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Even though advanced technology has made contemporary diesel engines more powerful and refined, the number of diesel-powered models available in the U.S. make up a miniscule portion of the car market.
Chevrolet wants to do something about that (not to mention break in on Volkswagen's monopoly on the affordable diesel-car market) with the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel.
Chevy sold nearly a quarter-million Cruzes last year, so it has the potential to make an impact that reaches well beyond the Volkswagen diesel faithful, while at the same time tempting even Volkswagen true believers with a sedan made by a company other than VW.
Are You a Numbers Kind of Person?
Let's say you like the idea of buying the quickest Chevy Cruze available. That'd be the new 2014 Cruze Diesel. Its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine develops 151 horsepower and 264 pound-feet of torque. Combined with its standard six-speed automatic, the Cruze diesel will go from zero to 60 mph in 8.6 seconds, according to Chevrolet. That's a half-second faster than the Cruze equipped with the turbocharged gasoline 1.4-liter.
Yeah, 8.6 seconds doesn't sound that quick, but when you've got as much as 250 lb-ft of torque available at just 1,750 rpm and an overboost feature that delivers as much as 280 lb-ft for 10 seconds, it feels markedly quicker. There's a bit of turbo lag, but wait out that half-second and you get more than enough power to sprint past the larger-engine gasoline cars still gathering steam to find the meat of their torque curves.
Now let's say you want the car with the segment's single highest fuel-economy number, but you don't want a hybrid. That also would be the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel with its rating of 46 mpg on the highway. And if a hybrid guy wants to bet pink slips based on what you're really getting out of a gallon of fossil fuel, the diesel's likely to come out ahead there, too, unless you're talking strictly stop-and-go city driving, where the Cruze is rated at 27 mpg.
Fuel's Errand
Not everything is ideal with the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. It weighs about 250 pounds more than the next heaviest Cruze, and that kind of extra weight is never easy to accept, particularly in the name of greater efficiency.
Owners probably will never know it, but they'll be carrying around a tank of urea to cleanse the Cruze Diesel's emissions, and the car's spare tire is sacrificed to place the 4.5-gallon tank that holds the stuff. Refills take place during scheduled maintenance (Chevy says at least 10,000 miles before the tank would be drained); you decide what you think about a can of compressed flat-fixing goop in place of a spare.
The most glaring ice patch on the road to diesel acceptance, however, might come from Chevy's own price strategy. The Cruze Diesel sits near the top of the Cruze model range and although it's rather generously equipped, it's a good $5,000 dearer than the well-regarded, gasoline-engine Cruze Eco, which gets a markedly lower 39-mpg highway rating but at 33 mpg combined, is just 2 mpg in arrears of the Cruze Diesel, thanks in part to the Diesel's 27-mpg city rating.
Highway Cruzer
We weren't particularly bothered by those details in our 600-mile round trip behind the wheel of the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. Instead, it underscored why modern-day diesel engines are such an attractive proposition. For most trips, fill up before you leave and forget about what the fuel gauge says until you return.
You can breeze along with the engine barely nudging past the 2,000-rpm mark with the cruise control set just south of 80 mph. Trouble with dawdlers? Tickle the accelerator and erupt to 95 mph without even troubling the transmission for a downshift.
Forget about diesel clatter, too. Contemporary diesels have largely quieted the clamor, but Chevy engineers also took the extra precaution of borrowing a special sound-absorption package from the 2013 Buick Verano to keep this Cruze quiet. The Cruze Diesel also borrows goodies from the Cruze Eco, including its active grille shutters, 17-inch wheels and low-rolling-resistance tires.
Otherwise, the 2014 Cruze Diesel is mostly like other Cruzes, only better performing. You get four-wheel disc brakes that are enlarged to account for the diesel's extra weight, and that six-speed automatic transmission is an Aisin unit that feels quicker-witted than the GM-made six-speed auto the gasoline Cruzes employ.
The low-friction tires do occasionally slip more than we'd like, and although engineers claim a suspension retuning, in many situations the front dampers don't quite feel up to the job of holding up the mass of the iron-block 2.0-liter diesel engine. We noticed this particularly on jarring impacts such as a transition from the highway surface to a bridge surface, when the front end's damping and rebound both felt overtaxed.
A Well-Positioned Competitor
It's hard not to take a shine to the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. Big-torque performance and hybrid-baiting efficiency is an alluring combination, while the Cruze's intrinsic goodness continues to impress three years after its launch.
For now, Volkswagen has to be curiously looking over its shoulder at its new competitor, and for good reason. The Cruze has more horsepower (151 hp to 140 hp), more torque (264 to 236) and better highway fuel economy (46 mpg to 42 mpg).
And as a final kicker, the Cruze is less expensive, too. At $25,695, the Cruze Diesel undercuts the automatic-transmission Volkswagen Jetta TDI by about 500 bucks. Not a huge difference, but enough to make it worth giving the Chevy a look if all the rest of its advantages weren't enough to convince you already.
Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.
Used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze listings and inventory:
Shop Edmunds' used car, SUV, and truck listings of over 6 million pre-owned vehicles to find a cheap used and certified pre-owned (CPO) 2014 Chevrolet Cruzes for sale near Ashburn VA. There are currently 1,071 used and CPO 2014 Cruzes listed for sale in your area, with list prices as low as 7,287 and mileage as low as 0. Simply research the type of used car, SUV, or truck you're interested in and then select a vehicle from our massive database to find cheap pre-owned vehicles for sale near you. Once you have identified a used vehicle you're interested in, check the Carfax and Autocheck vehicle history reports, read dealer reviews, and find out what other owners paid for the used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. Then select Edmunds' special offers, perks, deals, and incentives to contact the dealer of your choice and save up to 302 on a used or CPO 2014 Cruze available from one of 2,630 dealerships in your area.
What's a good price on a used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze ?
Save up to $300 on one of 227 used 2014 Chevrolet Cruzes for sale at dealerships within 25 miles of Ashburn, Virginia with prices as low as $7462 as of Apr 26, 2018, based on data from 18 dealers and 56 consumer-driven dealer ratings ranging from 1.5 to 5 out of 5 stars.
Price comparisons for used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze trim styles:
The used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is priced around $12583 with average odometer reading of 48927 miles.
The used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ is priced around $13211 with average odometer reading of 52611 miles.
The used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze 1LT is priced around $10460 with average odometer reading of 59661 miles.
The used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze LS is priced around $9566 with average odometer reading of 58841 miles.
Shop with Edmunds for perks and special offers on used cars, trucks, and SUVs near Ashburn, Virginia. Doing so could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Edmunds also provides consumer-driven dealership sales and service reviews to help you make informed decisions about what cars to buy and where to buy them.
What options are available on the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze?
Available Chevrolet Cruze 2014 Submodel Types: Hatchback, Sedan, Diesel
Available Chevrolet Cruze 2014 Trims: LT, Premier, 1LT, LS, 2LT, LTZ, Diesel, Eco, L, LT Fleet
Exterior Colors: Mosaic Black Metallic, Arctic Blue Metallic, Kinetic Blue Metallic, Graphite Metallic, Cajun Red Tintcoat, Satin Steel Metallic, Black, Pepperdust Metallic, Black Granite Metallic, Blue Ray Metallic, Summit White, Silver Ice Metallic, Champagne Silver Metallic, Blue Topaz Metallic, Atlantis Blue Metallic, Tungsten Metallic, Nightfall Gray Metallic, Rainforest Green Metallic, Imperial Blue Metallic, Ice Blue Metallic, Siren Red Tintcoat, Gold Mist Metallic, Autumn Bronze Metallic, Crystal Red Tintcoat, Autumn Metallic, Red Hot, Blue Granite Metallic, Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat, Cyber Gray Metallic, Taupe Gray Metallic, Victory Red, Orange Burst Metallic
Interior Colors: Jet Black cloth, Dark Atmosphere/Medium Atmosphere cloth, Jet Black premium cloth, Jet Black/Medium Titanium premium cloth, Jet Black leather, Jet Black/Kalahari leather, Dark Atmosphere/Medium Atmosphere leather, Medium Titanium premium cloth, Cocoa/Light Neutral leather, Brownstone leather, Brownstone premium cloth, Jet Black/Sport Red premium cloth, Jet Black/Brick leather
Popular Features: Mobile Internet, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Keyless Entry/Start, Alarm, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Aux Audio Inputs, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Rear Bench Seats, Stability Control, Tire Pressure Warning, Trip Computer, Bluetooth, Post-collision safety system, USB Inputs, Remote Start, Power Driver Seat, Back-up camera, Lane Departure Warning, Upgraded Engine, Heated seats, Leather Seats, Sunroof/Moonroof, Auto Climate Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Navigation, Parking sensors, Upgraded Stereo
Engine/Mechanics: 4 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC, MANUAL
Fuel Types: regular unleaded, diesel
Drivetrains: front wheel drive
Used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Overview
The used 2014 Chevrolet Cruze is offered in the following submodels: Diesel, Sedan. Available styles include 1LT 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A), LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A), and LTZ 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A). Pre-owned Cruze models are available with a 0-liter gas engine, with output up to 0 hp, depending on engine type. The used 2014 Cruze comes with front wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 6-speed shiftable automatic.
