Chevrolet is gunning for a very impressive fuel economy figure for the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze diesel. Automotive News reports the brand is pretty confident the Cruze oil burner will clip the coveted 50 MPG mark.
Mark Reuss, General Motors product development chief, told reporters at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, “I think it will start with a five,” regarding highway fuel economy for the 2017 Cruze diesel.
The second-generation Cruze diesel will feature a 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine ported over from many Opel products. The engine will be mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or GM’s new nine-speed automatic.
Mike Siegrist, chief engineer for the Cruze diesel, said the previous rating of 44 MPG would definitely be topped, but would not confirm if the magic 50 MPG number would be achieved.
“We don’t usually go backward,” Siegrist said. “We know how to do this stuff.”
If the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze diesel manages to clip 50 MPG, it would be the first vehicle since the 1987 Honda CRX HF to achieve the figure; the CRX HF is rated at 51 MPG highway.
Comments
There is no question in my mind that it will get 50 MPG. Over Christmas, I traveled 400 miles round trip. My ’17 Cruze RS sedan with the 1.4L turbo averaged 43.6 MPG. That is with averaging 73 mph, having the heater running and traveling over the Appalachian Mountains. My ’13 Cruze RS only ever averaged ~35 MPG on that same trip. The new Cruze is quite impressive. More power, more space inside the car and better MPG. Kudos GM. It is a great, little work car!
Great job with the Cruze GM! Nicely done!
Yes but will it do better than a Chevette diesel? LOL