Featured Chevy Cruze diesel

I am loath to post this because it reads like a 'steady, undocumented speed, on a highway' rather than a proper EPA test: Chevy Cruise Diesel gets 52 mpg on highway

General Motors Co.’s new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan achieves an estimated 52 miles per gallon on the highway — the highest fuel economy of a non-hybrid or non electric.— according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The previous-generation Cruze diesel sedan was rated at 46 mpg highway.​

Understand I recently ran 1,200 miles in the 65-75 mph speed range in a Prius Prime and got 55.7 MPG. I've often gotten 52 MPG with both our Gen-1 and Gen-3 Prius in steady speed, 65-70 mph on standard days. So I don't doubt the claim for a constant speed. But a constant speed is not one of the standard EPA test protocols. Worse, if the speed is not reported, it is worse than useless but deliberately misleading.

Bob Wilson

 

The weather has been too cold for a standard day to do my typical mph vs MPG benchmarks.

Bob Wilson

 

You may be right:

In addition to its segment-leading EPA-estimated 52 mpg highway fuel economy, Cruze Diesel with the six-speed manual returns an EPA-estimated city mileage of 30 mpg, resulting in 37 mpg combined. Cruze Diesel with the nine-speed automatic achieves an EPA-estimated highway economy of up to 47 mpg and 31 city mpg, which results in 37 mpg combined.​

The city MPG is about what I'd expect. It is the highway MPG that seems a little optimistic. With luck, we'll have the EPA metrics soon enough.

LATE THOUGHS:

• highway 52 MPG manual vs 47 MPG auto - this is too much and suggests a problem in their transmission engineering.
• city 30 MPG manual vs 31 MPG auto - huh?? Less bad but makes me wonder if it was a rounding error. That these two numbers are close, good, at least not as suspicious as the highway numbers.

Bob Wilson

 

Ok, finally the technical details: How the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Gets 52 MPG » AutoGuide.com News

One of its biggest economy enhancers is a variable-displacement oil pump, which offers two different flow rates. In low-load driving, such as steady-state cruising on the highway, it provides less volume, saving energy. When a driver demands extra oomph, the pump seamlessly delivers a greater flow of lubricant. Siegrist said even the piston-cooling oil jets can be shut off when not needed, saving more fuel.

Another way engineers improved this 1.6-liter engine’s efficiency is by optimizing how it burns diesel. “We inject up to 10 times per combustion event,” Siegrist said, a strategy that’s part of a “very, very complex” fuel-delivery system with injectors that operate at a whopping 29,000 psi.

Aside from improving fuel economy, this multi-injection approach provides another real-world benefit: a major reduction in noise. “It’s a huge part of making it quieter,” said Siegrist. Older diesel engines are typically quite raucous because each cylinder’s fuel is delivered in one big squirt, which creates a similarly loud bang. By metering the delivery in a more controlled manner, noise can be greatly reduced.​

Nice article, worth a read. The other advantage is smaller injections lead to more rapid and complete combustion. A big slug is an invitation to soot.

Bob Wilson

 

Now that a court has ruled VW buys them back at 'fair market value' as of one a date certain, indeed, they have stopped depreciation. <GRINS>

Bob Wilson

 

Just use: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Start here: U.S. Gasoline and Diesel Retail Prices

Bob Wilson

 

Thanks because it provides insights to the GM hubris:

As for the U.S., though, the GM executive reiterated that "carbon dioxide and fuel economy" should be the prime lens through which all green-oriented buyers should consider diesel vehicles.

Asked about the relative wells-to-wheels carbon footprints of driving a mile on grid power versus burning hydrocarbon fuels in a combustion engine, Nicholson pivoted seamlessly.

GM offers two very good plug-in vehicles, he noted, the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car with 238 miles of range and the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid with 53 miles of range and the ability to use gasoline when needed for longer trips.

But, he suggested, those vehicles may not be ideal for every buyer—and diesel offers another way to reduce the carbon footprint of personal transport.​

He suffers from the same Detroit belief that Prius people are environmental-only buyers. Understand I'm not in the business of teaching a pig to sing or helping GM get a clue.

Bob Wilson