2019 Jaguar XF 20d
$51,465 | 31/42 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.2/10
If you’re looking for a luxury midsize car with a diesel engine, your choices are limited to exactly one: the 2019 Jaguar XF with an optional 180-horsepower turbo diesel. It’s available with both the Premium and Prestige trims for an additional $1,500 over those base prices.
The XF already has some of the best fuel economy estimates in the class, and the diesel engine is even more efficient. The Jaguar SUV’s 31 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway are nearly the best mileage estimates on this list.
The interior of the XF is roomy and luxurious, but rivals have an even more upscale design and feel. The XF also lacks the smartphone connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that many others include as standard.
2019 Land Rover Discovery
$54,950 | 21/26 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.5/10
You can add a turbo diesel engine to any trim level of the 2019 Land Rover Discovery for $2,000. The base gasoline engine turns in terrible fuel economy numbers, but the diesel turns that around. Its estimated 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway is one of the highest estimates for luxury midsize SUVs.
The Discovery has a luxurious interior with quite a few standard infotainment and safety features, including a Wi-Fi hot spot, 10-inch touch screen, rear cross traffic alert, and low-speed automatic emergency braking. But all of this luxury and technology can also head off-road on a whim with features like the Terrain Response system.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover
$91,160 | 22/28 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.6/10
A turbo diesel engine can be added to either the base or HSE trim of the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover for $2,000. Choosing that option bumps up the fuel economy of this large luxury SUV to 22 mpg city and 28 mpg highway.
The Range Rover can do just about anything. Its interior is spacious and refined enough to comfortably ferry adults in both rows. But it can still power through muddy ruts and down a steep incline if the mood should strike.
You will pay for all of this luxury and capability, with a diesel-equipped model starting at nearly $100,000. That’s almost four times the price of the least expensive vehicle on this list.
2019 GMC Terrain
$31,800 | 28/39 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.7/10
You can choose a turbo diesel engine for the 2019 GMC Terrain SLE and SLT trims, which are in the middle of the lineup. It delivers improved fuel economy at an estimated 28 mpg city and 39 mpg highway, but it also has 240 pound-feet of torque for quick acceleration.
When you opt for the diesel engine, a few other upgrades come along for the ride. In the SLE, things like heated front seats and a power liftgate are included. In the SLT trim, the Preferred package comes standard and includes a heated steering wheel.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
$70,500 | 22/28 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.7/10
A diesel engine is available in the SE and HSE trims of the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport for $2,000. With this engine, the fuel economy estimates rise from the bottom of the luxury midsize SUV class to close to the top at 22 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. It also offers a massive 443 pound-feet of torque, which allows it to tow up to 7,716 pounds. The Range Rover Sport, like other Land Rovers, is also an off-road beast.
Many luxury features, like leather upholstery and dual 10-inch touch screens, are standard. But some features that you might expect to be standard at this price point are options, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
2019 Chevrolet Equinox
$29,600 | 28/39 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.9/10
The 2019 Chevy Equinox LT is the only trim with the diesel engine, a $2,400 option. The Equinox already has great mileage estimates with the base gasoline engine. Choosing the turbo diesel, though, improves the fuel economy to 28 mpg city and 39 mpg highway.
The interior of the Equinox can feel a little more downmarket than some of its midsize SUV rivals, but it comes with more standard features than some of the luxury SUVs on this list. Smartphone connectivity and a Wi-Fi hot spot are included, and the LT trim adds satellite radio.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar
$56,200 | 26/30 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.9/10
There are a variety of trim levels for the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar, but only the S has the available turbo diesel engine. It bumps up the fuel economy estimates a bit as well, to 26 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. That’s not much higher than the base gasoline engine, but it’s enough to save about $500 a year in fuel costs, according to the EPA.
The Range Rover Velar is one of the best in the Land Rover lineup, blending true off-road capability with luxurious interiors. The Velar S includes upgrades like perforated leather upholstery, navigation, and a hands-free liftgate. Several safety tech features, like lane keep assist and traffic sign recognition, are standard. However, some infotainment features, such as smartphone connectivity, are still optional.
2019 Jaguar F-Pace
$48,500 | 26/33 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.9/10
You can add the turbo diesel engine to either the Premium or Prestige trim of the 2019 Jaguar F-Pace for $1,500. We like the Prestige for being in the sweet spot for the F-Pace: it has a turbo diesel engine with 180 horsepower and an estimated fuel economy of 26 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, plus a lot of the extra features drivers like.
The Premium trim has niceties like power folding mirrors and a garage door opener, but the Prestige trim adds leather upholstery, smartphone connectivity, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and more. Its interior isn’t as stylish as some of its compact luxury SUV rivals, but it does have more cargo space.
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee
$38,945 | 21/28 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 7.9/10
If you’re hoping to put a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a diesel engine in your driveway, act fast. The 2020 model will not have a diesel engine option. But for this year, the 240-horsepower V6 turbo diesel is available for three trim levels: Limited, Overland, and Summit. It boosts fuel economy of 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, which is among the best in its class. It also can tow up to 7,400 pounds.
The Grand Cherokee is, like its Jeep siblings, very capable off-road. The Limited trim adds creature comforts too, like heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and power liftgate.
2019 Chevy Cruze Diesel
$25,620 | 31/48 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 8.2/10
The 2019 Chevy Cruze is the only compact car on this list, and is the least expensive by thousands of dollars. The Cruze diesel is its own trim level, and it does add more than $7,000 to the base price. But the estimated fuel economy of this 137-horsepower turbo diesel blows others on this list away, at 31 mpg city and 48 mpg highway.
The Cruze diesel does have more standard features besides the engine. Push-button start, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, and heated front seats all come with this trim. After reading all the amenities of the more luxurious vehicles on this list, that can seem bare-bones. But, for just over $25,000 and nearly 50 mpg on the highway, this is a thrifty little car with a higher overall rating than almost every other vehicle on the list.
2019 Mazda CX-5
$41,000 | 28/31 mpg city/hwy | USN Overall Score: 8.6/10
The 2019 Mazda CX-5 is already one of our highest-ranked compact SUVs in our rankings. So it isn’t so surprising that, with the addition of a 168-horsepower turbo diesel to the lineup, it would find itself at the top of this list too. Interestingly, the diesel engine’s estimated mileage of 28 mpg city and 31 mpg highway is similar to EPA estimates for the base engine, which are average for this class.
The turbo diesel is only available as an option for the CX-5 Signature, which sits at the very top of the trim tree. With the diesel, this trim is $16,000 more expensive than the base model. But you get nearly every bell and whistle available, including all-wheel drive, Nappa leather upholstery, smartphone connectivity, heated and ventilated front seats, a 360-degree parking camera, and traffic sign recognition.
More Shopping Tools from U.S. News & World Report
If you’d like to see how each of these vehicles stacks up against their closest competition, check out our new car rankings. If you’re interested in researching more fuel-efficient models, you can start with our hybrid and electric car rankings.
When you’re ready for your new car, truck, or SUV, use our Best Price Program to find the best price on any diesel vehicle near you. Shoppers who use the program save an average of more than $3,000 off their new vehicle.
Best Diesel Cars and SUVs of 2019
- 2019 Jaguar XF 20d
- 2019 Land Rover Discovery
- 2019 Land Rover Range Rover
- 2019 GMC Terrain
- 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
- 2019 Chevrolet Equinox
- 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar
- 2019 Jaguar F-Pace
- 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 2019 Chevy Cruze Diesel
- 2019 Mazda CX-5
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A Dozen Diesels for 2019 and Beyond
Diesel engines have never been as popular in the United States as they have been globally. It’s challenging to create a diesel powerplant that is both very efficient and very clean. And of course we’re still feeling the fallout of manufacturers’ attempts to shortcut that challenge several years ago. Diesel engines also provide much more torque than typical gasoline engines.
But there are diesel-powered vehicles out there, and they’re not all heavy-duty pickups. There are a dozen cars and SUVs on this list that are available with turbo diesel engines. Some manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have decided not to sell diesels at all in the U.S. Others, like Jaguar and Land Rover, are adding diesels to more vehicles. A few other brands, like Chevrolet, Jeep, and even Mazda, are testing the diesel waters.
In most cases, a diesel engine will add a couple thousand dollars to the MSRP. It’s also often the case that the diesel is only available with a couple of trim levels. This slideshow highlights the most affordable diesel option for each model, including the trim level price and any fee for adding the diesel. We’ve also listed the EPA fuel economy estimates and U.S. News overall score for each vehicle.
Remember that the scores listed in the following slides were correct at the time of writing. Our rankings are constantly changing, so be sure to check out each vehicle’s review to get the most up to date scores.
Read on to see the best diesel cars and SUVs of 2019.