Chevrolet recently announced that it was finally going to be making the hatchback version of their multi-awarded Chevrolet Cruze sedan available in the United States this year. While there has been a lot of excitement over the petrol variant of the new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback, new reports will likely make buyers hold on to their cash for the diesel version.

According to CNET, the new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback has now received its official certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The diesel variant of the highly-anticipated new mode is reportedly getting a staggering 52 miles per gallon on the highway. This is of course for the 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel version with a six-speed manual transmission.

Chevrolet previously claimed that it was targeting as much as 50 miles per gallon on the highway for the new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback diesel. It seems like the company was able to achieve that target, with a few miles to spare. With the new EPA rating, the well-equipped hatchback now has the highest EPA highway rating of any car in the United States that isn't a hybrid or an electric vehicle.

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback diesel even beats the Toyota Prius by 2 mpg on the highways. To put that into perspective the new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback diesel will be able to cover 702 miles in a full tank of gas. That's enough for a trip from New York to Detroit with miles to spare, as per a report from Auto Blog.

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback diesel is equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged in-line four diesel engine that churns out 137 horsepower and 240 pound feet of torque. The hatchback is also equipped with the latest in car tech including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and an LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. The vehicle also comes with a plethora of driving assist tech including lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, forward collision alert and other safety systems.

Chevrolet has yet to give a concrete release date for the new diesel variant. However, reports have pegged the release of the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback diesel to be sometime later this year as a 2018 model.

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