Diesel cars may keep a lower profile than hybrids or battery-electrics, but they're a good option for drivers looking to reliably save fuel. Many efficiency-focused gasoline cars and some hybrids have achieved stellar window-sticker fuel-economy ratings, only to fall short in the real world. DON'T MISS: 2015 Pickup Truck Fuel Economy: Ford Vs Ram Vs Chevy, Who's Best? Diesels generally don't have that problem. In fact, they've been known to exceed EPA-rated highway figures in regular driving. Thanks to mandated particulate filters and urea injection, today's diesels are also much cleaner than the soot-spewing models many American drivers remember from decades ago. Below is the Green Car Reports guide to every 2015 and 2016 model-year diesel car and truck on sale in the U.S., with full powertrain specs and fuel economy for each. The Volkswagen Group is very enthusiastic about diesels, something that's immediately apparent from looking at the lineup of its luxury Audi brand. Starting from the bottom, the 2015 Audi A3 TDI features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 150 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.

Diesel cars may keep a lower profile than hybrids or battery-electrics, but they're a good option for drivers looking to reliably save fuel. Many efficiency-focused gasoline cars and some hybrids have achieved stellar window-sticker fuel-economy ratings, only to fall short in the real world. DON'T MISS: 2015 Pickup Truck Fuel Economy: Ford Vs Ram Vs Chevy, Who's Best? Diesels generally don't have that problem. In fact, they've been known to exceed EPA-rated highway figures in regular driving. Thanks to mandated particulate filters and urea injection, today's diesels are also much cleaner than the soot-spewing models many American drivers remember from decades ago. Below is the Green Car Reports guide to every 2015 and 2016 model-year diesel car and truck on sale in the U.S., with full powertrain specs and fuel economy for each. The Volkswagen Group is very enthusiastic about diesels, something that's immediately apparent from looking at the lineup of its luxury Audi brand. Starting from the bottom, the 2015 Audi A3 TDI features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 150 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.

A six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are mandatory with the diesel, which gets an EPA-rated 36 mpg combined (31 mpg city, 43 mpg highway). Next up are the mechanically-similar A6 TDI and A7 TDI, both of which use a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft. Both models are offered solely with an eight-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive, and get the same 29 mpg combined (24 mpg city, 38 mpg highway). The Q5 and Q7 SUVs share the six-cylinder powertrain as well, although the Q7 is only rated at 406 lb-ft of torque. They return 27 mpg combined (24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway) and 22 mpg combined (19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway), respectively. SEE ALSO: Audi Q7 e-Tron Plug-In Hybrid Will Be Gasoline, Not Diesel, For U.S. Note that an all-new Q7 TDI is due for the 2016 model year, with an upgraded 3.0-liter V-6 expected to produce 272 hp and 443 lb-ft. The Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid variant will feature a diesel engine, although recent reports claim the U.S.

BMW offers a wide array of diesels, including three sizes of sedan, two sizes of SUV, and even a station wagon. That last model is the 328d Sports Wagon which, along with the 328d sedan, uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 180 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. The sedan is available with either rear-wheel drive or xDrive all-wheel drive, while the wagon is all-wheel drive only. An eight-speed automatic is mandatory on all models. The rear-wheel drive 328d sedan returns 37 mpg combined (32 mpg city, 45 mpg highway), while the all-wheel drive sedan and wagon return 35 mpg combined (31 mpg city, 43 mpg highway). The former gets 30 mpg combined (26 mpg city, 38 mpg highway), while the latter loses 1 mpg in the highway category. There's also a larger 740Ld xDrive that uses the same powertrain as the 535d xDrive, with mileage reduced to 26 mpg combined (23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway). In addition, diesel versions of the X3 and X5 SUVs share powertrains with the 3 Series and 5 series respectively. All-wheel drive is mandatory for both.

The 2015 X3 xDrive 28d is rated at 30 mpg combined (27 mpg city, 34 mpg highway), while the X5 xDrive 35d is rated at 27 mpg combined (24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway). General Motors is the only U.S. Volkswagen in the entry-level diesel field, with the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. The Cruze features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 151 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque, and drive the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. EPA-rated fuel economy for the small Chevy is 33 mpg combined (27 mpg city, 46 mpg highway). Like the Cruze, the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel is the only offering in its class from a U.S. Behind the Jeep badge is a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 borrowed from parent company Fiat. It produces 240 hp and 420 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic is the only available transmission, but the Grand Cherokee can be had with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.