2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel EPA ratings finally dropped

[kevm14]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-che ... C7C79E1ED6

And they are pretty high.

2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel EPA-Rated 30/52 MPG With Manual

Nine-speed auto rated 31/47 mpg

Wait, didn't we already have a Cruze diesel? Why yes we did. However,

That car was powered by a 151-hp, 256-lb-ft 2.0-liter turbodiesel I-4 mated to a six-speed automatic.

And what did that get for MPG ratings?

27/44/32 mpg

Oh. So what is the engine now?

The Cruze Diesel is powered by a 1.6-liter turbodiesel I-4 that makes 137 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque.

A little less HP and torque. Not much really. I guess if you are going to go diesel, the trade off for MPG seems reasonable.

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan starts at $24,670, including $875 destination. The Cruze Diesel hatchback will arrive for the 2018 model year. Pricing and EPA estimates have not yet been announced for that model.

Hmm, under $25k. Not too bad I guess.

The use case for this vehicle, by the way, is really sustained highway driving. That's your bang for the buck. City isn't that much better than the gas engine and if you really want high city MPG, you get a hybrid.

[bill25]

The new 3 gets EPA-estimated mileage city/highway (mpg): 28/37, looks way better, has SKYACTIV®-G2 155-hp/150 ft-lbs, 2.0L DOHC 16-valve and starts at $18,900. I wouldn't even consider the Cruze when it is in the same class as the 3.

The best 3 is the Grand Touring - Starting at $24,195 - Also under 25K. Drives better, Looks better inside and out.

HWY - 37
HP/TRQ - 184/185
ENG - 2.5L

I would never even look at Cruze for the same price.

[kevm14]

The Cruze diesel offers something the Mazda 3 does not. It's a specific niche. You're not going to get over 50 mpg highway with any 3 configuration. If that is important to you. Diesel is currently a ~10% premium over 87 octane. At 40 mpg, that is a cost of 4 mpg. Fortunately I think the Cruze diesel more than makes up for that, least for highway ratings. Which was what I said previously.

All that said, the good driving manners of the 3 don't seem to matter to the consumer:

Cruze sales
2011 232,588
2012 237,758
2013 248,224
2014 273,060
2015 226,602
2016 188,876
2017 YTD 19,949

Mazda 3 sales
2011 102,417
2012 123,361
2013 104,713
2014 104,985
2015 107,885
2016 95,567
2017 YTD 6623

I don't know what else the Cruze has over the 3. It is probably quieter and more refined inside. It may be more comfortable.

[Bob]

Also, the Cruise gets a lot of fleet sales. To the best of my knowledge, I have not seen a Mazda3 in a rental fleet recently. I have seen other Mazdas, but not the 3.

[kevm14]

Damn, Cruise? What's next, Camero?

[Bob]

Man - I didn't even notice that. Sometimes I amuse myself by searching for Cameros on craigslist.

[kevm14]

I did find this:
http://www.gm.com/investors/sales/us-sa ... ction.html

- GM’s ATPs, which reflect retail transaction prices after incentives, rose $1,200 per unit to $34,500, a new January record.
- GM was the only domestic automaker and one of only two full-line automakers to reduce incentives as a percentage of ATP. GM spending was 12.7 percent, down 0.3 points, and the industry average was 12.3 percent, up 1.3 points.
- Rental deliveries were down 1 percent. Total fleet sales were up 1 percent on a 12 percent increase in Government deliveries and a 1 percent increase in Commercial sales. GM’s fleet mix was 21 percent of total sales.

Chevrolet Retail Sales

The Cruze, up 22 percent, the Volt, up 56 percent, and the Trax, up 40 percent, had their best-ever January retail sales. Total sales were also January records.
Spark deliveries were up 40 percent.
Bolt EVs, which were available in California and Oregon during the month, had the fastest days to turn in the industry at 7 days.
The Tahoe, up 8 percent, and Suburban, up 11 percent, had their best January retail sales since 2008.
The Equinox was up 4 percent.
The Colorado was up 9 percent for its best January retail sales since 2005. Total sales were also the highest January since 2005.
Sales of the Silverado HD pickup were up 32 percent for the truck’s best January retail sales since 2008. Total HD sales were also the best since 2008.

Retail sales for Cruze up 22%. I don't have hard numbers but I don't know that I'd use the qualifier "overly reliant" on fleet sales. ATP going up helps bolster this defense.

The 21% mix of fleet sales also doesn't mean much without understanding what the rest of the industry is doing.

[bill25]

I don't know what else the Cruze has over the 3. It is probably quieter and more refined inside. It may be more comfortable.

None of that. I think just better advertising... I agree sales of the 3 are way lower than they should be for what it is. Maybe because Mazda doesn't have any flashy cars to lure people into dealerships.

[bill25]

I do admit their lineup is pretty weak. They have the 3, 6, Miata and some crossovers...

[kevm14]

I don't know what else the Cruze has over the 3. It is probably quieter and more refined inside. It may be more comfortable.

None of that. I think just better advertising... I agree sales of the 3 are way lower than they should be for what it is. Maybe because Mazda doesn't have any flashy cars to lure people into dealerships.

None of that? At least some of that. If it really shocks you, I could probably find something on this.

The 3 is the best compact car if you are a driving enthusiast. It isn't the best compact car. Mainly because the compact car isn't a driving enthusiast class of vehicle. That is probably about last on the list of important attributes to buyers in this class. GM knows this - there is still no Cruze SS.

And I agree about the flashy car thing. They don't even have a V6!!

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet dealership has a 455 hp Camaro in the showroom.

Wait, no, they may have a 650 hp ZL1 in the showroom! And Corvettes. Though I tend to think of Corvette as its own brand.