Jul 27th, 2011 by Dean Hightower
Chevrolet has announced that the 2013 Chevy Cruze will be available with a diesel engine. The Cruze, like many vehicles, is already sold in Europe and other parts of the world with a diesel engine for the increased fuel economy, so Chevrolet will not need to do much engineering for the additional engine choice.
Automakers have been reticent to bring more fuel efficient diesel technology to America because gasoline is much less expensive here than in Europe, so the added cost of the diesel engine is not worth it for most buyers. Diesel cars also have the added frustration of not being able to use all gas stations, since many in America do not have diesel pumps. Journalists and enthusiasts have long been championing the high mileage diesel option for passenger cars, and now with fuel economy standards getting stricter and automakers scrambling to find a way to reach gas mileage ratings well above 40-mpg, they are finally getting their wish.
Chevrolet has not announced any details on the 2013 Cruze diesel engine, but expect the Cruze to get close to 50 miles per gallon. The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI is rated at 42-mpg highway, about 27% more than the 2.5-liter gasoline engine. If the Cruze diesel gets the same mileage increase over the Eco model, the car will get 53 miles per gallon highway.
The Chevy Cruze Eco model is currently the most efficient non-hybrid, gasoline powered car in America. The Eco model, with its six-speed manual transmission, low rolling resistance tires and a unique front fascia to reduce wind resistance, gets 42-mpg on the highway. The 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco starts at $18,425, more than $4,000 less than the VW Jetta TDI diesel, which gets the same highway gas mileage.
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