Cruze LS Test Drive

[Mike The Canadian]

Well as a part of the autoshow GM was handing out brochures to take to the dealership to get 25 dollars in free gas and to test drive a Cruze.

The heater core hoses in my Malibu were rotting out so I had to pass by the dealership anyway to pick up a couple of new ones.

I got into a blue Cruze LS.

The First thing I notice is plenty of interior space; much different than the last compact GM car I drove.

My brother owns a Cavalier, and when I enter that car I'm touching the dashboard with my knees, the steering wheel etc etc (Its cramped!).

This car felt much roomier, no intrusions from the dash, door, wheel etc. Outward visibility was great.

The car came with power windows and automatic headlights; however, no power mirrors. This was one of my gripes; however its not exactly a high charge option.

I pull out of the dealership and one of the first things I notice is the usual thud thud over the bumps is now a more refined sounding and feeling thump thump.

The ride was firm yet smooth. The dealer encouraged me to push the envelope with respect to the handling limits of the car throughout the test drive.

The car held corners great with minimal body roll; I especially loved the control over bumps on the curve; I wouldn't DARE try those things in the Malibu.

The ride was very quiet throughout the entire trip; I certainly felt like I was driving a much more expensive car. Everything in the dash was laid out thoughtfully and easy to reach.

The dash was of high quality and the fit and finish was superb. Steering feel was great throughout the entire drive at all speeds.

I was a bit disappointed that the car was sitting at around 2500 RPM's at a mere 110 km/h; the Malibu sits around 1900 RPM's at this speed; I figured with a 6 speed it shouldn't be this high.

The average mileage read out was also 9.1 L/100 km; the salesman assured me that the car starts from 99 and then works its way down. I attributed it to winter + not being broken in as well personally. That, and I wasn't necessarily to kind to the car as far as driving habits; doubt the other drivers were any better (although I never reached WOT).

This was a great car and I would be happy to own one; it felt like I was in a much more expensive car than I was.

My only gripe was the 1.8; I would have liked to have driven the 1.4 but that's not part of the test drive deal.

The 1.8 under regular driving conditions is completely adequate; it never felt bad in and around town just driving normally.

However when the salesman told me I could have at it, I buried the foot to around 1/2 or 3/4..I was very unimpressed.

It felt breathless; the car certainly felt like it was more powerful than it is under normal driving conditions.

When you get on it is when you realize how gutless the car really is. The 2.2 Ecotec is certainly more powerful, and it was certainly a far-cry form my Malibu.

However the Corolla and civic aren't any better in base form and it will be competent enough for most drivers.

People mention transmission "weirdness" with this car. I didn't really witness or experience anything that would turn me off of the car. There were times when slowing down to a stop where there was a weird "lull" as it downshifted; however nothing to turn me off of the car or think that something is wrong (maybe its because I've driven the Sebring and know what a real bad transmission really is?).

The response from the transmission was also more than quick enough for me when I wanted to accelerate.

Overall a great car and a good entry into the segment from GM. I was very impressed.

I took the same route with my Malibu on the way home. I probably took the highway on ramp at half the speed and was able to merge at 120 km/h at about the same throttle positions in my Bu.

The 3100 quickly roared into action and brought me up to a nice speed which made me smile and be happy to be back in the Malibu. However as she shifted into overdrive and the engine quieted down, I was now missing the quiet refined space known as the Cruze interior.

The autoshow brochure with the free gas and test drive is a great way to get people into showrooms. It's certainly great because who doesn't like free gas? People are motivated to stop by and go for a drive.

[ocnblu]

Nice, honest review, Mike, of a very low-key, worry-free automobile.

[regfootball]

new paradigm......this is a 'base' car. Chevy should add cruise and power windows. To be honest at least with the manual to me the 1.8 didn't seem too anemic but certainly with the auto I could see how it might not be up to snuff.

Cruze 1.8 is an 'it is what it is when it is' kind of car. New era, 4 bucks US gas, this may be what is being forced on us, aside from performance it may be what most folks will be put into and find 'the norm'.

Generally the Cruze is well sorted out and the interior is a nice place to be. Overall despite folklore a Chevy especially in this class will be solid over time and won't break your pocketbook.

Nice review. Remember just how average to below the rest of the competition is in this field, except some of the newest competitors. To a lot of folks out there, the Cruze will feel like a luxury car compared to what they drive now.

Edited February 27, 2011 by regfootball

[Mike The Canadian]

Nice, honest review, Mike, of a very low-key, worry-free automobile.

Thanks!

new paradigm......this is a 'base' car. Chevy should add cruise and power windows. To be honest at least with the manual to me the 1.8 didn't seem too anemic but certainly with the auto I could see how it might not be up to snuff.

Cruze 1.8 is an 'it is what it is when it is' kind of car. New era, 4 bucks US gas, this may be what is being forced on us, aside from performance it may be what most folks will be put into and find 'the norm'.

Generally the Cruze is well sorted out and the interior is a nice place to be. Overall despite folklore a Chevy especially in this class will be solid over time and won't break your pocketbook.

Nice review. Remember just how average to below the rest of the competition is in this field, except some of the newest competitors. To a lot of folks out there, the Cruze will feel like a luxury car compared to what they drive now.

For a base car I was pleasantly surprised with the options; I had no idea how little the base Corolla comes with. It's certainly more than livable.

A bit of an update to this one folks.

My buddy had a card from the autoshow as well. We went to another dealership and this time drove a 1.4 T.

I didn't drive it but my buddy did; his family is actually going to be in the market in the next 10-36 months, depending on when their Corolla gives out.

From the passenger seat, this car was still comfortable and quiet; even with the rear seat folded down and noise coming in from the trunk, its still quieter than most other cars.

I felt that the 1.4 was far peppier than the 1.8; around town it seemed to get up to speed with some authority thanks to the low end torque.

The mileage readout on this car was worse than the 1.8 we drove; this was 9.7 L/100 km, worse than my Malibu; however without driving one for say a week I can't make a proper judgment, it could easily be people test driving the car and beating the crap out of it.

My buddy had many of the same comments I did with respect to the qualities of the car.

He had one comment that really surprised me:

"I can feel the turbo lag"

the salesman commented that this isn't turbo lag; I can only guess that this is the transmission calibration that's been spoken about on this site in great detail.

My buddy mentioned that when he hit it hard the car felt like it fell flat on its face before it really stated going.

Can't really go more into this as we didn't talk about it in detail amongst each other or with the salesman.

Here is where I became more impressed; we walked into the dealership and started talking numbers.

A Cruze Lt with power doors, windows, mirrors, door locks, remote start, blue-tooth connectivity, USB aux input, remote start, cruise and power drivers seat came in at a mere $22 290.

The Cruze tops out very easily, but such a low price for so much car here is fantastic! When my brother picked up his Cavalier I think it topped out at 21 000; yeah we got like 7 grand in rebates after that, but the msrp was close for much less car. This is especially impressive considering this is the 1.4 T we're talking about.

[ponchoman49]

123 lBS FT of torque is inadequate for a porky 3200 LB sedan any way you slice it. Just look back into the past at what was used on similar weight Chevy mid size sedans. A 1997 Malibu for example weighted around 3000-3200 LBS depending on engine and had 150-185 torque on hand with the 2.4 and 3100 V6. Going back further a 3200 LB 1990 Lumina had 185 torque at a low RPM available with the 3.1 V6. Back further a 1983 RWD Malibu had 190 torque with it's old carbed 3.8 liter V6 to push around 3200 LBS of sedan. See a trend here folks? This major downsizing of engines and up-sizing of curbweight is not quite producing the magical harmony of power and mileage like the car makers would like us to believe. The heavy Cruze needs the turbo 1.4 for even adequate power and the 2.4 should be available on the upper trim levels as an option as it will be in the upcoming Verano which is based on the Cruze.

[regfootball]

He had one comment that really surprised me:

"I can feel the turbo lag"

the salesman commented that this isn't turbo lag; I can only guess that this is the transmission calibration that's been spoken about on this site in great detail.

My buddy mentioned that when he hit it hard the car felt like it fell flat on its face before it really stated going.

[daves87rs]

Funny, cause I drove a 1.4 for the second time (this one had the "update") and it had no turbo lag.

Night and day difference.

[Drew Dowdell]

Getting into any Cruze with the 1.4T, your first question (at this stage of the game while there are still early Cruzes on the lots) should be "Has the transmission TSB been performed?"

We had no turbo lag in ours.... in fact I bet most people wouldn't have realized it was a turbo.

[Mike The Canadian]

Getting into any Cruze with the 1.4T, your first question (at this stage of the game while there are still early Cruzes on the lots) should be "Has the transmission TSB been performed?"

We had no turbo lag in ours.... in fact I bet most people wouldn't have realized it was a turbo.

To be honest, sitting in the passenger seat; it certainly didn't sound or feel like a turbo.

I wasn't driving the car to feel any of the said "delay", but from my view there wasn't really any delay. However once again this isn't me driving and feeding the car inputs.

[daves87rs]

OK, that makes sense...it would be a bit harder to put that up anyways..