Not long ago the word "diesel" was synonymous with loud, smelly, and unreliable vehicles in the United States. In fact, over the last several decades diesels had all but disappeared as an option for American passenger cars — becoming relegated to the lives of work trucks and heavy-duty pickups.
Throw in a recent fuel price crisis, mix it with a dramatic shift in regulatory policy, and today Americans are being reintroduced to diesels at an increasing pace — but these aren't your grandpa's diesels.
It's not as easy as you might like to determine if clean diesels will save you money in the long run, but you can be sure they will be solidly engineered, fun to drive, reliable, produce low emissions, and last you some time to come. Continue reading for a look at some of the best new diesel cars on the market, from most to least fuel efficient.
Notes: Fuel economy, annual fuel cost estimates and carbon emissions estimates reflect automatic transmission models and are reported as listed on fueleconomy.gov. Prices are also from automatic transmission models and reflect the lowest MSRP. Of course, equipment and option choices will be the final determining factor in price differential between the various gasoline and diesel counterparts; base prices may not reflect comparable options.
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