COMMUTER CHAMP
Chevy’s roomy, comfortable Cruze Diesel compact sedan raises the bar for highway mpg, but at a premium initial cost
The flat, boundless plains of the Midwest can be fertile ground for crops as well as beauty — in certain seasons. This was not one of those times. The trip to Indianapolis was plain boring, except for the fuel economy gauge. With the cruise control of the 2017 Chevy Cruze diesel set to the safer side of 80 mph, the mpg topped 46.
Aside from the fuel economy, the 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine was unnoticeable on the highway. The thrum of road noise and spasms of wind, kept the cockpit of the Cruze compact sedan as insulated as slumber.
The diesel wins on all the fuel metrics. There may be no better car for the highway commuter concerned about fuel economy than the 2017 Chevy Cruze diesel. While the Cruze with the six-speed manual gets 52 mpg on the highway, better than any nonhybrid or plug-in, our model with the smart, smooth-shifting nine-speed transmission gets an EPA-estimated 47 mpg highway.
In the wake of Volkswagen’s emissions test scandal, General Motors is doubling down on diesels in the Cruze, 2018 Cruze hatch, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain compact crossovers — not just to woo disgruntled VW TDI owners, but to appeal to a small but loyal class of car buyer that prefers the greater torque and economy of diesel engines.
The Cruze diesel is about $2,500 more than a similarly equipped gas model. That extra coin gets you the second-best trim level Chevy offers, along with heated front seats with leather trim, remote start and other goodies. The Cruze diesel also has the nine-speed automatic transmission which isn’t available with the gas engine.
The Cruze’s near-$29,000 tag erodes some of the fuel-efficient charm.
Cabin space isn’t as expansive as the class-defining Honda Civic, but the controls are conveniently placed and logically arranged. The 8-inch touch screen with MyLink is one of the better systems on the market. A $1,125 leather package includes a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Chevy offers advanced safety technology, bundled under the “driver confidence” package, includes rear park assist, cross traffic alert and blind zone alert.
The cost of ownership calculations of buying a diesel depend on many things, but if you’re planning on owning such a car for more than five years and plan on logging tons of highway miles, you can put those calculations to rest and consider the scenery.