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A Test-Drive/Overview of the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel.
http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles/cruze/2017.tab3.html?id=1488764925946
http://www.chevrolet.com/cruze-compact-car/specs/trims.html
IN A NUTSHELL: Currently, the only U.S.-market small, compact, inexpensive diesel car available.
Well, folks, I probably don't need to go into the major VW/Audi diesel scandal here. It is still ongoing, has been extensively covered by both the regular press and the auto-press, and most of you are well-familiar with it, so I don't have to get into the details. With the dropping of the Golf/Jetta/Passat TDI diesel line in the U.S., though (VW and Audi are still mum on whether that sales-hold is temporary or permanent), that, of course, left a hole in one segment of the auto market.....small diesel sedans and hatchbacks. While several other automakers sell American-market diesels in the upmarket-vehicle and pick-up truck/commercial-truck classes, VW was the only one selling them in relatively small, inexpensive sedans and hatchbacks.
Now, of course, with those small TDIs (at least temporarily) gone, rival GM is the first automaker to step into the scene with a (seemingly) credible alternative....the all-new Chevrolet Cruise Diesel for 2017. Chevy did offer a four-cylinder diesel on the last-generation Cruze for the 2014 and 1015 model-years, but it was a larger (2.0L) block, used cast iron, and was dropped after 2015 from poor sales. Of course, back then, VW was providing very strong competition with their line of small TDIs...that is no longer the case. With the VW diesels now out of the picture, GM, once again, sees some sales potential for a Cruze diesel, and a second-generation version is being launched. It uses a smaller 1.6L aluminum block (Ouch!) turbo-diesel, and the latest TDI/common-rail technology. Preliminary power figures are 137 HP and 240 ft-lbs. of torque, with a 52 MPG Highway, though GM is still in the process of finalizing figures on its websites as I write this. Transmission choices are a 6-speed manual and nine-speed automatic. If the 52 MPG figure holds up for the production model, though, It would make it the highest-MPG vehicle in the American market not using an electric motor or hybrid system.
The reason, though, that I say (Ouch) to an aluminum block for a diesel is that many of us older car enthusiasts (such as me) can still either personally remember the Chevrolet Vega/Pontiac Astre disaster in the early/mid 1970s, have or read about it in our automotive research, when that POS of an engine regularly overheated and warped when the aluminum and iron parts in it expanded at different rates. That disaster, and other GM engine disasters to come, like the 5.7L (350 c.i.) diesel V8 (which was not a true diesel, but a converted gas engine), the Cadillac V-8-6-4 variable-displacement gas engine, early versions of the classic-oil-burning Cadillac Northstar 4.6L V8, and the Quad-Four gas engine, which was unreliable and ran with the noise/refinement level of a farm tractor, seriously damaged GM's reputation for many years, sending the company down the road to bankruptcy. Of course, engine technology (including the quality and durability of aluminum alloys) has improved markedly since those bad old days, but, to me, at least, using an aluminum block in a diesel may be stretching it. That's because, unlike a typical gas engine which may have a compression ratio from 8:1 up to around 11:1, diesels have a compression ratio of roughly twice that.... around 20:1, igniting the highly-compressed (and highly-pressurized) air/diesel-fuel mixture by the heat and pressure of compression rather than by an electrical spark. That, of course, also requires extra-beefy pistons, conecting-rods, crankshaft, and main bearings as well. The only time a typical diesel needs electrical ignition is when starting up cold, with an electrical glow-plug (older glow plugs often took a while to heat up, but the new ones are almost instantaneous). So, as of now, I have some misgivings about an aluminum block being able to withstand a diesel's pressure and stress for the life of the vehicle, but, Hey, I've sometimes been wrong before, and we'll see.
Initially, only the Cruze 4-door sedan model will get the diesel option....5-door hatchbacks may follow later in the year (gas-powered 5-door hatchback models are already available at some dealers). Final pricing has not been set of this writing, but Chevy has promised that all Cruze diesel models, regardless of trim and body style, will start under 30K, so look for lower-trim models to probably start in the low-to-mid-20s. A bare-bones, gas version is available for under 20K...I also looked at one of those today that listed for 19K, but did not test-drive it.
As they are just starting to be released, Cruze diesels, in the D.C. area, are currently very difficult, but not impossible to find. Most places don't have any yet, but a fairly large Chevy shop, not far from my fitness center, had one bright-blue one in stock with a black leather interior. So, after my morning swim and shower (needless to say, those big Olympic-size indoor heated pools are NICE), I headed on over to check out the blue diesel. After looking at the bare-bones 19K model I just mentioned, the diesel looked noticeably nicer inside, though I generally don't care for the latest 2017 Cruze interiors as much as I did the nice, rather plush-looking first-generation version. The seats are quite comfortable, though...and just exactly wide enough for my big rump, no more. I could not copy down the usual price/options/EPA info I usually do, because this car did not have a factory price-sticker....only a preliminary sticker saying it was not for sale. (The dealership, however, assured me that it WAS for sale if I wanted to make an offer on it LOL). Given the level of equipment on it and the paint job, I'd guess the price somewhere between 25K and 28K.
OK, so let's get to the main point of the write-up, and what most of you are probably wondering...what is it like to drive? Well, not bad at all. I found only one real annoyance with it, from my point of view.........the automatic start/stop system for the engine, at idle (after the diesel warms up), needs some work. It shudders the car noticeably, upon start-up...you can both feel and hear it shudder for a second or two as you get underway. As with most modern automotive diesels today, though, the notorious problems that comparable diesels had 30-40 years ago are long gone. Gone is the black soot out the tailpipe, the noisy Pocka-Pocka-Pocka idle, the shaking, the hard-starting problems in winter, the water in the diesel fuel screwing things up, the slug-like acceleration, and the long glow-plug waits. That stuff is long-gone......even without VW's cheating LOL. Some diesels require periodic urea-refill solutions (generally the smaller the diesel, the less-likely it is to need them...some VW TDIs did, and some didn't). I don't know if the Cruze's diesel will need it or not...couldn't find a reference on GM's stats.
Anyhow, starting up cold, with the engine start/stop button (the ambient air temperature outside was about 50 degrees at start-up), the glow-plug system worked well....there was a minimal wait for fire-up and ignition. Once started, the engine did idle with a very slight amount of diesel-vibration and noise, but the underhood insulation pad clearly helped. (I might mention that I fumbled around almost ten minutes trying to find the secondary outside hood-latch release to raise the hood, when I finally gave up and discovered that the secondary latch is inside with the primary lever-handle....you essentially pull it twice). That's quite a surprise that GM sprang on us with this new Cruze.
On the road, the diesel, as typical of diesels, has a lot of torque at low RPMs, a comparably low red-line (no 9000-RPM Honda VTEC stuff here LOL), and, as with some gas engines I've sampled lately, a jumpy throttle starting off from rest. Part of that, I think, is in the diesel's high torque at low speeds, and part in the ECU programming. Other than that, though (and the somewhat rough automatic start/stop system), most of the time you would not know that you are not driving a gas engine. With the diesel, you have plenty of power at low speeds (an estimated 240-250 ft-lbs. of torque in a fairly light car), and you can pretty much get out of your own way if or when you need to. But don't try and drag-race anybody, as diesels can also run out of breath and RPMs fairly quickly, too. Noise levels, from the engine, are quite muted. The new 9-speed automatic transmission, though smooth-shfting and refined, is probably overkill for this engine, with its abundance of torque at low speeds not needing a lot of gears to keep moving. It will probably provide more benefits for the gas engine versions. Diesels also get 40-50% better fuel-mileage, on the average, than gas engines, so the very tall gears at the upper-end of the transmission spectrum probably aren't needed either.....and you don't want a diesel engine lugging into high a gear, either, as that can be very hard on a diesel engine's crankshaft.
As far as the car's chassis goes, I was generally pleased with it, at least for my typical driving style. Its tall 55-series tires and reasonably compliant suspension provided a smoother ride over bumps than the more aggressive 45-series rubber on my Buick Verano, which is done on a similar (but not identical) chassis. But wind noise, though not bad by any means, was not as well-muted as in the triple-sealed Verano (noise-wise, by compact-car standards, the Verano is like a cocoon...one of many things that attracted me to it). Road noise was generally well-controlled, though I wasn't able to sample it on some highly-porous surfaces for a real test....porosity (grittiness) in the road surface tends to add to tire roar. Steering response was about as expected for a car with this set-up......about average, with some body roll noted on sharp inputs. The brakes, of course, lacked the strong regenerative-feature found in hybrids and electrics, but were generally smooth and effective, and the brake pedal was reasonably-placed for big shoes like mine going from gas to brake without getting hung up.
So...in a nutshell: If you were (or are) a VW or Audi TDI fan, and are disappointed by the disappearance of the American-market diesels (we still don't know if they ever will be back in the U.S. or not), and want a high-mileage diesel (presumably, one that hasn't been developed by cheating LOL) in a fairly small car, the Cruze diesel may be your best alternative. In fact, right now, in this class, it may just be the only alternative, until other manufacturers offer a competitor. It somewhat lacks the German-crisp handling of the VW Golf and Jetta, and, of course, you have to put up with GM's annoying start/stop-engine feature at idle (both me and the Chevy reps there looked for a way to shut that system off, but couldn't find one). And, diesel fuel, in the D.C. area currently runs more than $3.00 a gallon...at the stations that actually sell it (you won't find diesel at every station). But, if you want a 50-MPG vehicle, and don't care for hybrids, the Cruze diesel might be worth a look. Right now, you're pretty much stuck with the sedan body style, but, as aforementioned, diesel hatchbacks are probably on the way (Gee, just like in Europe LOL). And, i have never understood the sense of this law, as diesel fuel is a petroleum product, just like gasoline......but, legally, diesel-fuel cars, in a number of areas, qualify as Alternate-Fuel vehicles for tax-credits, so Uncle Sam and/or the taxpayers might end subsidizing at least part of the purchase.
As Always..........Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles/cruze/2017.tab3.html?id=1488764925946
http://www.chevrolet.com/cruze-compact-car/specs/trims.html
IN A NUTSHELL: Currently, the only U.S.-market small, compact, inexpensive diesel car available.
Well, folks, I probably don't need to go into the major VW/Audi diesel scandal here. It is still ongoing, has been extensively covered by both the regular press and the auto-press, and most of you are well-familiar with it, so I don't have to get into the details. With the dropping of the Golf/Jetta/Passat TDI diesel line in the U.S., though (VW and Audi are still mum on whether that sales-hold is temporary or permanent), that, of course, left a hole in one segment of the auto market.....small diesel sedans and hatchbacks. While several other automakers sell American-market diesels in the upmarket-vehicle and pick-up truck/commercial-truck classes, VW was the only one selling them in relatively small, inexpensive sedans and hatchbacks.
Now, of course, with those small TDIs (at least temporarily) gone, rival GM is the first automaker to step into the scene with a (seemingly) credible alternative....the all-new Chevrolet Cruise Diesel for 2017. Chevy did offer a four-cylinder diesel on the last-generation Cruze for the 2014 and 1015 model-years, but it was a larger (2.0L) block, used cast iron, and was dropped after 2015 from poor sales. Of course, back then, VW was providing very strong competition with their line of small TDIs...that is no longer the case. With the VW diesels now out of the picture, GM, once again, sees some sales potential for a Cruze diesel, and a second-generation version is being launched. It uses a smaller 1.6L aluminum block (Ouch!) turbo-diesel, and the latest TDI/common-rail technology. Preliminary power figures are 137 HP and 240 ft-lbs. of torque, with a 52 MPG Highway, though GM is still in the process of finalizing figures on its websites as I write this. Transmission choices are a 6-speed manual and nine-speed automatic. If the 52 MPG figure holds up for the production model, though, It would make it the highest-MPG vehicle in the American market not using an electric motor or hybrid system.
The reason, though, that I say (Ouch) to an aluminum block for a diesel is that many of us older car enthusiasts (such as me) can still either personally remember the Chevrolet Vega/Pontiac Astre disaster in the early/mid 1970s, have or read about it in our automotive research, when that POS of an engine regularly overheated and warped when the aluminum and iron parts in it expanded at different rates. That disaster, and other GM engine disasters to come, like the 5.7L (350 c.i.) diesel V8 (which was not a true diesel, but a converted gas engine), the Cadillac V-8-6-4 variable-displacement gas engine, early versions of the classic-oil-burning Cadillac Northstar 4.6L V8, and the Quad-Four gas engine, which was unreliable and ran with the noise/refinement level of a farm tractor, seriously damaged GM's reputation for many years, sending the company down the road to bankruptcy. Of course, engine technology (including the quality and durability of aluminum alloys) has improved markedly since those bad old days, but, to me, at least, using an aluminum block in a diesel may be stretching it. That's because, unlike a typical gas engine which may have a compression ratio from 8:1 up to around 11:1, diesels have a compression ratio of roughly twice that.... around 20:1, igniting the highly-compressed (and highly-pressurized) air/diesel-fuel mixture by the heat and pressure of compression rather than by an electrical spark. That, of course, also requires extra-beefy pistons, conecting-rods, crankshaft, and main bearings as well. The only time a typical diesel needs electrical ignition is when starting up cold, with an electrical glow-plug (older glow plugs often took a while to heat up, but the new ones are almost instantaneous). So, as of now, I have some misgivings about an aluminum block being able to withstand a diesel's pressure and stress for the life of the vehicle, but, Hey, I've sometimes been wrong before, and we'll see.
Initially, only the Cruze 4-door sedan model will get the diesel option....5-door hatchbacks may follow later in the year (gas-powered 5-door hatchback models are already available at some dealers). Final pricing has not been set of this writing, but Chevy has promised that all Cruze diesel models, regardless of trim and body style, will start under 30K, so look for lower-trim models to probably start in the low-to-mid-20s. A bare-bones, gas version is available for under 20K...I also looked at one of those today that listed for 19K, but did not test-drive it.
As they are just starting to be released, Cruze diesels, in the D.C. area, are currently very difficult, but not impossible to find. Most places don't have any yet, but a fairly large Chevy shop, not far from my fitness center, had one bright-blue one in stock with a black leather interior. So, after my morning swim and shower (needless to say, those big Olympic-size indoor heated pools are NICE), I headed on over to check out the blue diesel. After looking at the bare-bones 19K model I just mentioned, the diesel looked noticeably nicer inside, though I generally don't care for the latest 2017 Cruze interiors as much as I did the nice, rather plush-looking first-generation version. The seats are quite comfortable, though...and just exactly wide enough for my big rump, no more. I could not copy down the usual price/options/EPA info I usually do, because this car did not have a factory price-sticker....only a preliminary sticker saying it was not for sale. (The dealership, however, assured me that it WAS for sale if I wanted to make an offer on it LOL). Given the level of equipment on it and the paint job, I'd guess the price somewhere between 25K and 28K.
OK, so let's get to the main point of the write-up, and what most of you are probably wondering...what is it like to drive? Well, not bad at all. I found only one real annoyance with it, from my point of view.........the automatic start/stop system for the engine, at idle (after the diesel warms up), needs some work. It shudders the car noticeably, upon start-up...you can both feel and hear it shudder for a second or two as you get underway. As with most modern automotive diesels today, though, the notorious problems that comparable diesels had 30-40 years ago are long gone. Gone is the black soot out the tailpipe, the noisy Pocka-Pocka-Pocka idle, the shaking, the hard-starting problems in winter, the water in the diesel fuel screwing things up, the slug-like acceleration, and the long glow-plug waits. That stuff is long-gone......even without VW's cheating LOL. Some diesels require periodic urea-refill solutions (generally the smaller the diesel, the less-likely it is to need them...some VW TDIs did, and some didn't). I don't know if the Cruze's diesel will need it or not...couldn't find a reference on GM's stats.
Anyhow, starting up cold, with the engine start/stop button (the ambient air temperature outside was about 50 degrees at start-up), the glow-plug system worked well....there was a minimal wait for fire-up and ignition. Once started, the engine did idle with a very slight amount of diesel-vibration and noise, but the underhood insulation pad clearly helped. (I might mention that I fumbled around almost ten minutes trying to find the secondary outside hood-latch release to raise the hood, when I finally gave up and discovered that the secondary latch is inside with the primary lever-handle....you essentially pull it twice). That's quite a surprise that GM sprang on us with this new Cruze.
On the road, the diesel, as typical of diesels, has a lot of torque at low RPMs, a comparably low red-line (no 9000-RPM Honda VTEC stuff here LOL), and, as with some gas engines I've sampled lately, a jumpy throttle starting off from rest. Part of that, I think, is in the diesel's high torque at low speeds, and part in the ECU programming. Other than that, though (and the somewhat rough automatic start/stop system), most of the time you would not know that you are not driving a gas engine. With the diesel, you have plenty of power at low speeds (an estimated 240-250 ft-lbs. of torque in a fairly light car), and you can pretty much get out of your own way if or when you need to. But don't try and drag-race anybody, as diesels can also run out of breath and RPMs fairly quickly, too. Noise levels, from the engine, are quite muted. The new 9-speed automatic transmission, though smooth-shfting and refined, is probably overkill for this engine, with its abundance of torque at low speeds not needing a lot of gears to keep moving. It will probably provide more benefits for the gas engine versions. Diesels also get 40-50% better fuel-mileage, on the average, than gas engines, so the very tall gears at the upper-end of the transmission spectrum probably aren't needed either.....and you don't want a diesel engine lugging into high a gear, either, as that can be very hard on a diesel engine's crankshaft.
As far as the car's chassis goes, I was generally pleased with it, at least for my typical driving style. Its tall 55-series tires and reasonably compliant suspension provided a smoother ride over bumps than the more aggressive 45-series rubber on my Buick Verano, which is done on a similar (but not identical) chassis. But wind noise, though not bad by any means, was not as well-muted as in the triple-sealed Verano (noise-wise, by compact-car standards, the Verano is like a cocoon...one of many things that attracted me to it). Road noise was generally well-controlled, though I wasn't able to sample it on some highly-porous surfaces for a real test....porosity (grittiness) in the road surface tends to add to tire roar. Steering response was about as expected for a car with this set-up......about average, with some body roll noted on sharp inputs. The brakes, of course, lacked the strong regenerative-feature found in hybrids and electrics, but were generally smooth and effective, and the brake pedal was reasonably-placed for big shoes like mine going from gas to brake without getting hung up.
So...in a nutshell: If you were (or are) a VW or Audi TDI fan, and are disappointed by the disappearance of the American-market diesels (we still don't know if they ever will be back in the U.S. or not), and want a high-mileage diesel (presumably, one that hasn't been developed by cheating LOL) in a fairly small car, the Cruze diesel may be your best alternative. In fact, right now, in this class, it may just be the only alternative, until other manufacturers offer a competitor. It somewhat lacks the German-crisp handling of the VW Golf and Jetta, and, of course, you have to put up with GM's annoying start/stop-engine feature at idle (both me and the Chevy reps there looked for a way to shut that system off, but couldn't find one). And, diesel fuel, in the D.C. area currently runs more than $3.00 a gallon...at the stations that actually sell it (you won't find diesel at every station). But, if you want a 50-MPG vehicle, and don't care for hybrids, the Cruze diesel might be worth a look. Right now, you're pretty much stuck with the sedan body style, but, as aforementioned, diesel hatchbacks are probably on the way (Gee, just like in Europe LOL). And, i have never understood the sense of this law, as diesel fuel is a petroleum product, just like gasoline......but, legally, diesel-fuel cars, in a number of areas, qualify as Alternate-Fuel vehicles for tax-credits, so Uncle Sam and/or the taxpayers might end subsidizing at least part of the purchase.
As Always..........Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
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