# Prospective buyer questions -2018 6M Diesel Sedan



## joninPA (Feb 5, 2018)

good morning i may be buying a cruze diesel 6M and I had a few questions for you the forum goers. I am going to try and find one to test drive this week.

First a few reasons I'm considering cruze diesel 6 speed:
I drive about 30k miles per year (commuting and hiking/camping) so I'm looking for something with better MPG than I have now (Suzuki Sx4 AWD ~25 mpg). 90% of my driving is commuting/highway driving.
I am getting older and threw out my back a few times, so I and have trouble sitting down so low in my suzuki, looking for something with a bit higher seat height. 
I have been driving manual transmissions/diesels in other countries and really enjoy them. I am looking for my next vehicle to be manual/diesel.
My kids are getting older (teenagers) and I need to have some more backseat room. (we have a minivan for when we all go out, but for short drives/random times it's nice to fit normal size people in backseat). 


I have been lurking on the forum here for a week and reading lots of threads
1- does the 2018 diesel 6 speed sedan come with a spare tire? I saw one in the trunk of this video : https://youtu.be/UDnBIch7IDQ but i heard that with the DEF tank in the trunk there is no spare? Is this older generation? Anyone with a 2018 sedan can confirm a spare in the trunk?
2- What is MPG for those with hills? I can get 33 mpg with my suzuki on the highways of eastern PA, but when I have to travel off and go up and down the hilly farm roads my MPG average takes a hit down to 24-26. I don't do much "city" driving, but I do a lot of rural driving. 
3- How does the cruze do in the snow? Snow tires offered for it? Buy just 2 for the front or all 4? Or just stay home?
4- anyone have a gen 2 with over 100k miles on it? I drive cars into the ground, I can't have something that is kaput after 36k miles. It is hard to find the people who post when everything is fine, more often you find reviews of people who have huge problems, and they go to the internet to complain, or you find people who just bought a car and it's under 10k miles and they say how great everything is. I am not looking for something that will hold resale value that I can trade in, I need something that I can just drive. 
5- if someone would give you the exact $$ that you purchased your cruze for, would you buy it again? Or is there some hassle (DEF, engine codes, blinking lights, cold starts, manual not so great, not enough power, etc) that you would just avoid and go for something else?
6- does the hatchback really get worse mileage/ have poorer quality? ¿Hecho en mexico? I have seen the trend with a lot of american cars being from Mexico, whereas many "imports" are brought in parts and assembled in the US.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

joninPA said:


> 3- How does the cruze do in the snow? Snow tires offered for it? Buy just 2 for the front or all 4? Or just stay home?


Welcome Aboard!:welcome:

Definitely buy four tires. I have Blizzaks and they make a world of difference. I have an auto and usually start in 2nd gear in dry snow and sometimes 3rd in wet. I would think the manual would be similar.

FYI the 2016.5 and up are very similar, so you could look at those as well for general info.

Don't forget to introduce yourself and your Cruze [when you get it]here.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I don't know about the seat height. I wish the cruzes were higher. Lately I've been crawling out of my cruze. Only had it almost 5 months. 

Might do a comparison in mileage between the 6 speed and the 9 speed. The diesels are getting about 40% better then the gas models but i don't know which gets better. 6 or 9.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

snowwy66 said:


> I don't know about the seat height. I wish the cruzes were higher. Lately I've been crawling out of my cruze. Only had it almost 5 months.
> 
> Might do a comparison in mileage between the 6 speed and the 9 speed. The diesels are getting about 40% better then the gas models but i don't know which gets better. 6 or 9.


Is the 6 the manual and the 9 an auto? If so the auto will beat the manual all day.


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## rry3158652 (Jan 23, 2018)

New 2018 Cruze HB TD auto , I am avg 42 combined , in cold weather driving.
There’s a thread under gen2 service about someone having issues with there flywheel with the stick.


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## powermax (Jun 3, 2017)

2017 sedan diesel manual owner here roughly 15000 miles on it has been absolutely great. Have been averaging 51mpg during the summer and 45mpg during the winter with winter tires on. There is a spare tire the def tank is no longer there on on the Gen 2 diesel. They moved it to just beside the gas tank.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The hatchback does indeed get lower MPG as a combination of wheels and aerodynamics. The 6 spd hatchback comes standard with the RS package and 18" wheels. 

The 6 spd manual has the higher highway EPA rating compared to the 9AT.

The highest mileage Gen 2's will be gas. Don't think anyone here has taken the new 1.6 TD up there in mileage yet.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Your driving profile is perfect for diesel. The emissions systems are much happier out on the open road.

Former VW TDI diesel owner, now Gen 1 Chevy CTD. If I was given the $$ again I would for sure buy the Chevy. Much happier overall...better performance, easier to service. 

And yes the missing spare tire issue was only on the Gen 1 diesel. The Gen 2 DEF tank is smaller by a gallon or so but still provides thousands of miles between fills.

Good luck with your search.


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## Jacque8080 (Oct 31, 2017)

I have almost 2500 miles on a 2018 CTD. 0 problems. I've driven in 2 inches of snow on the oem tires without issue. 37.9 ownership MPG (includes lots of city driving). I would definitely buy it again for the same money or a little more.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Blasirl said:


> Is the 6 the manual and the 9 an auto? If so the auto will beat the manual all day.


I think the 9 is a new offering from chev. If you built to price on chev websight. You can pick either the 6 or the 9. Both auto's. Depending on the trim. 

I think the world would go in to a tailspin if they had to shift 9 gears. So i don't think there's a 9 manual.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> I think the 9 is a new offering from chev. If you built to price on chev websight. You can pick either the 6 or the 9. Both auto's. Depending on the trim.
> 
> I think the world would go in to a tailspin if they had to shift 9 gears. So i don't think there's a 9 manual.


6M or 9A for diesel only. 6A or 6M for gas trims. I suspect the 6A will be replaced at some point down the line, maybe 2019. It's an old transmission design (2007) with somewhat strangely spaced gears. Weirdly, the Equinox diesel with the same engine still uses the 6 speed auto.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

jblackburn said:


> 6M or 9A for diesel only. 6A or 6M for gas trims. I suspect the 6A will be replaced at some point down the line, maybe 2019. It's an old transmission design (2007) with somewhat strangely spaced gears. Weirdly, the Equinox diesel with the same engine still uses the 6 speed auto.


6A for diesel also. I"m looking at the websight as i type this to confirm. There's defenitly 3 transmission choices. For the 18 model.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> 6A for diesel also. I"m looking at the websight as i type this to confirm. There's defenitly 3 transmission choices. For the 18 model.


Idk why they do it this way, but the diesel is its own trim even after you pick the engine. 6M/9A only.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

As to the seat height, getting in an out, it's not bad for a car, certainly easier than my Saturn, however it's still a car. I'd consider the Equinox Diesel if you want a higher seat, though that is Auto transmission only. I have both a manual and and Auto for the diesel Cruze, BOTH are getting about 42mpg in mixed highway/city driving. I really like manual.. but I have to say GM did an excellent job with the 9sp auto. I also have a Gen 1 Diesel. The new Auto drives much nicer, but I do like some aspects of the Gen 1, though over all the Gen 2 is an improvement. I think most of your other questions were addressed in prior posts.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

Yes, you are correct in saying there are 3 transmission choices for the 2018 Cruze: 6A, 9A, and 6M ... _BUT_ as Jblackburn has already stated, *the 2018 Diesel comes with either a 9A or 6M, according to the Chevrolet website. Those are the only 2 transmission choices for the 2018 Diesel variant.* If you look at the gas burner, then yes, there's a 6A available as well (the 9A is not an option for the gas burner for 2018). If you see a 6A for a Diesel, you must be looking at a 2014 or 2015 MY ... cuz they simply don't exist for the 2018 MY. You can go to this website and compare cars side-by-side too ... and discover that there is NO option for a 6A on the Diesel Cruze: https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

2018 Chevrolet Diesel Sedan. SELECTIONS. 6A 6M NINE A

The pic says it all. @spaycace @*jblackburn*


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> View attachment 253881
> 
> 
> 2018 Chevrolet Diesel Sedan. SELECTIONS. 6A 6M NINE A
> ...


Like I said, the diesel is its own trim. Not Premier. Not LS/LT. Its confusing but you're just reading it wrong. 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

:banghead: :banghead:


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> View attachment 253881
> 
> 
> 2018 Chevrolet Diesel Sedan. SELECTIONS. 6A 6M NINE A
> ...


You are again correct! The picture DOES say it all ... so if you look more closely, the Premier Automatic is a 6A, but is _*NOT*__* available with the Diesel engine, and if you look through all your choices on that page for DIESEL engine choices, you should see that there are only TWO transmissions available for the TURBODIESEL Cruze. Look again if you must, but trust me (and jblackburn) there are ONLY 2 transmissions available on the Diesel Cruze for 2018 ... the 6M or 9A. The 6A is for gas burning engines only.*_ When you look at the ENGINE SIZE available on the trim levels, if you see a 1.4, that's the gas burner ... if you see 1.6, that's the Diesel ... Yes, it's confusing how GM makes you build the car, but it is what it is and when you go to a dealership to order a 2018 Diesel Cruze with a 6-speed Automatic, let us know how that works out for you. If you don't see the word Diesel in the description, then it's a gas burning engine ... make sense? You have the choice of Diesel Sedan Automatic, Diesel Hatchback Automatic, Diesel Sedan Manual, or Diesel Hatchback Manual, Premier trim level is not a Diesel. We're just trying to help you out here ... I suggest you download the vehicle brochure and compare trim levels and available options on the back pages (pages 16, 25, and 26 actually). https://www.chevrolet.com/content/d...talog/02-pdf/2018-chevrolet-cruze-catalog.pdf


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Yep. Got it.


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

Glad we could help


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## joninPA (Feb 5, 2018)

ok thank you all.


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## Big M (Nov 25, 2017)

I have an 06 Jetta TDI and been driving diesels most of my life. I have 7K on my 2017 diesel LT that I bought with 1800 miles on it for 19K. real happy with the price and the car. real mileage for me in Florida is about 45 mpg and in Maryland in real cold got 38 to 42 mpg. Trips have been 52, 45.5, and 50 mpg in my 9 speed automatic. For me the tires are OK. Good torque and I can pass with no problems and run 80 with low rpms. handles good. technology package is nice and use it all the time. My (and many others here) big complaint are the single hologen projector lenses and no fog lights. I installed 35 watt HID and am in love with them. I ordered fog lights to improve side lighting. Note: backordered from factory for 6 weeks so far so that tells me the demand is great because people cant see that well at night. Road noise is what you would expect. I miss the size of the Altima that I traded in but I knew that going in. Trunk size could easily be increased by the factory if they wanted to. I definately would buy it again and very satisfied with the cost, economy, pick up, etc. Electric seats come with it and can be adjusted up. I plan to keep it and plan on getting a 100K mile extended warranty to let me sleep better at night. I trust the drivetrain but don't trust the electronics on any car. Hope this helps


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## car54 (Dec 24, 2017)

*2018 cruze diesel*

we own a 2017 cruze diesel 9 speed auto. while I understand that you a looking at the manual trans option, the one thing I really like about the 9 speed auto is auto stop/start feature when you are stopped in traffic or at a light. this is a real fuel saver and once you get used to it, it isn't a problem. with your back problems, the auto trans may also make sense. as far as fuel economy, haven't had a chance to drive in the hills, but my best 50miles is 57.9mpg. driving hwy at 60 to 70mph. 

take a long look at the room in the back seat of the cruze, its a well designed car but there not a lot of room back there. the diesel equinox should have more interior room.


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## jcountry (May 30, 2017)

car54 said:


> we own a 2017 cruze diesel 9 speed auto. while I understand that you a looking at the manual trans option, the one thing I really like about the 9 speed auto is auto stop/start feature when you are stopped in traffic or at a light. this is a real fuel saver and once you get used to it, it isn't a problem. with your back problems, the auto trans may also make sense. as far as fuel economy, haven't had a chance to drive in the hills, but my best 50miles is 57.9mpg. driving hwy at 60 to 70mph.
> 
> take a long look at the room in the back seat of the cruze, its a well designed car but there not a lot of room back there. the diesel equinox should have more interior room.


I didn’t think they were doing 5he auto start on the diesels. Sure seems like it would be rough on the system.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

jcountry said:


> I didn’t think they were doing 5he auto start on the diesels. Sure seems like it would be rough on the system.


I have a diesel auto that has auto stop start. Seems to work fine for us, it does help on MPG. I also have a manual. BOTH are getting about the same overall MPG, the auto would be slightly less if not for auto/stop/start in my estimation.

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