This year’s Chicago Auto Show kicked off yesterday, and although there were a number of interesting reveals, one car in particular caught my interest: the Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel. Yes folks, diesel is (fortunately) continuing to become more prominent here in North America, so let’s have a look at the latest oil-burner.

Visually-speaking, nothing has really changed from the standard Cruze, apart from the “2.0 TD” badge on the rear of the car. But what you should really be interested in lies underneath the hood. The Clean Turbo Diesel is powered by a 2.0L turbo-diesel developing 148 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, figures which General Motors claims are “segment-leading”. Coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission, that power propels the diesel Cruze from 0 to 60 in 8.6 seconds. GM is quick to point out that this is faster than the Volkswagen Jetta TDI with an automatic transmission.

But let’s face it, most people aren’t going to buy this car for performance. It’s a fuel economy machine, and the Clean Turbo Diesel has got you covered there as well. GM claims it has “best-in-segment range” and achieves 42 miles per gallon on the highway.

If you’re interested, GM is looking to price the car at a reasonable $25,695 MSRP, including destination and a two-year maintenance plan.

Source: General Motors