Chevy Cruze diesel hatchback may claim highway mpg crown

October 11, 2016 01:00 AM

GM says the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will get an optional 1.6-liter turbodiesel in the 2018 model year. The fuel-efficient engine will be paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.

DETROIT -- Chevrolet’s diesel-powered Cruze hatchback -- the brand’s first compact hatchback available in North America -- could be the first nonhybrid car this century to achieve 50 mpg on the highway.

GM officials said Tuesday the Cruze hatchback will get an optional 1.6-liter turbodiesel in the 2018 model year. The fuel-efficient engine will be paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.

The nearly identical Vauxhall Astra diesel, which is on sale in Britain, carries a European Union rating of 85 mpg on the highway. But the British imperial gallon is 20 percent larger than the U.S. gallon and EU testing procedures have been criticized for not being representative of real-world results.

Diesel engines, on average, can improve fuel economy by 20 percent over gasoline engines. The EPA has not rated the fuel economy of the Cruze diesel hatchback.

Several European magazines have tested the Astra diesel and achieved 55 mpg with a six-speed manual transmission. The coming nine-speed automatic might be enough to push the car to 50 mpg, giving GM the title of most fuel efficient nonhybrid car and helping the company in its quest to win over VW’s former diesel customers.

AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan thinks GM would be happy with 47 or 48 mpg.

“If the Cruze diesel can hit 47 or 48 mpg, it should be a success in closing the gap with hybrids for highway driving efficiency,” Sullivan said. “Keep in mind that the Malibu Hybrid gets 46 mpg on the highway.”

RICHARD TRUETT

A 2017 Cruze hatchback with a 1.4-liter gasoline turbo engine and a six manual transmission returned 41.7 mpg on a trip from Ann Arbor to Detroit, around 43 miles of mostly highway driving at speeds between 70 mph and 80 mph.

In a test drive of gasoline powered Cruze hatchbacks from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Detroit Tuesday during a GM media event, one car, equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, achieved 41.7 mpg in mostly highway driving, while another with a six-speed automatic, turned in 42.3 mpg, according to the car’s fuel economy data.

The EPA rates the 2017 Cruze hatchback at 29 mpg city/38 highway with the automatic transmission and 28 city/37 highway with the manual.

Currently, GM’s most efficient nonhybrid car is the Cruze sedan, which carries a 40 mpg highway rating.

"We expect it to do better than that (40 mpg highway with the gas version) but we can't talk numbers yet," said David Poniatowski, program manager for the Cruze.

He said consumers can buy the Cruze and Equinox diesels as a "hedge" against higher fuel prices: "We know what gas and diesel prices are now, but these [vehicles] will be on the road for a long time."

He says the fuel economy with the diesel is one attraction, along with torque and power: "We're creating a niche out there for customers who are in love with diesel," Poniatowski added.

With the expected fuel economy improvement from a diesel engine, 50 mpg looks possible, especially with the nine-speed automatic transmission coming.

Automakers are racing to add gears to their automatic transmissions, but so far the results have been underwhelming, said Sullivan. “The ZF nine-speed in Fiat Chrysler, Honda, and Land Rover products hasn’t yielded headline grabbing numbers yet,” he said. “The last Cruze diesel hit 44 mpg on the highway, besting the Jetta TDI that was also cheating on emissions.”

The hatchback version of the Cruze is arriving at dealerships. The car is available in two trims, LT and Premier, and carries a base price of $23,065, including shipping.

“With 9 percent market growth in small hatchbacks last year, it’s the perfect time to bring the Cruze Hatch to America,” Alan Batey, president, General Motors North America and Global Chevrolet, said in a statement. “As Cruze continues to set the tone for Chevrolet globally, it articulates the brand promise of offering cars with the latest technologies, more features and greater efficiency, performance and safety with fresh, distinctive styling.”

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