We've spent plenty of time extolling the virtues of diesel engines when compared to hybrids. Diesels have no batteries, which are difficult to dispose of and cause tons of carbon emissions during production, burn much more cleanly than gasoline, get hybrid-like fuel economy, and produce mountains of torque. That's a win-win-win-win.
Americans, for the most part, have not hopped on the diesel bandwagon like Europeans have though. We think it's largely due to the terrible Oldsmobile 88 Delta Diesel from the decade of automotive horrors (the '80s) but those sad years are behind us now. As a result, when we've recommended diesels, we've recommended Volkswagens, as those are the only diesel cars available in the states right now.
GM wants a piece of that oil-fueled pie though, and just dropped details on the 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel, which costs $2,115 more than a regular Cruze, but does come with goodies like leather seating, an aero package, and 17" alloy wheels. The important part: the Cruze Diesel will get 42 mpg while putting out 148hp and a whopping 258 lb-ft of torque. Expect to see this getting recommendations from us soon.
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[via GM]
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