Wanted: an efficient diesel sedan for under $30,000
Spending hours in a car to get back and forth from work has become a necessary evil. But that tedium doesn’t have to cost you as much in fuel as it does with a conventional gas-powered vehicle. Which is exactly the problem I’m going to solve for this month’s Dear John letter writer.
Jim Belvedere works as an insurance adjuster in Ajax, Ont. But his home is 280-kilometre round trip to and from Bellville, Ont., along Canada’s busiest thoroughfare: Highway 401. Jim’s been making his daily three-hour commute in his 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. And while the Chevy SUV has a practical vehicle for weekend outings with his two teenage daughters and wife, Jim can now afford to buy a vehicle specifically for his daily drive to his faraway office.
“I’d like to keep the Equinox as our ‘family’ car,” wrote Jim, “but I’m ready for something a bit smaller and more fuel-efficient for getting to Ajax and back every day.”
Jim is looking to downsize his vehicle and his fuel bills. He doesn’t want to make his daily drive too much of a hardship, but his new ride still has to be quiet on the highway and have enough interior space to handle his over-six-foot frame. He also wrote that his new car budget “stops at $30,000.”
Many new diesel-engine vehicles are found in upscale brands and mid- to full-sized vehicles, where the benefits of a diesel engine’s generous amount of torque and better fuel efficiency over a large displacement gasoline engine pays off. But diesel engines can be found in smaller, less expensive new vehicles as well.
When it comes to offering diesels in small cars, Jim, I immediately look at a Volkswagen showroom. The German automaker offers its TDI 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder diesel in four compact models: the Beetle Coupe, Golf hatchback and wagon and, my first recommendation, the Jetta sedan.
On sale since 2010, the current generation, front-wheel-drive, fivepassenger four-door Jetta is VW Canada’s bestselling model. While 2014 gas models start as low as $16,385 (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees), the TDI versions with an optional dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmission start at $25,285.
Move off a VW dealer lot, Jim, and the small diesel car competition gets awfully thin. There’s the new-this-year BMW 328d xDrive sedan and wagon, but with prices starting at $49,795, the compact Bimmer diesels are a bit pricey for your budget.
This leaves us with the also-newfor 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel, the Jetta TDI’s only real rival.
Like the Jetta, you pay a premium for getting a diesel engine in your Cruze. In this case, the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel starts at $26,545, compared to the gas-powered Cruze’s $17,595.
Either of these small diesel sedans will cost you considerably less money at the pumps than your Chevy SUV.
With its 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, the diesel engine in the Jetta TDI is estimated to sip only 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 4.7 on the highway. The little Chevy diesel sedan delivers an estimated at 7.5 L/100 km in the city and 4.2 on the highway. It is a bit more frugal on the highway, but loses its advantage to the VW diesel sedan in the city. Despite the Cruze sporting 11 more hp and 28 more lb-ft of torque, both the Chevy and VW scoot from rest to 100 kilometres per hour in the 8.5-seconds range.
So far on paper, Jim, the Cruze and Jetta diesel sedans are neckand-neck. But it’s important to take into account some of the intangibles. Which is why I’m recommending the Jetta TDI for your next new diesel-powered commuter sedan.
Compared to the relatively loose feel from the Cruze’s helm, the Jetta’s steering feels more tied to the road. Plus the VW’s body structure feels more solid and its ability to absorb bumps seems higher than in the Cruze. And whether you’re accelerating or simply cruising along at highway speeds, the VW’s diesel is noticeably quieter than the Chevy’s mill.
If you’re in the market for a new car and would like to be the subject of a Dear John consultation, contact John LeBlanc at editors@straight-six.com.