2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel EPA-Rated at 46-mpg Highway

Chevrolet has announced that the new-for-2014 Cruze diesel will get an EPA-estimated 46 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in the city. With its 2.0-liter turbo-diesel making 148 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque matched with a six-speed automatic transmission, the diesel joins the base 1.8-liter four and the optional 1.4-liter turbo four already available in the Cruze powertrain lineup. The addition of the diesel is the news; how its fuel economy stacks up against its siblings and the competition, however, is another matter.

Getting 46 mpg on the highway is a laudable achievement for the diesel; the automatic-equipped Cruze Eco gets 39 mpg and the Eco with the six-speed manual gets 42 mpg. Drill a little deeper, though, and the comparisons become less favorable: the automatic Eco matches the diesel’s city rating of 26, while the manual betters it by 2 mpg.

Then there is the matter of dollars and cents. At $25,695, the Cruze diesel is $4010 more than the Cruze Eco with an automatic and $5205 more than the manual. And with diesel fuel currently costing about 40 cents more per gallon than regular unleaded, it’s going to take owners a whole lot of highway driving to recoup the extra cost of the diesel-engine option.

Chevy wants you to pay no attention to that Cruze Eco behind the curtain, and would instead like you to consider the Volkswagen Jetta TDI as the bow-tie diesel’s real competition. The Jetta costs about $700 less than the compression-ignition Cruze, but the Chevy comes with more standard features, including MyLink infotainment, larger 17-inch aluminum wheels, leather seats, and a two-year maintenance plan. Chevrolet also offers a powertrain warranty that is the same in years (five) but better in miles (100,000 versus the VW’s 60,000). On the fuel-economy front, the Jetta gets ratings of 30/42; that puts the Cruze up by 4 mpg on the highway but down 4 mpg in the city.

The Cruze diesel will go on sale this spring in “high-indexing diesel cities” such as Baltimore and Milwaukee. Later this fall, it will be available nationwide and in Canada. While we’re always glad to see a new choice in the world of compression ignition, we’re still not sure how Chevy’s new diesel is going to find its place in the market. With diesel sales up in 2012 by more than 25 percent according to some estimates, Chevy is hoping the Cruze can get in on some of that oil-burning action.

2014 Audi R8 Starts at $119,150; Spyder Starts at $132,650

Audi’s refreshed-for-2014 mid-engined supercar, the R8, goes on sale today and official pricing has been announced. Starting at $119,150, the R8 coupe comes with a 430-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 with a six-speed manual. Audi will offer the V-8–powered R8 in a spyder as well, while a 525-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 will be available in both the coupe and spyder. For the ultimate R8, there is a new V-10 Plus model that can be had only in coupe form, and it will be good for 550 horsepower with carbon-ceramic brakes standard. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard on all models as well.

Pricing for the base R8 (if there can be considered such a thing) represents a modest $700 increase over the previous V-8 model; changes for all 2014 R8s include new “wave”-rotor brakes, new LED headlights and taillights, large dual exhaust outlets that replace the previous quad outlets, and new interior trim bits. A gated six-speed manual is standard on all R8s, while a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional across the board. Pricing is as follows:

• V-8 coupe: $119,150; $128,250, automatic

• V-8 spyder: $132,650; $141,750, automatic

• V-10 coupe: $155,450; $164,550, automatic

• V-10 spyder: $168,950; $178,050, automatic

• V-10 Plus coupe: 174,795; $183,895, automatic

Any flavor of R8 sets our enthusiast hearts aflutter, but the new V-10 Plus model puts it in full triathlon-pounding mode. Consider not only that the 550-hp V-10 makes 398 lb-ft of torque (25 horsepower and 7 lb-ft more than the standard V-10), but that Audi estimates the Plus model weighs 130 pounds less than the regular V-10 due to weight-reducing features such as the use of carbon fiber for the side blades, front splitter, rear diffuser and spoiler; a smaller fuel tank; manual seats; and reduced sound insulation in the engine bay. Audi estimates that the V-10 Plus equipped with the automatic can launch from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Top speed is pegged at 196 mph.

While we’ll wait to strap our test equipment on the R8 to get you the real numbers, there can be little doubt that Audi is not backing down in the supercar cage fight. We look forward to putting it up against the Porsche 911 and the Nissan GT-R to see which one comes out on top.

Until then, check out this preview video of the new R8 as featured in the upcoming Iron Man 3 movie:

Sebastian Vettel Named Infiniti’s Director of Performance, Director of Teamwork Position Still Open [2013 New York Auto Show]

Today at the New York auto show, Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen named Sebastian Vettel as Director of Performance for the Infiniti brand. Vettel, lead driver for Infiniti Red Bull Racing and three-time Formula 1 champ, already has been helping Infiniti imbue its models with more performance (starting with the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition and more recently with the new 2014 Q50 sedan).

Vettel’s input on the development of the Q50 was said to be significant, as he spent time with engineers in Japan to develop the sedan’s chassis dynamics, performance, and handling. Infiniti is seeking any and all ways to maximize its $250-million deal with Red Bull Racing, and Vettel is the most obvious way to do so. We speculated just a month ago that Infiniti might put a Red Bull Racing badge on an IPL or other Infiniti car, and naming Vettel as head of performance is possibly a step in that direction.

“I am really happy to extend my extend my relationship with Infiniti and become its Director of Performance” said Vettel. “Helping to develop the Infiniti Q50 was a very different type of driving duty for me but I approached it in exactly the same way as I do my Formula 1 car. I am looking forward to working closely with Infiniti in developing more of its road cars in the future.”

Clearly this move was well underway before the events of this past weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, although you have to wonder if Seb will be a more cooperative Director of Performance than he is a Formula 1 teammate.