Not much to differentiate the diesel-engine Beetle from the rest of the lineup. It's pretty much down to the thin chrome strip on the top of the door panels and TDI-specific 17-inch alloys.
The DFPs (diesel fan people) already register disappointment with the 2013 Beetle TDI’s kinda mediocre Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings of 29 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. There are plenty of gasoline-engine small cars fielding similar numbers, after all. But the latest EPA test procedure seems to hamper diesels, and many DFPs expect on-the-road economy to be better than the window sticker ratings.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Diesels,Hatchbacks,Volkswagen
During the Chicago Auto Show next week, Volkswagen will be officially releasing the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI which is "the only Clean Diesel offering in the compact coupe category."
Like the Jetta TDI, the Beetle TDI uses an iron/aluminum 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected Clean Diesel that produces 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Putting that torque to the ground is either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed dual-clutch DSG. The Volkswagen TDI gets an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 29 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Diesel gets 30 mpg city, 42 highway and a 34 mpg combined rating.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Diesels,Volkswagen
Here's what I want hear during a video about the new line of tri-turbo, diesel-powered M cars from BMW: Engine noises.
Here's what this video, by BMW, gives you: Everything but engine sounds. Want to hear BMW execs talking about the cars? Want to see them running on a track with loud music streaming over the car noises and fuel economy facts scrawled across the screen?
No? I didn't either, but I still watched this three times hoping to get something good out of it.
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Categories: BMW,Diesels
X5 M50d. M550d xDrive. M550d xDrive Touring. X6 M50d. And you thought carmakers had lost touch with cool names.
Confirming what we had suspected for months, BMW today official unveiled their M division's line of performance diesel offerings. The M version of the d cars feature a tri-turbo 3.0-liter common-rail straight-six cranking out 376 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and a whopping 545 pound-feet of torque between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm. All variants get an eight-speed automatic transmission.
In the M550d xDrive this is good for a 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds -- less than half a second off the pace of the M5. The M550d xDrive weighs in at 4,178 pounds.
Click here for more and our full photo gallery with 45 pictures of the BMW M Performance Diesels.
Categories: BMW,Diesels
In an interview with journalists at the Detroit auto show yesterday, Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne confirmed plans for a new Dakota pickup. He also noted that there's a "better than 50 percent chance" that it will be a unibody truck.
If you consider that bad news, maybe this will cheer you up: Marchionne also said that diesel power is a likely option. With a diesel engine now confirmed for the Grand Cherokee, Marchionne said it only makes sense for the company to spread out the cost over multiple models. Thankfully, that's expected to include the Wrangler as well.
Categories: Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Diesels,Ram,Trucks
Diesel SUV fans (with money to spend) have had some good news this week. First we had the confirmation from Porsche that a diesel Cayenne would come to the states next year and now we have news out of Detroit that soon the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available in oil-burning trim.
Jeep is furthering its commitment in the US by building the new Jeep at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. This will add another 1,100 workers and help boost production of the Cherokee and the Durango.
Categories: Diesels,Jeep
Frankly, we can't think of a better time and place for Porsche to have the debut of the new Porsche 911 Cabrio than Detroit in January. Except, perhaps, for Los Angeles where it's currently 85 degrees. Or New York where people actually buy drop-top Porsches.
According to Porsche's Bernhard Maier, "Detroit was deliberately chosen for the world premiere of the new 911 Cabrio because the USA is far and away our largest 911 Cabrio market." Fair enough.
If you missed out on seeing this one at the L.A. show, fear not, they go on sale just a few months after the coupe version and then you'll see them all the time.
Porsche also announced information about two new SUV offerings...
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Categories: Convertibles,Detroit Auto Show,Diesels,Porsche,SUVs
"This is a new kind of car."
"On every road you feel like you're on a racetrack."
"Direct response that exceeds your expectations."
"You don't fear stopping...because you know you can take off again."
"It deserves the M badge."
Okay, so it's not definitely the BMW X6 M550d, but it probably is. Consider that the X6 already has an M badge. What would they change to make it deserve it anew? Diesel makes the most sense in a completely nonsensical car.
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Categories: BMW,Diesels,Future Vehicles
Although Honda's concept cars will grab most of the headlines after its 2011 Tokyo Auto Show press conference today, the new drivetrains we sampled yesterday at the automaker's Twin Ring Motegi are just as big a deal.
First up is a all-new family of four-cylinder gasoline engines, and yes, they are direct-injected (finally). Eventually, you'll see displacements of 1.5, 1.8 and 2.4 liters, but the 2.4-liter will show up first, almost certainly in the redesigned, U.S.-spec 2013 Honda Accord, which should show up in the spring of 2012. (Yes, just ignore the fact that the prototypes we drove were current-gen, European-spec Accords.)
Honda's estimated ratings for the new 2.4-liter engine are very conservative thus far -- "over 181 hp" and "over 177 lb-ft" of torque -- and barely more than you get with the current port-injected 2.4-liter. Engineers tell us this is just a starting point, though, and that the production engine will likely fare better. Note that these rating are for 87 octane; for a 91 octane version, Honda could swap out the pistons (thereby raising compression) and get more power.
The most interesting thing about this engine is what's going on with the i-VTEC camshaft profiles.
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Categories: Diesels,Future Vehicles,Honda,Sedans,Tokyo Motor Show
"We will start work on the project next year, and it will be ready within three. I have set the goal of developing a sporting car featuring electric power." -- Osamu Masuko, President of Mitsubishi Motors.
This latest batch of Evo XI hybrid news comes, like the rest, from Britains Autocar magazine. Masuko was thin on details on the new project, which we'd fully expec't from a product just entering the development phase, but Autocar is still expecting the hybrid Evo to be a diesel.
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Categories: Diesels,Future Vehicles,Hybrids,Mitsubishi
Now that it's officially confirmed for the U.S., we've just caught the 2013 Chevy Cruze diesel testing (and towing) in the scorching heat of Death Valley. And if you're going to test a new diesel sedan in the U.S., you've got to test it against the breed standard here, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
In Europe, the Cruze diesel has a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 making 161 horsepower and a whopping 265 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Jetta TDI makes 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque rom a 2.0-liter I4. The Cruze also has a bigger fuel tank, holding 15.6 gallons, 1.1 gallons larger than the Jetta's tank.
We don't get a ton of information from these pictures that we didn't know from the first drive of the 2011 Chevy Cruze Diesel, but it appears that the diesel could have the active Air Shutter from the Cruze Eco. And if it does, Death Valley is the place to test it.
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Categories: Chevrolet,Diesels,Spy Photos
We haven't set up any way of tracking these things, but we're going to peg the number of rumors we get to the number of those that come true at something like 4:1. Before today we would have guessed that the rumor of a Chevy Cruze diesel headed to the U.S. would turn out to be nothing more than that.
And then GM went and confirmed today that the 2013 Chevy Cruze would be available with a diesel motor. Gm refused to comment on specifics, pricing or if this would debut in the also-hoped-for Cruze Hatchback. It will make GM the only member of the Big 3 available with a diesel powered car and will put them in the pool with the Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI.
Average price for a gallon of diesel right now is $3.95 compared with $3.69 for a gallon of regular.
We're now one confirmation away from actually having a non-VW, diesel hatchback in the U.S.
Categories: Chevrolet,Diesels
It looks like every automotive journalist and car-enthusiast forum poster is about to get their wish: According to Automotive News and sources close to the project, Chevy will be bringing a diesel version of the Cruze to the U.S. market. Currently, GM sells two versions of the 2.0-liter Diesel Cruze in Eurpe and Australia, one with 127 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque and one with 163 horsepower and 266 torque.
Now, it's not that everyone's been on tenterhooks for a diesel version of Chevy's best-selling small car, it's just that we've all wanted an alternative to Volkswagen. It's not that the Volkswagen is bad, it's just that they've got the US diesel car market cornered and a high-profile entry like the Cruze could shed some light on diesel making it a viable option for other carmakers.
But that's what we all hoped with the Pontiac G8, too, but I'm not driving a Ford Falcon today, am I?
(Automotive News)
Categories: Chevrolet,Diesels
Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off of the newly redesigned M-Class this morning. And the overall response seems to be a collective yawn.
It's not that the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class is ugly, it's just that there seems to be some discordance with the new Benz angles and face stuck to a classic M shape. Cover portions of the new truck -- which shares a platform with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- and you've got a nice looking SUV. Taken as a whole, however, and we're not sold.
Either way, the M-Class will be offered in three trims at launch; ML250 Bluetec 4Matic, ML 350 Bluetec 4Matic and ML 350 4Matic BlueEfficiency. 4Matic of course means permanent all wheel drive and all will be equipped with a seven-speed automatic. AMG and Hybrid versions will be released later.
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Categories: Diesels,Mercedes-Benz,SUVs
Porsche has revealed its most economical model to date, the Panamera diesel. Set to join the German carmaker's European line-up in August, the big four-door sedan boasts claimed combined fuel mileage on the European cycle of 36.2mpg (US) -- bettering the 31.8mpg (US) of the similarly powered Cayenne diesel and providing the rear-wheel drive Panamera diesel with a CO2 rating of 172g/km. With its standard 21 gallon fuel tank, the Panamera diesel would have a theoretical range of 766 miles.
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Categories: Diesels,Luxury Cars,Porsche,Sedans
Insofar as rumors go, this is a good one. Autocar, who you'll remember started this whole kerfuffle, has some new information from Mitsubishi on the exaggerated death of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
First, the reasonable: Mitsubishi President and CEO, Osamu Masuko, has said that "Production of the current Lancer Evolution X continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package and architecture." Which has been the company line all along.
He concludes, “The new direction, the technologies involved, and corresponding products will be disclosed in due course.”
And then Autocar goes all crazy...
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Categories: Diesels,Hybrids,Mitsubishi,Sedans,Sports Cars
When Chevy released images of the Chevy Cruze hatchback that they'd be bringing to the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, I was impressed. I dig hatchbacks and hoped they'd bring it here. And when I blogged it over on the LTRTB, one of our loyal readers called me out, "Give it up on the diesels." And I agreed, "Do I really think GM will spend the time and money to make guys like me consider one instead of rushing to the only outlet (VW) who will give up the oil burners? Nope."
The thing is, according to GM Inside News, sources with GM have confirmed a North American diesel option for the 2013 Chevy Cruze. GM currently employs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the Holden Cruze CDX. That engine makes 147 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque while returning 34 mpg.
Test mules are said to be roaming Detroit as we speak. The engine Production of the engine is set to begin next year.
Now, put it in a hatchback and give the Golf a good run...
In-car video of a Cruze Diesel accelerating after the jump.
( GM Inside News )
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Categories: Chevrolet,Diesels,Future Vehicles
You've seen how the 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty and 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 HD stack up to one another in our Heavy-Duty Truck Comparison Test. Now here's a look at how well each engine puts its stuff to the pavement -- rather, the drum -- as we recently spent some time on the dyno rollers with these trucks.
What did we learn? Hit the jump.
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Categories: Car Tech,Diesels,Dodge,Ford,GMC,Trucks
#NAIAS No mention of Mercedes' new king diesel sedan during today's press conference, but we got a few facts on it after the crowd had dispersed.
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec 4Matic goes on sale in late summer 2011. Benz officials tell us it will be priced similarly to the S400 Hybrid, which starts at $91,875, and will only come with all-wheel drive.
The power source is a familiar one -- a turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-liter diesel V6 making 240 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed automatic drives all four wheels through the 4Matic system.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Diesels,Future Vehicles,Mercedes-Benz,Sedans
Certainly it doesn't match the carbon-spewing glory of fully uncorked diesel trucks, but there's a certain fun factor to be had launching the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec down the drag strip. Perhaps it's because this vehicle, a $50,333 diesel luxury sedan, is supposed to be yet another answer to our massive gas-burning ways. But maybe it's just because this turbocharged V6 develops 400 pound-feet of torque from a lowly 1,600 rpm.
While the torque figure is impressive, the 3.0-liter V6 has a lot of mass to lug around: 4,251 pounds of mass to be more specific. That combination of weight and power is good for an EPA rating of 22 mpg city/33 mpg highway and a combined rating of 26 (we averaged 26.3 with a best tank of 400 miles). So the frugality is there, but what's the fun factor? On our test track, does the diesel diminish the otherwise solid driving characteristics of the E-Class, or is this a case of having your cake and eating it, too?
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Categories: Diesels,IL Track Tested,Mercedes-Benz
