# Driving The Cruze Hatch!



## elegant (Jan 6, 2011)

This car is fun to drive. Drove it on the mini-track at SEMA. Disclaimers: It was a '17 automatic, gas powered hatch -- whereas I am waiting for the '18 manual trans, diesel version hatch.

The hatch is fun to drive! Definitely the second generation Cruze is far better handling one than my 2012 Cruze Eco Manual, (which I love but is not exactly a "driver's car"). 


But you are not interested in my driving impression when I can share the driving impression of a great track driver, my friend Rick Malone who is the Chief Instructor of Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch (the track 60 miles outside of Las Vegas) where GM and SMRR have teamed up to offer for 2014+ Corvette and CTS-V owners' track days).


Rick, who not only instructs but who has tens of thousands of miles of track experience, and who normally drives and helps GM evaluate the latest hot Corvettes and Cadillac CTS-V's, got a chance to drive the 2017 gas, auto-trans, BlueLine concept hatch at his track this Monday. Please see the following separate thread for the BlueLine Cruze hatch components: 


http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/418-...182546-cruze-hatch-pics-sema.html#post2628058


Please note that while that car is still labeled as a concept, the fact that GM has already assigned part numbers and prices to many of its components, means that they will soon be ordered from your local dealership and may (repeat may), be available as a upcoming complete, for sale to us customers, as a complete Cruze BlueLine concept package.


As he said to me regarding his Monday experience, having just gotten out of 460+ new Corvettes, this Cruze hatch so equipped "is an auto cross natural." He added, "it is fun to drive on the track!"


And while I am not at liberty to share which of those components will be found either as part of the standard 2018 Cruze diesel components or as optional GM accessories,, I can say that we should not be surprised if more than one or two make it to the diesel, either exactly as they are on the BlueLine hatch, or most likely somewhat modified. One thing for sure, is that the new Cruze diesel hatch will be oriented for not just economical, but also for fun driving.


As one of this forum's administrators separately and so accurately posted, what we do not yet know is the specific 2018 diesel options, and/or package-components, that will make it to the production version. As one example, might it allow manual-trans buyers hatch buyers to get leather??? We will not know for a while, but perhaps as soon as 65 days from now at this coming January's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).


I can't wait to see if we learn more there, and am excited about getting a 2018 Cruze diesel, manual-trans, hatch to replace our truly wonderful, 40+ MPG 60,000 mile 2012 Cruze Eco.


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