Cruze Diesel "Confirmed" For 2013
GM still won’t comment on the matter, but a recent rumor that the Cruze’s two-liter diesel engine will be federalized for the 2013 model-year has been confirmed to the AP [via the DetN] by “two people briefed on GM product plans.” That motor, designed by VM Motori and built since 2006 by GM-Daewoo, was recently updated to Euro 6 standards, and according to the Holden website, the Australian-spec version makes 160 HP (at 3,800 RPM) and 236 lb-ft (at 1,750 RPM), while returning 42 MPG (combined with manual transmission) or 35 MPG (combined, automatic). Of course those aren’t EPA numbers, and they could easily change by the time the engine is certified for US emissions standards.
With VW capacity-constrained in its ability to sell more diesels in the US market while enjoying take rates near 75% on the Jetta Sportwagon, GM clearly thinks there’s room to jump into the diesel game and offer efficiency that the AP says “would rival the the popular Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid.” But will those numbers, and more importantly the VM’s notorious roughness (Australia’s The Motor Repor t notes “It’s pretty clattery from outside, and an old-school diesel rattle can be heard inside the cabin when accelerating”), be as attractive two years from now as a VW TDI is today? Just as importantly, does this herald the coming of the Cruze wagon as well?
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Sheesh... what a cranky bunch on the comment boards here at TTAC. Between the gang-up on the X-cars (roundly deserved) and the speculation about the inferiority of a product that's not even for sale yet, GM can't catch a break. Maybe this tells us all we ever need to know about managing a portfolio of brands. In the summer I use a Porsche 928 as a daily driver and I can assure all who will listen that this car is wonderful, but only so after the expense of THOUSANDS of dollars above the purchase price. So it's not perfect (surprise!) but I like it. Chevy has a really nice car with the Cruze. It could never be the pile of junk that a Citation or Cavalier was, nor the embarrasment that the Caddy Cimmaron was - 320i beater my a%s! The Cruze is nicely finished and up-to-date. What Chevy in any other segment offers this? Diesel makes sense. Your experience with this car, should you choose to buy one, will be determined by the dealer. Choose well, and drive happy. Choose poorly, by price alone, and suffer. It's that simple.
>Of course those aren’t EPA numbers, and they could easily change by the time the engine is certified for US emissions standards. In other words, expect lower numbers after EPA "certification"...
Awesome news if they actually sell it. Like I said before, I'll believe it when I see a diesel Cruze on dealer lots. As for the maintenance costs, no one really knows what current diesels will cost to keep going. But in the VW world, the current 2.0 litre TDI that's being offered in the U.S. will likely get expensive as the years pass by. Even without having to use urea, there are a lot of emission devices that can fail and cost a lot to replace. That's why I'm keeping my VW ALH TDIs for now... There is a lot of knowledge out there about that generation of engine, and there's no crazy emission controls on it (just a basic catalytic converter). Plus some new TDIs have been suffering from self-destructing fuel systems and no one is quite sure of the root cause yet. Although it seems to happen more commonly if someone puts gas in the tank.
In 2006 you could buy a Jeep Liberty in the US with a 4 cylinder VM Motori diesel that made 160 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It wasn't the same engine used in the Cruze, as it was DOHC instead of SOHC and larger in displacement. It was a common rail turbo though. It returned 20 mpg in actual use, and it wasn't terribly slow. It was coarse and rattly though, generations behind the Germans in refinement.