Wife wants a new commuter car (120 miles per day commute) Car shopping for something new. Saw that GM now has a small diesel that gets 47 MPG highway in the Cruze, and perhaps some of their other cars.
Does anyone know anything about this diesel engine or have any experience with it?
Recalls, maintenance issues, reliability? Thanks.
new small Diesel Chevrolet Cruze?
- Thread starter bubbatime
- Start date
1.6 Turbodiesel is basically Opel/Vauxhall 1.6 CDTi engine....so you can search for anything you want on EU car forums.....
Have you seen any with great price cuts? They are a rarer model so not sure price cuts apply to them as much. The gas version definitely has massive price cuts. You may just like the diesel which is valid however the economics should be factored if MPG is your sole purpose.
It seems that many modern diesel passenger cars have a quirk in which only certain types of long or spirited driving will regenerate the dpf. Not surprisingly many people will buy these cars and then short trip them which causes issues.
I'd only buy a modern diesel car if I had a reliably long daily commute to work or if I was a travelling salesman.
That one seems to be a decent one...just submit their terms and wait for 15seconds...you are searching for Opel Astra K model..... 
https://www.astraownersnetwork.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?425-Astra-K
https:/I would avoid getting a diesel with the DEF system. First off you pay more for diesel over gas and the money you save (if any) will be needed for preventive maintenance and repairs.
Originally Posted by Reddy45
It seems that many modern diesel passenger cars have a quirk in which only certain types of long or spirited driving will regenerate the dpf. Not surprisingly many people will buy these cars and then short trip them which causes issues.
I'd only buy a modern diesel car if I had a reliably long daily commute to work or if I was a travelling salesman.
But If you (as a driver) are not over exaggerating with slowness.....or if you are not sunday driver to curch and back there will not be a problem...
My Yaris has DPF.....during the week I drive around the city ( so short trips)...and at the end of the week I am usually on a weekend escape...that involves NORMAL driving on a highway....and my DPF is just doing fine!
With NORMAL I mean.....normal HY speeds between 120-140 km/h.....with rpms between 2-3k where 99,9% of DPFs regenerate (regardless of car brand)
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With roughly 30k annual miles you are looking at about 170 gallons of savings, based on 48mpg diesel, vs. 38mpg for gas. Pretty substantial, but I don't know the price difference between gas and diesel in your area.
Having owned a number of small diesel cars, I fail to see any advantage to diesel power in small cars. The MPG numbers are impressive, no question. But the fuel cost per mile of a diesel car is, unfortunately, at best equal and often probably higher than competitive gas powered cars.
Locally, regular gas is as cheap as $2.20 and is everywhere for $2.29. Where as diesel is no lower than $2.79 and often over $3.00. Let's approximate that as 18% more. (2.30 v 2.80)
The Cruze D gets 42-43 in high speed highway use. The gas version (from experience, and I go fast, 34) . Sure you can skew those numbers by driving style, but that's a good place to start.
43 diesel mpg is equal in cost to 35 gas mpg. Using avg gas and cheap diesel costs. So, best case, a 1mpg cost savings.
But when you go to a Nissan Altima, clearly a bigger car, you get 36 MPG at 90 and 38 MPG at 80. Better, faster and bigger than the Diesel Cruze.
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They're going to be discounting Chevy Bolts. That's well within the range of a Bolt. Plus she gets bragging rights. 
I was able to negotiate $7k off of a 2018 Cruze diesel with a manual transmission. Though it was overpriced given the overall quality for a $20k car.
A new Prius prime is the best commuter vehicle available. When you include the federal and any state tax credits they are about $25-27k. 25 mile pure electric range and 50+ MPGs.
How about the 2020 Corolla Hybrid that's supposed to be on sale this Spring?? Greater than 50 miles per gallon combined with the new Corolla architecture..a normal and better Prius in a lot of ways. You probably won't get incentives on it but I'd rather have one of those for the long term than get x amount off a diesel Cruze that in my area hands me 50 to 70 cents more a gallon fuel cost...and likely more maintenance costs with less overall fuel economy.
Originally Posted by CleverUserName
A new Prius prime is the best commuter vehicle available. When you include the federal and any state tax credits they are about $25-27k. 25 mile pure electric range and 50+ MPGs.
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A coworker of mine has a 2017 Cruze Diesel (traded in his 2014 Cruze Diesel because it became too expensive to maintain after the 100K mark) and he said that the 2017 feels more refined than his 2014 but he is extremely disappointed with the reliability of it. He commutes from Southern PA to VA four days a week for work and his newer Cruze has gone into limp mode no less than 6 times over the past year and a half. He is looking his offload his Cruze at a loss and he is currently looking at the Honda Accord Hybrid as a replacement.
Originally Posted by bubbatime
Wife wants a new commuter car (120 miles per day commute) Car shopping for something new. Saw that GM now has a small diesel that gets 47 MPG highway in the Cruze, and perhaps some of their other cars.
GM is discontinuing the cruze soon so should see some big discounts as people will steer clear thinking parts will no longer be availble
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/2017-chevy-express-2-8-diesel-exceptional-mpg-36542.html
Even full size vans flirt with 30mpg these days
Tend to agree with IveBeenRued and oil_film_movies on the Accord Hybrid.
Worst mileage I've seen in the 7K+ miles I've driven mine was 37.4 mpg over a week of very cold weather and plenty of ice and snow.
Lifetime average thus far is around 43 mpg and the tank since I filled it Saturday is showing around 48 mpg in our current spring-like weather.
The Accord is also a far more refined car in NVH than is any Cruise, a real consideration for anyone with a ridiculously long commute and acceleration is also always instantly available with the electric motor.
You can also get a heck of a deal on these cars. Nobody wants sedans in the current market and nobody cares about hybrids at the current price of gas.
For those like me who want sedans and are willing to entertain a hybrid, some real steals are available.
I'd personally stay away from a low volume powerplant in a soon to be discontinued model.
I'd doubt that the ownership experience would be pleasant.
