2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel Preview: Chicago Auto Show

The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel is the first diesel-powered passenger car built by General Motors in close to three decades.  Ever since a disastrous flirtation with oil-burners in the mid-80’s domestic car companies have ceded the non-commercial diesel market to the Germans, which means that the Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel will be facing against the Volkswagen Jetta TDI as its primary compacy sedan rival.  At stake are the hearts and minds of mpg-focused customers, as the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel promises to become one of the most fuel efficient small cars in the Chevrolet stable.

What’s New for the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel:

• All-new (for North America) diesel drivetrain

New 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel: What’s Under the Hood

The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel sports a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Ecotec turbodiesel engine that has been sourced from GM’s Europen operations and tidied up in order to meet U.S. emissions regulations.  The plucky motor is good for 148 horses and 258 lb-ft of twist, which will help it stand up strong to Volkswagen’s less robust but well-respected diesel models.  Chevrolet is quoting a 0-60-mph time of roughly eight and a half seconds, but more importantly the Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo will deliver fuel mileage of 42-mpg during highway driving.  This pulls it level with the Cruze Eco’s highway rating, and the Cruze Clean Diesel’s gobs more torque brings better performance to the table when compared to the fun, but modest character of its stable mate.  A six-speed automatic transmission is the only available gearbox for the turbodiesel Cruze.

New 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel: What Autobytel Thinks

The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel shows that GM continues to push outside of its comfort zone in order to diversify its lineup and build cars that challenge public perceptions of what a domestic sedan should have to offer.  The self-imposed exile from turbodiesel technology is over at the General, and hopefully this means that other automakers will follow the lead of Chevrolet (and now Mazda with the diesel-powered MAZDA6) in offering more than just hybrid drivetrains as alternatives to traditional gasoline models.  If the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel enjoys substantial success, it is also feasible that the same technology could eventually make its way under the hood of larger cars like the Malibu and the Impala.

Photos by Megan Green