Our Guide To Every 2012 Clean Diesel Car On Sale In The U.S.

By Antony Ingram

Antony Ingram

Contributing Writer BIO

Antony has what can only be described as an obsession for all things automotive. If it moves, he'll drive it, and even if it doesn't move, he'll sit... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Sun-Powered Boat Completes Round-The-World Trip
While solar has its place in the electric car world, it's not yet suitable for powering an electric... Read More

• #6LEADERBOARD RANK
• 902ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
• 4COMMENTS POSTED

13,206 views Aug 25, 2011

Follow Antony

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

'Diesel fuel only' caution on Audi Q7 TDI

Enlarge Photo

It was much easier to be suspicious of older diesels with their poor performance, noise and so-so economy figures, and images of diesel-powered trucks "rolling coal" did nothing for their green image either.

The latest generation of diesels are significantly cleaner than their older brethren, with particulate filters and urea injection reducing harmful emissions. And, the economy and performance of modern diesels often beats their gasoline equivalents, while strong torque and low noise make them more relaxing to drive too.

As gas prices increase, diesel sales are steadily rising as more and more consumers make the switch to reduce their fuel bills.

Below is the GreenCarReports guide to every clean diesel on the market in 2012, plus some others you can expect to see in the next year or so.

Audi

The Volkswagen Group's ubiquitous 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel powers the Audi A3 TDI, an engine also found in VW's Golf, Jetta and Passat. With a six-speed S-Tronic double clutch transmission it gets 42mpg highway and 30mpg city ratings. The Audi Q7 TDI with its 3.0-liter, six cylinder unit, is less economical at 17 city/25 highway but with 406 lb-ft of torque pulling power will never be a problem.

BMW

Both the 2011 BMW 335d and 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d use a 3.0-liter, twin turbocharged inline six-cylinder diesel. With 265 horsepower and a six-speed steptronic auto transmission it mixes effortless power and strong performance - 0-60 comes up in fewer than 6 seconds and top speed is limited at 155mph - with 23mpg city and 36mpg highway in the 3-Series.

Mercedes-Benz

Three Mercedes models use the 3.5-liter V6 turbodiesel engine, the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTEC, Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC SUV and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC, new for 2012. Also using the diesel V6 are the larger R-Class crossover and 2012 GL-Class SUV. All the BlueTEC diesels compare very favourably to the gasoline variants - the ML350 BlueTEC achieves 15 percent better combined economy than the gasoline ML350.

Volkswagen

The 2.0 TDI makes an appearance in three 2012 VWs, the Volkswagen Golf TDI, Volkswagen Jetta TDI (also available in the SportWagen body style) and 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI. It may only be a four-cylinder but it's not lacking in power or refinement, and the economy benefits are obvious. Those wishing for more power and torque the Volkswagen Touareg TDI shares the V6 engine with Audi's Q7 TDI SUV.

2013 diesels we can expect to see...

If you can wait a little longer, there are even more treats for diesel fans coming in the 2013 model year.

One of the most important is the Chevy Cruze Diesel, finally confirmed for sale in the U.S. having been on sale in Europe since the Cruze debuted. It should give America its first diesel compact from a home-grown manufacturer. it won't just be sold on the economy either - strong performance will be a highlight.

Will Mazda's 2.2 SkyActiv clean diesel make an appearance in the Mazda3? There's a good chance of it, and it could also make an appearance in the Mazda6, upcoming CX-5 or the larger CX-7 - some of which already offer Mazda's current generation of diesels in overseas markets. Mazda claims its Sky-D low compression units will pass Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards and even stricter Euro 6 standards due in 2014, without any after-treatment such as urea injection.

The Golf, Jetta and Passat provide practical options for the VW diesel fan, but the Volkswagen Beetle 2.0 TDI is sure to be a hit with those swept up in retro fever. The muffled rumble of a diesel may even bring back memories of the classic Beetle's flat-four engine - we can hope, at least. It'll certainly be a lot cleaner, and we'd expect economy to be similar to the Golf TDI.

Another VW Group diesel that might make an appearance is the Audi A6 TDI. Featuring the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine found in the Volkswagen Touareg TDI the A6 will go head-to-head with the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTEC. It uses an 8-speed automatic transmission and the European version reaches 60mph in only 6.1 seconds.

+++++++++++

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.