I'd stay away from the diesel. The 2nd gen diesel seems to be much improved from the 1st gen (which 1st gen owners now admit was just a big test to see which parts of the emission system needed beefed up for a large scale diesel rollout), but there are still a few problems. People reporting 70 mpg is tempting, but EGR is a ticking timebomb and the particulate filter regen cycle has some weird quirks on the 2nd gen.
The 1.4 is a brand new engine vs the 1.4 in the 1st gen, and in my opinion that's a good thing. I know the whole "Small Gasoline Engine" family (the 1.4 in the Cruze and the 1.5 in the Malibu) had some early issues with the pistons, but the engines overall appear to be a solid design. No sign that it will be plagued with the PCV issues that the old Family 0 1.4t is cursed with (100% of 1st gen Cruze's will eventually have a major PCV problem - it's that bad of a design).
Not sure if you care about such things, but I wouldn't buy a hatch model because they are built in Mexico while the Ohio factory that builds the sedan has plenty of excess capacity that could have been used on the hatch.
The lease deals on them are really good right now. Lots of good financing options too. I'd pull the trigger on one myself if I was ready for something new. Do not, I repeat, do not, pay sticker or close to sticker. You should be able to get a good deal, but don't let them try to upsell you into a Trax or Equinox.