued evolution of GM’s small car strategy, and proof of how an already excellent car can be made even better through the judicious application of engineering.

• Also: 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel Posts Hybrid-Beating Fuel Economy
• Also: GM Announces 1-Year Delay For Next Chevy Cruze

The Benefits Of Diesel Living

Although the Chevrolet Cruze Eco model was already available with a frugal 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine (rated at 7.1 l/100 km in combined city / highway driving), the Cruze Diesel not only matches this combined performance but adds highway consumption that is a half-litre per 100 km better than the Eco.  While this difference might not seem like a huge chasm, over time it will add up, and considering that turbodiesel engines typically outperform their official efficiency ratings after the break-in period is over, the Chevrolet’s 5.1 l/100 km highway figure could very well dip much lower in actual practice.

Another factor in the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel’s favour is that its reduced fuel consumption requires no sacrifice in power or drivability.  In fact, the 2.0-liter, direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine under the hood the compact sedan puts out 151 horsepower and 264 lb-ft of torque, which is a jump of 13 ponies and a whopping 116 lb-ft of twist over the Cruze’s most robust gas motor.

Don’t mistake the Cruze Diesel for a performance car – it’s not – but the ability to overboost to 280 lb-ft of torque for a few crucial seconds during passing or when accelerating off of the line help the car surge forward confidently without asking its mill to spin up to the same buzzy level as a gasoline-powered design of similar size would need to.  Combined with the Chevrolet’s standard six-speed automatic transmission, the automobile offers a very smooth drivetrain that one doesn’t have to drive like there’s an egg under the go-pedal in order to see generous real-world efficiency.

An Already Competent Package

The best part about the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is that the addition of such a strong, fuel-sipping motor makes an already appealing small sedan package that much more competent.  The Cruze has always delivered the kind of handling and ride manners that have elevated to the top of the small four-door pack, and the turbodiesel version of the car enhances the overall experience offered by the automobile.  Keen ears will notice that the Cruze Diesel’s underhood noises are more clatter than purr, but from the driver’s seat the vehicle’s additional sound insulation makes it far more difficult to discern its alternative fuel roots.

I have personally always been a fan of the Cruze’s interior design, which mixes plastics with fabrics in order to offer better-than-average passenger compartment styling (enhanced by the addition of the Chevrolet MyLink touchscreen interface).  Still, there are many of the typical economy car cues to be found inside the Cruze Diesel, including the proliferation of hard surfaces, that remind you of the vehicle’s intended audience.  Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but the Cruze Diesel has been priced at the top of the compact car’s model line-up, which means that one has to spend over $25,000 to gain admission to the turbodiesel party and be careful not to over-indulge on options to avoid the $29,000 mark.  Considering that you don’t get as much standard gear with the entry-level Cruze Diesel as you do when purchasing a top-tier LTZ edition of the Cruze with its thrifty turbo gas engine – which checks in at thousands less – you have to be committed to the benefits of the turbodiesel lifestyle to fudge over the return-on-investment imbalance inherent in this particular decision.

A True Competitor

Honestly, for certain drivers it’s an plunge worth taking.  If your daily grind consists of long highway stretches then you are going to recoup the price gap between the Cruze Eco and the Cruze Diesel much more quickly than an urban dweller – and you’ll enjoy a much better ride (with most likely equivalent fuel economy) than you would if you opted for the fussier Toyota Prius hybrid.

Even more importantly, small car buyers now have an alternative to the Volkswagen Jetta sedan and its Golf hatchback sibling, two models that in their TDI trim have had the entry-level diesel landscape to themselves for over 20 years.  It’s a small but important step in helping turbodiesel technology increase market share in Canada (which does without the benefit of the tax breaks and other incentives thrown at EVs and hybrids), and it’s a huge leap for General Motors to produce a car that erases all of our memories of their previous failed attempts to tame the diesel demon.