2017 Chevrolet Cruze Sedan Diesel

A groundswell of conjecture says that diesels are dead. Some manufacturers believe that Volkswagen has so poisoned the well that it has shifted future diesel development off cars to focus on SUVs and pickup trucks. Chevrolet is taking the opposite approach, figuring that the cancellation of VW’s TDI fleet leaves the desires of diesel enthusiasts unfulfilled, providing an opportunity for a compression-ignition engine done right. Enter the Chevy Cruze sedan reviewed here with the discreet TD badge on its decklid and gruff sounds emanating from under its hood.

This is definitely no Cruze missile. With only 137 horsepower on tap, all the torque in the world won’t thrust a 3000-pound family sedan to the top of your gotta-have-it list. That said, we’re happy to report that a kind heart beats deep within this attractive Chevy compact. Plus, your wallet will throb every time 40 mpg appears in the Cruze diesel’s mileage gauge.

A Primer and Pricing

Diesels are more efficient than gasoline engines for three reasons: Diesel fuel contains approximately 10 percent more energy per gallon than gasoline. Pumping losses are diminished because engine output is regulated by the amount of fuel injected instead of by how much air is sucked through a restricted inlet. And diesels operate with a much larger expansion ratio (the flip side of compression ratio, which in this instance is 16.0:1). Bottom line: Chevy’s turbo-diesel Cruze topped 50 mpg in EPA highway testing when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and earned a combined rating of 37 mpg with both the manual and the new nine-speed automatic.

While hybrid cars routinely match or beat those EPA ratings, most hybrid models reside in the larger, more expensive mid-size class. Striving to please divergent tastes, Chevrolet parks the Cruze diesel next to its Volt plug-in hybrid, Bolt EV, and Malibu hybrid in showrooms.

To make its intentions clear, Chevy bracketed the Toyota Prius Two’s base price with the Cruze stick starting at $24,670 and the automatic costing an additional $1600. Both live within the Cruze LT trim level, only one notch down from the lavish Cruze Premier. The car we drove was equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, 4G LTE OnStar Wi-Fi connectivity, an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, remote start, and various other assistance features.

The Experience

The commotion you notice when this 1.6-liter tiny terror cranks to life is a blend of bark and shake. Neither element is annoying or long lasting, but this turbo-diesel’s voice is louder than modern gasoline engines’, which, except for the intentionally rowdy ones, are virtually silent at work. The beauty of the Cruze TD is that once you’re rolling, tire buzz and wind ruffle all but drown out the engine din. In heavy traffic, the Cruze engine’s stop-start function can be annoying—the restart is not particularly smooth—and the only way to disable that fuel-saving device is to move the transmission shift lever to the L position.

Turbo-diesel proponents love touting all the torque produced by such engines at very low rpm. In the Cruze context, there’s some truth to tell. Versus the only other available engine, a turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four gas burner, the new diesel punches home 36 percent more peak torque—a strapping 240 lb-ft—at the same 2000 rpm. The smaller gas engine does eventually win the horsepower race with 153 versus 137 hp for the diesel, but the full herd of ponies doesn’t come out of the stable until 5600 rpm versus the diesel’s power peak at 3750 revs. Our guess is that the turbo gas would beat the turbo-diesel in a drag race where you spend little time below 3000 rpm, but we won’t know for sure until we have an opportunity to test the diesel.

While stats are great for bar talk, what matters most is how much go you get when you select D and nudge the accelerator. This turbo-diesel never feels sluggish in large part because of an astute nine-speed automatic that willingly helps out. With so many gears in the box, you hustle off the line with ease, have several intermediate ratios to keep the revs up during passing, then cruise serenely at 70 mph with the tach needle below 2000 rpm. This transmission is a smooth operator that helps the diesel shine.

Unfortunately, the evil side to this new nine-speed automatic is its manual mode. Pulling the lever back a notch to the L position signals the master controller that you are a stick-shift wannabe. Assuming the resulting rpm isn’t out of range, the transmission selects ratios according to your taps on the +/- switch built into the lever’s knob and displays the highest gear at your disposal in the driver’s info center. The top gear you’ve selected is held to the redline, which is handy for challenging your back-road-assault records.

The transmission is so sluggish responding to upshift requests that most of the fun of playing pretend stick shift is lost unless you punch the + button early. The smart alternative is saving $1600 and boosting highway mileage by 5 mpg with the six-speed manual transmission that’s also offered with this engine.

While the Cruze’s chassis is willing to play road-racing games with decent damping, adequate body-roll resistance, and reasonably supple spring rates, the steering never got that memo. It’s light, lifeless, and feels disconnected on-center. One consolation prize is a brake pedal that’s firm underfoot and linearly responsive. The other is Goodyear Assurance four-season 205/55R-16 tires that hang on for dear life when the howling starts on entrance ramps.

The Inside Tale

Inside the Cruze, the trim fits nicely and the controls are thoughtfully arranged, except for the long reach to the far side of the 7.0-inch touchscreen to command the six-speaker audio system. Switches behind the steering-wheel spokes provide a work-around.

While the vast expanses finished in hard plastic and an excess of brilliant chrome edging move the ambiance down a notch from the class-leading Honda Civic, VW Golf, and Mazda 3, there’s plenty to admire in this cabin. The front buckets hug your torso affectionately and hold you securely during enthusiastic cornering. The back seat is roomy for two and wide enough to pack in three for short hops. It’s easy to augment the 14-cubic-foot trunk by folding the backrest, although doing so leaves a sizable step in the load floor. Blessed with a total passenger and cargo volume of 108 cubic feet, the Cruze sedan lives at the top end of the compact class. Later this year the turbo-diesel engine will migrate to the four-door hatchback, which offers a 25-cubic-foot cargo hold behind the rear seat or an awesome 47 cubic feet with the backrests folded.

Alas, the Cruze TD’s dearth of steering feel makes it a tough sell to VW Golf TDI enthusiasts seeking a fresh (and legal) diesel. And given that diesel fuel typically costs about 10 percent more than regular gasoline, spending $2950 to $4395 more for the diesel engine makes no economic sense. A $4 to $5 gallon of diesel exhaust fluid for the emissions-scrubbing urea-injection system every 1000 miles or so is another pain in the wallet. The EPA estimates annual fuel costs for the Cruze diesel at $1050 versus $1050 to $1150 for the turbocharged 1.4-liter gas engine. Highway range is the only clear diesel win: 640 or so miles between fill-ups versus the gas engine’s 500-plus miles.

We are encouraged by Chevy’s earnest effort to give Cruze shoppers a choice that doesn’t exist elsewhere, especially considering how bad this brand’s small cars used to be. Chevy also deserves credit for proving that rumors of the diesel’s demise are greatly exaggerated. But this sedan isn’t likely to spread diesel’s appeal beyond those who are already true believers.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

BASE PRICE: $24,670

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve diesel inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 98 cu in, 1598 cc
Power: 137 hp @ 3750 rpm
Torque: 240 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm

TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 183.7 in
Width: 70.5 in Height: 57.4 in
Passenger volume: 94 cu ft
Trunk volume: 14 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 3100 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 24.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.4 sec
Top speed: 130 mph

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway driving: 37/30–31/47–52 mpg