In 2017, it looks like the king of the compact sedan market will be the Cruze diesel. Apart from being awesome in general, it has a price that will knock your socks off — in a good way. It’s able to provide top value for your dollar by having a stupidly low price and offering a boatload of features. On top of that, it’s a diesel powertrain and that means two things: more savings at the pump in the long-run, and even more value for your dollar. With the Chevy Cruze diesel variant, you can’t break $30k even with all the available packages and options.
Yeah, it’s that good.
Value So Good, It’s Almost Stupid
Let me put this into perspective for you. The average price of a new vehicle has been going up a lot lately. In 2016, that average price hovers around $32,000. But, even after adding everything onto the Cruze diesel, you still won’t even touch the average price of a new vehicle found in today’s market.
The starting MSRP? Chump change. $24,670. That’s it, and that’s already cheap to begin with for a diesel-powered vehicle. Especially one that’s expected to return up to 50 mpg on the highway. Even if the official EPA rating isn’t out yet, Chevy’s usually spot-on when it comes to their predictions. Plus, that starting MSRP is just too good to be true.
There’s only one trim level, and it’s based on the Cruze LT. So already, you’re starting out above the base-trim on the gas-powered model, netting you even more bang for your buck.
Features
It has all the same standard goodies (7-inch touchscreen, LED daytime running lights, six-speaker sound system, satellite radio, etc.) and even has the Convenience Package as a standard commodity, providing keyless entry, heated seats, and a power driver’s seat.
If you want more, you can add on a few other packages. Like the Leather Package (leather seats) for just over $1K, or a Sound/Sun/Confidence Package – which is a mash-up of two packages offered on the gas-powered model and adds features like an 8-inch touchscreen, Bose nine-speaker sound system, and even interior ambient lighting with a power sunroof. Rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are included in that package as well.
Want the optional automatic transmission instead of the manual one? That’s fine, because a fully-loaded Cruze diesel comes in at $29,950. There will be a hatchback coming, but not until 2018. Therefore, it’s important to remember this price is only for the 2017 sedan.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, you have everything you could possibly want and more from the Chevy Cruze diesel option, thanks to both its standard and available features. As far as add-ons, you can enhance your Cruze diesel with the confidence that doing so won’t break the bank. That predicted 50 mpg highway is going to help with savings in the long-run, and the fact that upgrading to a automatic transmission still doesn’t reach $30K on a diesel powertrain is extremely impressive.
The 2017 Cruze Diesel is definitely something to test drive, and no doubt a very rewarding ride.