Diesel passenger cars have had a bumpy history in the United States, running from GM’s troubled V8s of the late 1970s to the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Some sold by the hundreds of thousands, while others drew lawsuits, settlements and regulators’ attention. Here are twelve diesel cars Americans could buy, along with the cases that still shadow the technology.
Tech news in one quick read: Get the most interesting stories in startups, tech and programming, each with a short TLDR, in one daily email from TLDR.
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
1. Oldsmobile Delta 88 (diesel): The Diesel V8 That Spawned a Lawsuit
Oldsmobile’s 350-cubic-inch diesel V8 debuted in 1978 and powered cars such as the Delta 88. Sales peaked near 310,000 units in 1981, which made the engine a genuine mass-market bet rather than a niche experiment.
The story turned sour afterward. A class action lawsuit eventually forced General Motors to pay up to 80 percent of the cost of new engines. That settlement explains why the Delta 88 diesel opens this list, since it shows how quickly a popular diesel can become a liability when the engine disappoints.
2. Mercedes-Benz 240D: The Sedan Built by the Hundred Thousand
Mercedes built 449,780 W123 240D sedans between 1976 and 1985, a production run that dwarfs the 75,261 turbodiesel 300Ds and the 324 diesel Chevettes covered elsewhere in this gallery.
The 240D is the baseline diesel in the W123 range, which also included the turbocharged 300D covered next. Its volume shows that diesel sedans found a sizable audience when a respected automaker put the engine under the hood, and it sets a benchmark that the Chevette and Cruze never approached.
3. Mercedes-Benz 300D Turbodiesel: The Turbodiesel Flagship
The turbocharged 300D Turbodiesel sold in the United States from 1981 to 1985, with 75,261 cars produced in that span and a U.S. rating of 123 hp.
That total is far smaller than the 240D’s, yet it is large next to the 324 diesel Chevettes sold in 1986. The 123 hp U.S. rating also shows how modest power remained even with a turbocharger, which is part of why diesel cars of the era were pitched on endurance and economy rather than speed.
4. Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel: Frugal From the Start
The 1.6-liter Rabbit Diesel arrived in the United States in 1978, and Hagerty’s buyer’s guide describes it as about 50 percent more fuel-efficient than the gasoline Rabbit.
That efficiency edge made the Rabbit an early answer to high fuel costs, and it reached showrooms the same year as the Oldsmobile diesel V8. The Rabbit is the first of several Volkswagen diesels on this list, though its story is about thrift rather than the later emissions scandal.
5. Chevrolet Chevette Diesel: The Rarest Diesel on the List
GM’s Isuzu-built 1.8-liter Chevette diesel made just 51 hp, and only 324 diesel Chevettes were sold in 1986 before the option was dropped for 1987.
The diesel was available only when paired with an Isuzu five-speed gearbox, which narrowed its appeal further. Its tiny sales total and modest output make it the long shot of this gallery, a reminder that not every diesel found buyers even from the largest American automaker.
6. Volkswagen Jetta TDI: At the Center of the Case
The EPA’s civil case covers about 590,000 model-year 2009-2016 diesel vehicles, and 2.0-liter cars including the 2009-2015 Jetta emitted up to 40 times the allowed nitrogen oxides.
That scope supplies the headline number of this gallery. The figure spans the wider Volkswagen group rather than a single badge, so the Jetta is one of several models caught up in the case, and it stands as a mainstream compact that buyers could have chosen for its fuel economy.
7. Volkswagen Golf TDI: Named in the Notice
The 2010-2015 Golf TDI was named in the Sept. 18, 2015 notice of violation that EPA issued over the defeat device, the software at the heart of the case.
The Justice Department complaint followed on Jan. 4, 2016. As an ordinary compact hatchback, the Golf TDI shows that the emissions problem reached everyday cars, not only niche or luxury models, and that the same 2.0-liter diesel engine family produced the up-to-40-times pollution finding.
8. Volkswagen Passat TDI: A Settlement Takes Effect
The 2012-2015 Passat TDI was among the 2.0-liter diesels EPA said emitted up to 40 times the standard.
Volkswagen’s multibillion-dollar settlement for those engines took effect Oct. 25, 2016. The Passat’s inclusion shows that the case reached beyond compacts into midsize family sedans, and the settlement date marks the point at which the dispute shifted from accusation toward remedy for owners of these cars. The 40-times figure applies to the 2.0-liter engines in the Passat, Jetta, Golf and A3 alike.
9. Audi A3 TDI: Audi’s Share of the Case
The 2010-2015 Audi A3 TDI carried the same 2.0-liter defeat device that EPA cited in 2015, placing the small Audi in the same enforcement action as its Volkswagen cousins.
Audi belongs to the Volkswagen group, so the A3 shows that the roughly 590,000-vehicle civil case was not limited to Volkswagen-badged cars. Buyers who chose the A3 TDI for its premium cabin and diesel economy ended up with a car covered by the same emissions allegations as a Jetta or Golf.
10. Chevrolet Cruze Diesel: The Compact From Detroit
The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel was rated 27 mpg city and 46 highway, with an EPA range of 515 miles and an MSRP listed at $17,520 to $24,985.
Those numbers come from Idaho National Laboratory’s vehicle database, a Department of Energy source. The page lists no horsepower figure, so the case for this American diesel compact rests on fuel economy and range, with the 515-mile figure standing out as its most practical selling point for long-distance drivers.
11. Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel: An $800 Million Fix
Fiat Chrysler agreed to an $800 million settlement over roughly 104,000 2014-2016 EcoDiesel Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500s, about $2,800 per owner on average.
Consumer Reports covered the deal, which paired payments with a fix for the affected vehicles. The Grand Cherokee was the SUV in that group, with the Ram 1500 pickup making up the rest, so the settlement extended the diesel emissions story beyond Volkswagen to another major automaker.
12. BMW 335d: The Quick Diesel
BMW’s 2009 335d put 265 hp and 425 lb-ft behind a 23 city and 33 highway mpg preliminary estimate, reaching 62 mph in 6.2 seconds.
Those figures come from a J.D. Power preview of the model, and the fuel economy numbers were only preliminary at the time. They close the list with a diesel built around performance rather than thrift, a sharp contrast with the 51 hp Chevette diesel, and a reminder that diesel cars sold in America ranged from barely adequate to genuinely quick.
Tech news in one quick read: Subscribe to TLDR →
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
More from Morning Overview
- Hybrids have 15% fewer problems than gas cars, while EVs and plug-in hybrids have about 80% more, Consumer Reports finds
- Regulators cleared the first U.S. small modular reactor, 4 months early
- Lake Powell sank to a record 3,517 feet, nearing the level that stops Glen Canyon Dam’s turbines
- Seven of Earth’s nine planetary boundaries are breached, and all seven are worsening
