2018 Chevrolet Cruze RS Diesel Hatchback Reviewed - 52MPG 6MT!
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2018
- A sporty, compact hatchback with a diesel engine and a stick-shift? Can it possibly be any fun to drive? Ryan investigates. The Chevy Cruze Diesel Hatchback RS comes with a 4-cylinder turbo diesel putting out 240lbs-ft of torque and 137hp. Price as tested: ~$26,900
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This is more european than most cars in europe, diesel, hatchback, manual wtf
I just bought one of these. I like it so far! It has way more grip than I expected and is pretty fun on twisty roads. I was really surprised at how long that little thing hangs on, all with just zero drama. Brakes are strong and easily modulated. The diesel makes good torque but like all diesels, it's all boost, so sometimes it's a little flat footed in between gears. The interior is pretty nice and the seats were totally comfortable on a recent 600 mile day. Android auto is awesome! Google maps is better than any built-in nav system out there, plus easy access to Pandora, Spotify, etc.
I agree on the shifter. It's a little rubbery feeling, and the knob feels cheap, but I've never missed a shift and I've never wondered if I was in gear or not, so honestly I think I shouldn't complain. It's doing it's job.
I'm getting 39mpg overall so far and I drive like a maniac. My other car has a roll cage, so it's expected.
I dig it so far. Remember on the price, Chevy dealers typically discount like crazy, so expect to get one of these for ~22k in the real world.
+Sean Aron it’s great to hear feedback from an actual owner. Thanks for commenting!
Im thinking of getting one, but worried DEF fluid will freeze on me.
@@uglytruth4467 that wont happen
@drivingsports
You; Complains about a 4cyl diesel engine not being "sporty enough" but then, says "it's fine..it's fine".
Me: Make up your mind. Obviously, you don't know the intended use of these small, turbocharged diesel "Euro-inspired" cars. No one buys a Chevy Cruze and thinks to themselves..."hey, I've got a sporty car for racing through the mountain roads". Lol
Just wondering how the cruze is holding up ?
Fast forward to 2023 - this is the kind of car we need .
Thank you for the review! I am also one of the rare breeds in the US; love diesel, manuals, and hatchbacks, and driving sporty. Don't think there are other reviewers on youtube that review diesels like you do, i.e. taking a diesel hatch to the twisties. Keep up the great work!
I'm one of those rare breeds as well. I wasn't aware the Chevy Cruze is available with a diesel engine or as a hatchback. I have been thinking about replacing my 2003 VW Golf TDI and this looks like it might be a good option.
I drove 2k miles on a road trip and got 54.1 combined mpg earlier this month... love my 6-speed sedan :)
Would you recommend the diesel manual Cruze for a daily? Any reliability issues you have come across so far?
@@Angryeddie14 Yes, the DEF Tank heater is an issue as are the various NOx sensors that go bad.
My parents had a '79 Peugeot 504 Diesel. Slow, noisy, smelly but those seats were the best I have ever been in. So comfortable!
Different time, different car!!! Can't compare......
This really provides an example of the problem with downsizing. The 2.0 TDIs has the additional displacement giving them added useable torque across more of the rev range. Dropping to a 1.6L means it has to be more tightly optimized around a specific operating point. Still no replacement for displacement.
That said, it isn’t a GTI, so not expecting it to act like one. And even the VW shifters are notoriously rubbery. But glad to see that the chassis inherited some of GM’s recent focus on tight and balanced handling.
Would be curious to test drive one. Of course, that means finding a dealership that has a three-pedal car in stock, and not just a bunch of silver automatics. Seriously... dealer ordering managers have zero imagination anymore. Very hard to find better colors or stick shifts. This little Chevy has a very nice looking two-tone interior option (black/kalahari tan), yet every one I see for sale is plain, boring black. C’mon dealer guys... order a blue or red stick with a two tone interior. Just because someone is buying an economy car doesn’t mean it has to be flavorless.
You can be my best friend
The same engine achieves 160 horsepower with a twin-turbo configuration for Opel vehicles. I don't think the twin-turbos are necessary if you have a single turbo with VNT to spool it down low in the operating range. Emissions here in the USA is the cap on horsepower.
I have a volvo v50 1.6d 5mt and it is by no means a performance orianted car and i am by no means a performance orianted driver but it makes boost from about 1500 rpm and I prefer the shifter to the one in a bmw i drove
Drove a few of these when I worked at a Chevy dealership. Enjoyable to drive.
The best camera view is the one that shows you going through the screen options while the camera is outside of the car looking through the window from 5ft away. I loved that angle.
If I buy this I will buy a blue rs package diesel hatchback 9 spd auto with mods like...
1) cool air intake
2) twin turbo
3) catch can
4) intake manifold
5) turbo exhaust manifold
6) intercooler pipe
7) upgraded throttle body
8) piston rings
9) valve springs
10) air filter
11) probably a electric water pump
12) xpipes
13) down pipes
14) quattro exhaust tips
15) cams and headers
16) keep and also upgrade the stock turbo(1.6T)
17) apply some bolt ons on the twin turbos
18) black rims
19) rear bumper lip diffuser
20) front splitter
21) LED headlights
22) neon under glow lights
23) paint the spoiler black
Lol
I have the 2018 automatic gas sedan version of this car. I'm quite pleased with it.
Yes diesel hatchbacks can be fun! I own a BMW 1series 200hp, 300ftlb , 6 speed stick shift, RWD = great fun @ 40mpg. If you compare the standard US n/a petrol, 5 speed or CVT automatic, economy car e.g. Civic, Corolla or Galant to European diesel hatchbacks, the Euro cars are much more joy to drive! Unfortunately GM just sold their German development center which designed the compact platforms last year to PSA.
BMW, VW, MB, Porsche have all pulled out of diesel market. Jeep and Range Rover offer diesel options. This is the only option now for a "non-truck" passenger car diesel.
Great, no cheese review. Very enjoyable!
So glad to see a review on this particular vehicle, as I have a long commute and thought the sedan was just ok.. this might be a better choice -thanks👍
This was a honest good review I've never seen your review before but I could be biased as a 16 Cruze owner but I've been always saying this car is good as I have the 1.4 gas. I had a 1.6 Cruze TD as a rental it was fun with the 9 speed! I was always peeling out with the TQ.
Dig the perspective. Looks like a cool semi affordable diesel sedan/hatch
I love this car. I own a 2018 turbo diesel coupe Automatic. I had a 6 speed but it got annoying after a while. The auto comes with a 9 speed and I get on average city and hwy 42 to 45 mpg but hwy speed here range from 65 to 75 mph. This is my second one and I’m more than likely going to stick to this type of vehicle from now on. I usually drive about 80 to 120 miles per day and I fill up about every 5th day with a range from 500 to 530 depending on my driving. When my wife drives it she can get from 45 to 50 mpg.
I know its been three years, BUT this car last saw production in Jan 2019. It's gone, never to return. The problem with the recent diesel smog motors is the various sensors go bad and rapidly, particularly the NOx. The DEF tank heaters also go bad frequently.
Possibly the best overall hatchback being sold in the US. Getting my hands on a used RS 6MT HB as soon as I find a nice one.
I’ve been looking for a black rs diesel,manual, with the brown leather interior but it’s literally impossible
@@zack54991 cars.com has one for sale in the whole US. It's black but I think the interior is black.
It would be interesting to compare it to the original - Opel Astra. But since there is no Saturn in north america anymore...
Drives an economy car like a sports car and complains about it... Good review bro
That's actually not a bad idea. Make a daily driver sporty, so you don't need to spend an arm and leg on a sports car. But obviously, don't expect this to be a BUgatti.
Sees someone holding companies that are used to hiding their shitty build quality behind MPG figures, to any kind of standard, and complains about it. Good comment "bro."
Why was this car reviewed as if it were a hot hatch? It's just a 1.6L diesel economy car. Why wasn't there more focus on MPG, which is the main reason nearly anyone would buy this?
Because it’s an RS, which isn’t the budget trim level. It’s the “sporty” trim in the US.
On LA freeways I got a solid 47mpg (going briskly.) On the mountain road I had around 28mpg. Both excellent by any measure. -RD
Apparently you have never owned or driven a diesel.
Kita Actually, I have. Diesels have a dull throttle, a very narrow power band, and they aren't nearly as free revving. The torque is nice when you're in the power band, but they're dogs when out of it. Also, have driven many hot hatches, no small diesel car even comes close in performance.
Obviously you never drove diesels like that one in Chevy, with manual gearbox. That narrow band is where 90% of driving is and only weakness diesels have when compared to similar power gas engines is standing start and maybe top speed, everywhere else diesel will eat gas engines for dinner, higher the speed is more so. Same goes for the mpg.. Its not a hot hatch by no means but i rather drive diesel than small turbo gas engines any day..
Tesla guys sign out hearing this mileage 😛 .
I just went on a road trip with my 2014 Chev Cruz 1.8 with 6 speed manual transmission. I got 56 MPG and I think under ideal conditions I could get over 60 MPG. I will try again later. I am very sad that the public does not want this gas sipper anymore. Sales are down since they came out with the new ugly Cruz. The Hatchback looks not too bad, but GM is dropping the manual transmission in the next couple of years. Nobody gives a rip about fuel economy anymore. Give us a gas guzzling, bloated SUV or 4 wheel drive high nose pickup truck, so we can see who gets the worst fuel economy. GM says, "Happy to oblige!" So sad!
Keep doing the dirty job reviewing those overlooked cars that almost no one reviews
Wish i could have it in my country.
I got a manual gasser sedan cruze. Someday ill get one of these
Love the 6 speed transmission with the hatch back. I don't like the new sedans. Too many conflicting lines. I have a 2014 Cruz with 6 speed manual. No issues yet, but I just wish it had a close ratio transmission. The big jump into 2nd gear in mine is unfortunate. Please GM!!! Multi speed transmissions do not have to have a big jump into 2nd gear! Close ratios are so much more fun and fast to shift. I drive only manuals, and this jump into second gear is slow. Too bad. Wake up GM! Close ratio please, and I'll be getting one. Stick with the wide 2nd shift and sorry, nope.
GM is a basket case. CEO has no vision.
I am a loyal GM guy, but you are right, they are slipping badly. Their new cars have conflicting lines, and are ugly. And they wonder why sales are down. Some people will buy an ugly car if it has shiny new paint, but many are smarter than that. I have seen them uglify too many cars over the years, just for the sake of something new. So sad to see a good company throw it all away. New cars do NOT have to be ugly. I am a FORD hater, (Why? Google Ford and Hitler) but the new Fords are very nice to look at. GM needs to drag the Ford design engineers over to their side, or they are toast. I hope I don't need to hold my nose and buy a Ford.
Not a sports car. Just lug the hell out of it and be happy with 50mpg.
Does Blue DEF fluid freeze in cold climates dates?
Are you going to do a review about the 2019 version?
They don’t have one yet in the Pacific Northwest fleet. If they send one up, we’ll review it!
I have own a 2018 Cruze TD sedan and if I drive it 60 mph on cruise control I get 55 mpg. Mine is a 9 speed automatic. Hell of cool daily driver. If I drive 80 mph I get a solid 45 mpg.
I also love my 2018 TD Sedan! 6-speed manual though. Eat my dust, PRIUSES!
@@coldwavesf on the highway, nothing beats the Cruze sedan with LH7 diesel and 6 speed manual for fuel economy.
Has it been reliable?
@@highcountrypioneer3025 I too have a 2018 Cruze TD Manual and it's VERY reliable. I do alot of around town driving and highway driving on weekends. I was new to whole DPF/Regen thing so I bought a ScanGuage 2 so I could better monitor my Soot/Regen status due to the lack of any sort of LED or light on the instrument cluster. It's been solid and I haven't had any trouble... and, I got 650 miles on my last tank, drove from SF bay area to LA and did a mix of highway/town driving with long stretches of 70ish mph. I usually get 450ish - 550ish, depending on how I drive. I recommend using cruise control as much as possible to get high MPGs. Anyway, these Gen 2's are great!
@@coldwavesf thanks, what mpg did it get?
Wow... you guys are behind on diesel information!
I can only imagine when you discover most of these 1.6L diesel engines can be tuned with just some electronics to have +30bhp/60Nm with the same reliabilty and no black some.
Tuning your car would void your warranty. With diesels so expensive to fix, tunes would be stupid.
Pacheco just remove the tune before service. And again.. diesels are as expensive as gasoline to fix.
No, they aren't, not even close! One diesel injector costs more than a gas engine rebuild. A set of injectors costs more than an entire gas engine. And a complete fuel system failure could cost more than an entire gas car. A ULSD HPFP failure alone is about $10,000. If it damages your emissions system or cooling system, it could damage the engine, which would double the cost of a ULSD failure.
On a Volkswagen lol
Why is comparance only compared to foreign makes.?
Not biased at all!
I would love to know how many Cruise diesels Chevrolet has sold in the last two years. I doubt they are picking up many VW owners, and I suspect they keep it in the line just for CAFE numbers.
Why wouldn't they pick up VW TDI buyers? People who bought VW TDI, they bought it for the Diesel engine. If they wanted a gas engine, they would have chosen something else more reliable and cheaper to maintain. But, I would definitely like to know how many they sold. They probably sell better in Canada as Diesel is cheaper than gas and gas prices are higher than the USA.
I have one, 2017 Cruze diesel sedan, with 6 speed manual.
It looks like the previous Opel Astra
Can you do a driving review on the Gasoline manual?
No real point. It's been discontinued.
Whats the RPM in 5th and 6th gear?
Looking for something to cruise comfortably at 100-120 KM/H
Oleg S My 2014 Chev Cruz 1.8 with a 6 speed manual revs away too high at 120 KM/H. It is pushing close to 3,000 RPM at that speed. Even at 100 KM/H it is almost 2,500 RPM. I prefer a car to run around 2,100 RPM on the highway, but I guess GM is afraid that people would lug the engine, so they geared it lower. Too bad. I drive around town and up bridges in 6th gear. What a waste of a 6 speed ! GM engineers do not drive manual transmissions as daily drivers, and they really have no clue about good transmissions. The huge jump into 2nd gear is unfortunate as well. All modern manual 6 speeds should be evenly spaced and close ratio. Give us a taller top gear please ! GM are you listening?!!!
88,000 miles on mine, and it dropped a glow plug locking up the engine. Chevy's extended warranty doesn't cover glow plugs, so the won't pay to overhaul engine.
I like it
Any one have good experience with their Cruze diesels? I’m interested in getting one but I’m used to reliable Toyota’s and Lexus, I don’t wanna be in and out of the dealer/mechanics
Seriously.. If Toyota made this they would kill the market for hesitant buyers who want yo buy from a reliable manufacturer.
Solid engine so far, no issues. I drive mixed city/highway, but mainly city. I have taken may road trips in it and haven't been let down once. Would recommend a way to view regens as they're happening or about to happen- for example, via the Scangauge II. When the soot gauge hits 100%, regen starts and I keep driving until it's done (if I have time, I jump on the freeway and burn ALL the soot!). 6 Speed Manual Trans, 20K miles. Check out Cruzetalk.com for more insight into the Cruze diesel - they have some sub forums which are pretty informational and useful.
They engine they use is from Fiat. It is a 1.6 multijet 2. The engine is pretty solid!
I wish that people would figure out that you don't have to hold the button down to start the car.
I was able to do 54.4 in my gas burner on a 50 mile average driving around Memphis TN
At what speed? How reliable has it been and how many miles are on it?
@@highcountrypioneer3025 around 60mph not using cruise control. Has 25k miles now no issues whatsoever. That was a 25 mile average. The car has averaged 39mpg over the 25k miles that we've put on it.
In europe its sold as Opel Astra
Hey Chevy made a pretty cool diesel gas saver, hatch back, with a stick-shift, AND they're releasing it in the US? No way! Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.... it's gone.
Opel never had good manual gearboxes, slow and long throws.. its more or less same thing as Opel in Europe..
I would love to swap the power train into a Suzuki SX4 AWD and retain the AWD .
peak torque by my budt-ometer? is telling me 3000-4000rpms? what the hell is he talking about? almost all diesels have peak torque at the low end very few are designed to have peak at the high end. peak torque should be half that. as per several article sources it should be around 2000 rpms without dyno wont know exactly but that's where about it should be.
They didnt sell well so they were discontinued
Too bad they stopped offering the manual trans in the 2019. :\
Yup, it looks like it's only now with the 9 speed automatic. Planned obsolescence. They want you to buy a new one after 100k miles.
Hell, 2019 is the last year for the car in the USA...
Honestly, If I were really looking for something economical but with a little bit of sport mixed in, I'd look at the Civic Sport. No expensive diesel fuel, no DEF, no expensive diesel emissions system to break, a better shifter, and less MPG on the sticker but only by 2 MPG combined, and it's thousands cheaper upfront than any diesel.
If you’re driving long distances, the diesel would have significant better MPG than the Civic. The new civic is great. So it’s really an embarrassment of riches in this class. -RD
Driving Sports TV you know diesel costs more, right? You pay more initially for the diesel engine, then again for maintenance, then again for diesel fuel
If you're talking about the Civic *Sport*, that actually recommends premium fuel (you won't get the same power or gas mileage at lower octane, it will at least run, though)... Premium gas is more expensive than diesel fuel just about anywhere in the world. Also, if you live in Silicon Valley as I did, diesel is often cheaper or at most the same price as regular 87 octane gas. Currently, I live in the Seattle area, and diesel is generally the same as 87 or at most more than 87 and cheaper than 89.
Obviously, they're popular in Europe, Africa and India where diesel is always cheaper than petrol and fuel is so expensive that even a 2 MPG advantage is a huge savings.
Yeah, if you're comparing, say, a Cruze Diesel vs. a conventional Civic here in the U.S., it's a bit more in favor of the Civic in terms of cost of ownership, though diesels generally depreciate less because the drivetrains are inherently tougher apples to apples. That said, the model he's testing is a manual and those depreciate more than automatics here in the states because Americans generally don't buy manuals (proving that they're inexcusably moronic), so it kind of cancels out. On the other hand, if you're comparing, say, a BMW diesel to a BMW petrol, then the diesel is far cheaper to own, depreciates less, cheaper fuel (BMW = premium only), and gets close to a 1.5x advantage on mileage.
Parashar Krishnamachari the mpg is done with regular. Not Premium. Good try though
I would love to know your source for that.
Instrumented tests are pretty much universally done at recommended/required grade... even for engines that are flexible across multiple grades and blends (as most are nowadays), the manufacturer reports only the highest results. It's impossible for higher grade fuel to yield worse results than lower (E85 notwithstanding as it is not really apples to apples). It is possible for them to be equal, but then the manufacturer would never recommend higher grades in the first place as such a test would prove it unnecessary.
Unfortunately, you won’t see 52 in the Hatch. The sedan gets the 52. You’d be lucky to get the 48 that the hatch is rated at. I own a gas powered Cruze Hatch, and it gets a horrendous 31mpg at 70mph. It’s an auto, because it’s a Premier. Which the premier only comes in an automatic.
I have achieved 53 on the highway in my 6spd Cruze hatch. Mind you I was doing 60mph in cruise control...but I did it in 81 miles..
Gregg Walmsley my 2001 Jetta GLS 5 Speed TDI gets 56mpg
31 mpg horrendous? Try 3.1 lol
Plenty of people have gotten 60. Mpgomatic was mid to high 60s
Great point.... these diesels need lots of gears. Bette with automatic... more gears.
Not really. You buy the diesel Cruze for fuel economy, not gears. At 60 mph I get well over 65 mpg. The auto is about 5 mph less. When your on a long trip, going over mountain passes you never have to downshift..
@@dundonrl the beauty of torque
@@dundonrl Truth! I was driving back from Washington state to California and there are long stretches of mostly downhill, mountain driving and I got 56.1 mpg total on that drive. Pretty freaking amazing, imho.
@@coldwavesf Coming down Donner Pass, driving carefully I hit 99 mpg instant, 99 mpg average and 99 mpg best for 50 miles, it was cool! (Yes I took a picture)
Ima buy this and roll coal
Auto is junk anyway but on my 2011 manual was junk too they changed 6 transmission designs in a year.
26 f@#@#G thousand???? No thanks, I'll keep driving my 1999 TDI Bug for 1000$
These were all recalled and were supposed to be junked. How are you still driving this?
Navi Gator only the 2009-2018 were recalled the 1999-2006 are just fine I had a 2001 Jetta GLS TDI 5 speed with 383k still got 55MPG his 1999 Bug has the old reliable ALH 1.9
should put in a cvt transmission would eliminate power band issue
This a joke. my octavia VRS [ 09 ] stock 175bhp with 325ft torque. Mapped 215bhp 425ft torque.
Is this the European version of "with a few simple mods, my Foxbody Mustang can easily take that Ferrari / Lamborghini / Tesla"? Sounds like it.
It's a high fuel economy econobox. Your Octavia vrs is considered a "performance car" I used to have one before I immigrated from England. My Mustang would piss all over the newest Octavia vrs? Your point is?
@highcountrypioneer3025 Except the octavia is a family car with 600 litres of boot space.
Delete it!
I hate the fact it's made in Mexico.
America is going to be Mexico soon.
Be prepared to blow fuses
The 2018 diesel sedans were made in Lordstown, OH ;)
diesel is the future. Not electric
How the fuck is this a sports car some dumb shit it can do 0-60 in 8.2 seconds hahaha so fast
Too bad the hatch is made in Mexico and now they’re closing the plant in Ohio. No thanks
US is turning into Mexico, so what's the difference. Narco corrupt socialist state.
There’s no ‘Z’ in Diesel when you pronounce it..
He pronounced it perfectly fine, it’s not Dießel too..
And it still doesnt get as good of fuel mileage as a 2003 tdi
2003 doesn't have all the emissions crap the 2nd gen diesel Cruze has either.
$30k+ car and halogen only headlamps.... Slow, expensive, and plasticy. Get a civic hatch that get 38mpg and save yourself the misery
$26k as tested, actually.
Driving Sports TV fully loaded it is $26k? Even in non diesel?
Driving Sports TV it's 30k fully loaded. You really don't know anything do you?
If my Cruze got 38 mpg, I'd sell it..
@@swanblake 😂 civic he goes. And he said "as tested" Obviously English is your 5th language 😂👍
This review is such a joke
Why do all car reviews done from the perspective of "hitting the Twisties". What are you crotch I rocket wanabies? We don't all live on the California coast.
D.E.F. is nothing but problems!!! expensive problems that won't be relevant when cars where I live in Ontario won't need their emissions measured... like he said no smoke in these cars as it is... seems redundant to me.
MrPavlo25 cat piss can’t be good for the newer diesel 😂