Cruze To Get Turbo Diesel

[bronsin]

Chevy is announceing that the Cruse will get a turbo diesel option next year and that it will get "50 mpg".

But dont get excited! Diesels are like hybrids. The increased mpg does NOT offset the added pricetag. Or even come close. Basically diesels and hybrids take the money you would have given to Exxon and give it to whoever made the car. And then some.

So Toyota USA can still win by offering a car that weights ~1800 pounds, has a 1 liter GAS engine, and costs less than say $13,000.

[Flipper_1938]

Actually, I think cheap sub-compacts are going to be a thing of the past. With the proposed fuel rules, everything is going to end up being a small car that gets good mileage in a few years.

The car manufacturers are trying to figure out how to get people to pay big bucks for little cars so thay can continue to make good money.

It will be hard to get premium prices with a cheap car in the same basic category. They will probably jack up the prices of the entry level cars to make the step up to premium seem smaller.

[Kiteless]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Chevy is announceing that the Cruse will get a turbo diesel option next year and that it will get "50 mpg".

But dont get excited! Diesels are like hybrids. The increased mpg does NOT offset the added pricetag. Or even come close. Basically diesels and hybrids take the money you would have given to Exxon and give it to whoever made the car. And then some.

So Toyota USA can still win by offering a car that weights ~1800 pounds, has a 1 liter GAS engine, and costs less than say $13,000.

Yeah even the brand new Accent from Hyundai starts at $14,500. It does look pretty nice and comes reasonably equipped. But the hatch costs even more. Remember when the hatch back version of a car was CHEAPER?! It was not that long ego you could get an accent brand new in Phoenix AZ for $8,000 dollars. Of course it was a stripped down, ugly, unreliable, piece of poop.

Anyway I agree, the cheap small car is going away. My Yaris was $10,500 when I bought it back in 2007 and the price went up every single year I have owned it. Held it's value really well till the recalls tarnished Toyota's brand.

- Jason

[AppleJacks716]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Chevy is announceing that the Cruse will get a turbo diesel option next year and that it will get "50 mpg".

But dont get excited! Diesels are like hybrids. The increased mpg does NOT offset the added pricetag. Or even come close. Basically diesels and hybrids take the money you would have given to Exxon and give it to whoever made the car. And then some.

So Toyota USA can still win by offering a car that weights ~1800 pounds, has a 1 liter GAS engine, and costs less than say $13,000.

I dont think we will see new cars the weigh less then 2000 pounds ever again sadly. Safety standards are too high now. Cars have to weigh more to be safe and if you use lighter materials they will probably cost more.

VW has alot to worry about with a domestic disel competitor coming to the US market.

[rningonfumes]

Originally Posted by bronsin

But dont get excited! Diesels are like hybrids. The increased mpg does NOT offset the added pricetag. Or even come close. Basically diesels and hybrids take the money you would have given to Exxon and give it to whoever made the car. And then some.

Actually, that's the exact reason why I personally would buy something. It's less about the environment and more about sending less money to the middle east.

I see it more of an investment. I'm taking money away from oil and putting it into somewhere closer to home ie jobs for that guy who thought of the device and workers who manufactured it.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Actually, that's the exact reason why I personally would buy something. It's less about the environment and more about sending less money to the middle east.

I see it more of an investment. I'm taking money away from oil and putting it into somewhere closer to home ie jobs for that guy who thought of the device and workers who manufactured it.

"Would"?

So...you have not...yet?

[rningonfumes]

I do and will when I can.

An example would be SG2 for my mpg numbers.

That's money to SG makers. Hopefully the act of people buying their product encourages them to develop more the same. That's the gist of what I mean. If you want people to make products you like, you give them your patronage. I happen to like the idea of spending less money on gas so I will be one of those to buy properly vetted things if they are priced right.

So green people buy a Prius for the greeniness of it.
I'll buy the diesel so I can save the green stuff in my wallet from going to certain parts of the world.

[bentjazz]

It'd be nice if Toyota offered the Yaris in a 1.0L 3cyl. version like they do in Europe and Japan and elsewhere (except here). Maybe offer the diesel and 1.33L version, as well. Now that I think about it, any of you guys own one of these versions? If so, what's the gas mileage like?

[bronsin]

The 1 liter engine in a lighter car (like the ECHO) would be the most cost efficient car on the market for the consumer. Lightyears ahead of a diesel engine or a hybrid.

But consumers in this country are morons. For decades theyve been driving v6 and v8 engined cars and trucks when the country has had a literal gun to its head held by foriegn oil suppliers. If that isnt bad enough they are enthralled by hybrids, electric vehicles, "safety" "innovations" like antilock brakes, "radar" cruise control, automatic parking, stability control, multiple airbags systems etc. We are paying three times the costs of a car in the 1980s because of this. US consumers walk around with a sign on their packs that reads "KICK ME!" The moneyed interests in this country are only too happy to oblige them.

So no we are NEVER going to see the one liter engine here. We are only going to get hrbrids, larger and larger ECHOs (like the Yaris) more "safety" innovations costing us more and more money we cant afford. Like Rilpey says in the movie ALIENS as one by one her companions are picked off

"IQs are dropping sharply aound here."

[rningonfumes]

^ I don't disagree at all. Imagine where we would be now if we got all these relatively nice mpg numbers back in the 90s.

[bronsin]

My brothers 1983 1.3 liter Renault Alliance got 53 mpg on the highway. I forget what it was around town.

I think the Honda Civic of the same period got similiar.

Whats a Civic get now...maybe 27 overall?

[rningonfumes]

Well, that's where all those "extra" features you mentioned came into play. Let us not forget that we had some mandated safety features too.

[bentjazz]

Astute observations, bronsin....

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Well, that's where all those "extra" features you mentioned came into play. Let us not forget that we had some mandated safety features too.

Theres a lot we got that we needed. Seat belts. Dash boards with non body pieceing components. Crush zones. I guess air bags.

ABS, traction control, self parking, radar cruise control...no.

[swidd]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Actually, that's the exact reason why I personally would buy something. It's less about the environment and more about sending less money to the middle east.

I see it more of an investment. I'm taking money away from oil and putting it into somewhere closer to home ie jobs for that guy who thought of the device and workers who manufactured it.

You seem like an excellent candidate for a Trek Madone.. $8,000 bicycle.

[Idahotom]

I seem to remember a quote on the national highway deaths, something to the effect that even though there are many many times more drivers driving more miles, highway deaths are less now then earlier. The earlier time referred to was I think the late 50's of early 60's. Pretty impressive numbers anyway, showing that some of the "new" safety stuff is working as intended.

My local newspaper is big on clearly stating whether or not seat belts were being used when it reports rollovers etc. Again and again I see people wearing seatbelts go home, those without to the hospital or worse. Best thing: putting on a seatbelt reminds you that you are about to do something dangerous!

[Lewis]

i had an eighties ford focus that had a mazda diesel small truck engine in it (the car was sold for a couple of years- it had 2 oil filters!) that got 58 mpg on the highway without any special driving.

of cause the car was light with no safety equipment and amenities and slow as paint drying (no turbos back then on the fords or vw diesels) but boy did it stretch a gallon of fuel!

and in those days diesel was cheaper than regular gasoline.

if the cruze diesel can get close to those results it'll sell like hotcakes imo because there are many people like me that would love a diesel small car but know from bitter experience the horrible repair records, crooked dealers and inflated price of the VW diesels which are the only game in town right now.

our relatives in Holland have a yaris diesel- quite a fuel miser since they pay the equivilant of $9/gallon there!

that kind of fuel savings with toyota reliability = a very very economical car.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Lewis

i had an eighties ford focus that had a mazda diesel small truck engine in it (the car was sold for a couple of years- it had 2 oil filters!) that got 58 mpg on the highway without any special driving.

of cause the car was light with no safety equipment and amenities and slow as paint drying (no turbos back then on the fords or vw diesels) but boy did it stretch a gallon of fuel!

and in those days diesel was cheaper than regular gasoline.

if the cruze diesel can get close to those results it'll sell like hotcakes imo because there are many people like me that would love a diesel small car but know from bitter experience the horrible repair records, crooked dealers and inflated price of the VW diesels which are the only game in town right now.

our relatives in Holland have a yaris diesel- quite a fuel miser since they pay the equivilant of $9/gallon there!

that kind of fuel savings with toyota reliability = a very very economical car.

I would LOVE to have the Toyota 1.4 l diesel BUT before I bought it I would figure out:

How much the car will save in its life time in fuel costs vs the gas car.

How much extra the diesel option would be NOT just the option BUT THE ACTUAL BOTTOM LINE COMPARISON OUT THE DOOR COST GAS VS DIESEL.

Young people (anyone under 30) are the most naive, dumb, trusting uncritical people I have seen in my life. They think the world is a nice place inhabited by kind people. (prolly from watching seseme street)

It isnt.

Furthermore our country for the past 20 years has had completely INSANE fiscal policies where everyone thinks everyone has the right to have everything they want no matter how much it costs.

Young people think this is normal and theres no one to tell them any different.

Except me.

Our society is a total rip off based insane delusional psychotic nut house where no one thinks critically.

For instance people are buying the Prius, the Chevy Volt, and the Nissan Leaf for $25,000-$50,000 to save ~$2000 in fuel costs over the life of the car! (vs something like the gas powered Yaris)This is SERIOUSLY crazy.

SO my advice DO NOT BUY that diesel/hybrid/electric option until you DO THE MATH. If its going to cost you five times as much to save one fifth the money ITS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

Just my opinion.