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Originally Posted by 1QWIKBIRD
Which vehicles are they? According to fueleconomy.gov, in the small car class (where they class the Jetta), VW is the highest rated non hybrid/electric vehicle in its class (not including the Smart Car) when sorted by city mpg and only the cruze is equal based on highway mpg? No Fords, Hynduai's or Chevy gasoline only powered vehicle is above any of VW diesels. And in the real world, the diesel VW's kill on mpg. Talk to some real world owners next time you see one fueling up. It a common theme with every owner I've talked to, they get incredible fuel mileage. I'm not necessarily pro VW, but I am pro diesel and VW is the only company the offers an affordable diesel powered car. So GM needs to get this diesel right and they need to hit mid 40's on the MPG's or they can forget ever getting another shot at selling diesel power to the american motoring public (truck market excluded). Because if they can't do SUBSTANTIALLY better on the MPG, what would be the sales pitch to the motoring public?
Longevity? Don't think so, we are a throw away society (sad but true) and newer cars are generally good for 150,000 with basic maintenance anyway.
Performance (like big HP kinda performance)? Not really the hallmark of diesel power.
Reliability? Maybe, but again, new cars are generally pretty reliable.
So without the superior fuel economy, what advantage does diesel power hold, especially if its priced higher than reg. gas (which makes no sense)?
Maybe that's the real equation, MP$
Build me a worthy diesel powered car GM, I dare ya. I don't want some POS engine slathered with onstar, heated seats and navigation units, tire pressure monitoring, and other mindless BS. Concentrate on the engine first and foremost, then outfit the car only after you have succeeded with the engine/drivetrain.
Oh by the way, my 6600lb 14 year old Cummins powered Dodge 2500 4x4 just turned 242,000 and got 19.3 mpg (combined driving) on its last load of fuel (winter blend no less). Love that diesel power..........love it love it love it.
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Whoaaaaaa...easy big fella.
GM has very good, world class diesel engines, and they put them in the Cruze already, but not for the US.
The Cruze Eco manual pulls down 42mpg. The ONLY car that matches it is the VW Jetta TDI in manual.
All that "fancy" stuff has NOTHING to do with the engine. While some of you guys have been under a rock, the auto industry is fighting tooth and nail trying to offer the most featuers for the least amount of money in this segment.
While VW sells a large number of diesel Jettas, but Jetta sells in fractions compared to cars like Corolla and Civic which do not offer diesels. And Diesels are a fraction of Jetta sales.
While GM would be 2nd into the market for this semgent, it would have the clear advantage of volume to really become the leader in the diesel compact car segment. Remember that its gunna cost a lot for this engine. Figure an easy 2 grand over any trim, more with an automatic probably.
The Cruze's 1.4T is a very good motor, and they have plenty of room left int he engine to improve it. 42mpg is just the start.