[obermd]

The first question is, what would happen if one tries to open other apps on the phone that's paired to the car that aren't Stitcher or Pandora? Would they work? Say I pull up the Accuradio app on my Iphone or the Iheart radio app on my android phone through either bluetooth or USB connection? Would I be able to hear the music through the cars speakers at all? Would I see the app's background pop up on the screen? Would I be able to operate the app through the touch screen /steering wheel controls, or at least through my phone, even if it doesn't show up on the cars touch screen?

I think the answer to this is dependent on your phone. My phone will play music and navigate in the background and the audio runs over Bluetooth to my 2012 ECO MT radio. It will also handle calls at the same time and then usually restart music after the call ends. Navigation continues to run to give me voice instructions and display updates even during the call. My phone definitely doesn't have the horsepower or protocol support to extend it's screen and touch interface across bluetooth, but I expect phones with this ability may become available during the expected lifespan of the 2013 Cruze.

I remember one of the biggest gripes about the early iPhones was that they flat out couldn't do this. An application had be in foreground to be operating. I don't know about the newer iPhone models since I am "allergic" to Apple.