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<\/p>\n<\/div>By hitting the market months (or could that be years?) ahead of Tesla\u2019s ballyhooed Model 3 sedan, the battery-powered 2017 Chevy Bolt hatchback is stealing the Silicon Valley maker\u2019s thunder on plans for electric domination. Like the Model 3, the Bolt promises 200-mile plus range, a roomy interior package \u2013 but will hit showrooms in December.<\/p>\n
No wonder there\u2019s a strut in young Bolt\u2019s step.<\/p>\n
While Chevrolet hypes the debut of its EV wunderkind, it\u2019s also rolling out a hatchback version of its Chevy Cruze sedan. Our government betters tell us the Bolt and Model 3 are proof the world is going electric. Hatches like the Cruze are a bracing reminder why carbon-burners are still America\u2019s top-selling vehicles.<\/p>\n
Merging onto Interstate 94 in St. Clair Shores this week, I flattened the little Chevy\u2019s right pedal and the turbocharged 1.4-liter mill eagerly answered the call with quiet aggression. This four-banger is not a noisy gerbil wheel. Credit the whispery turbo, but also the Cruze\u2019s least-in-class interior noise. Engineering manager Seth Valentine and his team spent hours stuffing chassis leaks to make the Cruze library-quiet.<\/p>\n
Cruze\u2019s turbo-riffic 240 pound-feet of torque nearly matches the Bolt\u2019s electric 260. Acceleration is respectable as well: 7.6 seconds from 0-60 (the Bolt should be sub-7); that\u2019s because the Cruze weighs just 2,932 pounds compared to the EV\u2019s 3,580.<\/p>\n
Lithium-ion batteries are heavy. And expensive.<\/p>\n
The Cruze hatch matches the roomy EV (look, ma, no drivetrain tunnel!)<\/em> in passenger volume \u2013 93.5 to 94 cubic feet \u2013 but, with a longer, 106-inch wheelbase, offers almost six more cubic feet of cargo volume behind the rear seat (22.7 vs. 16.9). The Chevy siblings are similar inside and out \u2013 the Bolt techier, the Cruze sexier \u2013 and come in LT and Premier trims with standard connectivity and nifty accessories.<\/p>\n Yet the bigger Cruze hatch offers all this for just $22,130 \u2013 that\u2019s $15,000 less than the Bolt.<\/p>\n Sure, the Bolt will lop off $7,500 of its $37,495 price tag with a federal tax credit, but that only lasts until Chevy sells 200,000 of them. The Bolt\u2019s landmark, range-anxiety-busting 238-mile range promises to expand the EV buyer demographic beyond the usual tree-huggers \u2013 but the sticker shock will drive many away. As will the Cruze\u2019s sippy, 37 mpg-highway engine. Want more? A diesel in 2018 promises 50 mpg highway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bolt will be a second \u2013 or third \u2013 car option for older, upper-income Boomers,\u201d says Joe Phillippi, an analyst with Auto Trends Consulting. \u201cLower-income millennials won\u2019t even go there.\u201d Boomers may trade the lease on their Buick Encore or Audi A3 for the Bolt. The Cruze hatchback will be millennials\u2019 primary transportation.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a knock on the terrific Bolt EV so much as a testament to the best value proposition around: The sippy, zippy compact hatch.<\/p>\n The hatchback\u2019s versatility has carved out a 300,000-unit market (nearly the total sales of all EVs last year) in the U.S. with the Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf hatchback leading the way. Cruze wants a piece of the pie. Welcome back, Chevy, after a long time away.<\/p>\n I\u2019d prefer a more squared-off roof line like the Golf or Mazda in order to complement the hatch\u2019s inherent advantage \u2013 better rear head and cargo room. But Cruze\u2019s curvy, sexy behind has a purpose \u2013 to make you forget about Chevy\u2019s vanilla design past. Cruze\u2019s face is forgettable, but, like cousin Malibu, it\u2019s got a nice tush.<\/p>\n Speaking of tushes, solid-rear axle suspension in the Cruze hatch is no match in at-the-limit handling for the multi-link outfitted Focus, Mazda3 and Golf. But true to its compact class, it\u2019s still a blast to whip around when the moon is full. Slip inside and the Cruze is a comfy office with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, console cubbies, intuitive gauges and knobs, competitive legroom.<\/p>\n Quibbles are few \u2013 but notable. The weird cloth inserts \u2013 a dash rug? \u2013 on an otherwise fluid design screams \u201clong-term liability.\u201d Like carpets, they\u2019re ripe for stains, frayed threads and scuffing. I prefer the Premier model with its tidier leatherette inserts.<\/p>\n Trouble is, the loaded Premier I tested came in at a pricey $29,435. That\u2019s still less than an entry-level Bolt minus federal welfare \u2013 but a grand more expensive than the first-team VW Golf GTI Sport in my driveway. At 0-60 in 6.1 seconds it will bloody the Cruze in the performance ring while matching its interior refinement.<\/p>\n Like I said, the hatch market is one tough neighborhood.<\/p>\n Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/p>\n 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback<\/strong><\/p>\n specifications<\/strong><\/p>\n DRIVE FIVE-PASSENGER HATCHBACK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n automatic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Premier as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n top speed: 132 mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \/35 mpg combined (automatic Premier as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n report card<\/strong><\/p>\n Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By hitting the market months (or could that be years?) ahead of Tesla\u2019s ballyhooed Model 3 sedan, the battery-powered 2017 Chevy Bolt hatchback is stealing the Silicon Valley maker\u2019s thunder on plans for electric domination. Like the Model 3, the Bolt promises 200-mile plus range, a roomy interior package \u2013 but will hit showrooms in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19420,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19419\/revisions\/19420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n
\n VEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\n FRONT-ENGINE, FRONT-WHEEL<\/p>\n \n Power plant<\/strong><\/td>\n 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Transmission<\/strong><\/td>\n 6-speed manual or 6-speed,<\/p>\n \n Weight<\/strong><\/td>\n 2,932 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Price<\/strong><\/td>\n $22,130 base ($29,435<\/p>\n \n Power<\/strong><\/td>\n 170 horsepower, 177 pound-feet torque<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n 0-60 mph, 7.6 seconds (Car and Driver);<\/p>\n \n Fuel economy<\/strong><\/td>\n EPA 30 mpg city\/40 mpg highway<\/p>\n \n\n
\n HIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\n THE HATCH IS BACK: TURBO-RIFFIC TORQUE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Lows<\/strong><\/td>\n Best Cruze looks yet – still short of Focus; solid rear axle limits performance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n