I bought a Cruze diesel

[David]

Well, I dropped the car off Monday and the dealership has had it ever since. They are trying to replace the O2 sensor but can't seem to get one. They finally called GM today to find out what was going on. Apparently this issue with the O2 sensor is a known issue but GM has not gotten the TSB issued yet. I guess it doesn't hurt anything but just keeps throwing the light. I have been in one of their Cruze LT's since I dropped my car off. It's a nice comparison for the mileage differences between the two cars since the drive is the same. Per the VIC I am currently getting 29.6 MPG. If it is low by the same 1.2-1.5 MPG my car is, that would put me in the 30.8 - 31.1 MPG range. I won't be able to calculate it because I forgot to set the trip odometer until after I had already put 50 miles on it. That would mean for my particular drive, the diesel is in the 4 - 5 MPG more fuel efficient range.

BTW - At this point they are not sure when the part will be in. They asked me to come pick my car up and drive it until they get the part. No complaints about the dealer so far. They have been very accommodating.

BTW BTW - I forgot to mention in my last post that I paid $3.78/gallon for diesel which was $0.10/gallon LESS than the price of regular unleaded.

WOW, Diesel here in Washington state is currently averaging $4.21 a gallon. Regular unleaded is $3.78 a gallon and CNG is $2.09 a gallon.

[A Horse With No Name]

I paid $4.26 for premium here in Ohio. $50 to fill up a MINI....

[David]

I paid $4.26 for premium here in Ohio. $50 to fill up a MINI....

Costco has Premium at $3.91 per gallon and the average for gas stations is $4.49 per gallon for Premium. Crazy prices as to why I am converting my Suburban that was built up and uses premium to run on CNG. Better all the way around.

[SAmadei]

$3.33 just across the bridge in Woodbride, NJ... $3.36 down near home. No pumping req'd. ;-)

[ocnblu]

So you just sit there in the driver's seat while the guy services you? How convenient!

[David]

So you just sit there in the driver's seat while the guy services you? How convenient!

You have to watch out where you go in NJ just like Oregon. Both states passed laws saying it was too dangerous for you to pump your own gas and have others pump it for you. Sadly you get idiots that spill on the side of the car, do not really fill up your tank and just about worst service ever. It is pathetic that the politicians of those states think they are smarter than the average person and must protect you from fueling.and Oregon is extreme conservative and last time I was in NJ a couple years ago it was crazy liberal. so just proves both sides are nuts.

Like a gun, hands off fueling my ride!

[2QuickZ's]

I thought those stupid "no self serve" gas pumping laws were all about reducing unemployment under the guise of consumer safety.

[A Horse With No Name]

Not sure what they are for. I would like to see more options for people with physical handicaps to fuel their vehicles.

[Drew Dowdell]

Yet PA with self pump has higher prices than NJ with full service

[A Horse With No Name]

Ohio has stupid high fuel prices....over $50 again each to tank up both the Miata and the Mini.

Tesla can't get the cheaper family car here fast enough.

[David]

Ohio has stupid high fuel prices....over $50 again each to tank up both the Miata and the Mini.

Tesla can't get the cheaper family car here fast enough.

Convert to CNG, your pocket will love you and Earth will love you for not blowing out the green house gas from the Tesla Battery production.

[A Horse With No Name]

Not sure of anywhere around me that sells it...!

[David]

Not sure of anywhere around me that sells it...!

 

Go to the following web sites and put in your zip code and it will show you all available CNG stations and their current prices.

 

http://www.cngprices.com/station_map.php

 

Then you can enjoy more HP and Torque on 130 Octane Fuel. Zoom Zoom!

[A Horse With No Name]

Thanks!

 

Chris

[2QuickZ's]

I was on vacation last week and haven't gotten a chance to take the car back in for the new O2 sensor yet.  Maybe later in the week.  We did not take it on vacation so I can't report any astronomical fuel economy figures.

 

On a side note since this thread has gone all over the place anyway, my wife convinced her sister to let us drive their 2013 Durango SXT on our vacation.  It is AWD.  For our whole trip (~1800 miles), it averaged 24.2 MPG.  Considering that included the local driving we did in Virginia Beach as well as two quite bad traffic jams on the way back (1.5 hours of stop and go delay added on to a 7 hour drive), I was pretty impressed.  I wonder how much better it would have done with the 8 speed?  Anyway, it is a very, very comfortable cruiser.  I'd put it on par with our Flex we just sold if not even a little better as a highway cruiser.

[A Horse With No Name]

24 is astonishing. I checked out the Durango at the local (Buyers Dodge on Hamilton) dealer, actually didn't mind it too much.

[2QuickZ's]

Well, the O2 sensor has now been replaced.  Hopefully that will fix it, though as I stated previously, I never saw any driveability issues.

 

The latest tank is in.  I'd guess a 65/35 city/highway split on this tank.  509.7 miles on 13.888 gallons for a 36.7 MPG average.  EVIC said 36.0 MPG with a 34.0 MPH average for the tank.  Not too bad.

 

 

24 is astonishing. I checked out the Durango at the local (Buyers Dodge on Hamilton) dealer, actually didn't mind it too much.

 

They really aren't bad at all.  They made a lot of improvements when it came back in 2011 and the 2014's saw even more with the upgraded infotainment and the 8 speed transmission.  I have not had a chance to drive my parent's 2014 as it is down in Florida but I know they really like it.  I'll have to ask my Mom how she likes it compared to the Tahoe she used to have.

[2QuickZ's]

I forgot to mention that I paid $3.75/gallon (cash or credit) for diesel.  The same gas station had regular gas for $3.83/gallon cash, $3.93/gallon credit which is pretty typical for this area.  I'm hoping diesel stays lower than gas the rest of the summer as it will no doubt be $0.30+ per gallon higher in the winter due to heating oil demand.

 

One other thing:  Diesel prices are ridiculously variable around here so it pays to drive a little out of the way to get it.  Within a 5 or so mile radius of my house, diesel is anywhere from $3.75 - $4.39 / gallon with most stations at $3.99 - $4.09/gallon range.  Diesel seems to have way more inconsistent pricing around here than gas.

[Drew Dowdell]

Do you have the gas buddy app to search for fuel prices?

[2QuickZ's]

I do always check gas buddy which is how I found these stations but at this point I know that it is always cheaper at two or three different intersections around here pretty consistently.

[2QuickZ's]

The next tank is in: 539.5 miles on 14.575 gallons = 37.0 MPG.   I guess 70/30 split with better traffic but using A/C 50% of the time.  VIC showed 35.2 MPH average and 35.7 MPG.  No return of the engine light and all is going well.

[A Horse With No Name]

Good!

[2QuickZ's]

Another updated on the Cruze.  No more problems with the O2 sensor code popping up since they replaced it.  My next tank is in:  508.2 miles on 12.761 gallons (@ $3.69/gal - about midgrade gas price) for an average of 39.82 MPG.  This tank was probably more like 65/35 city/highway split and better traffic.  The EVIC in the car said 35 MPH average speed and 37.1 MPG.  The EVIC MPG has never been this far off before but when I filled up this morning it showed full and a range of 551 miles which is right around what it always shows.   It usually is off by 1 - 1.5 MPG on the low side, not 2.7 MPG low like this time.

 

Anyway, I finally got to take it on a decent but short trip that was mostly interstate and 2 lane highway today.  I filled up before I left.  The results per the EVIC were 224.1 miles with an average speed of 51.1 MPH at 47.4 MPG.  Assuming this was more like my typical EVIC vs. calculated MPG mismatch, that should mean I got at least 48 MPG on this trip!     Again per the EVIC, my best 50 mile average was 53.1 MPG!

 

Edited July 20, 2014 by 2QuickZ's

[A Horse With No Name]

Amazing. I wonder when performance tunes will come out for the diesel crude like they have for the VW TDI. The TDI guys are picking up economy with tunes....

Still, great numbers, Z!

[2QuickZ's]

Well, I finished the tank off today.  In the end, my regular commute for the rest of the tank killed the final mileage number.  All told it went 578.3 miles on 14.221 gallons for an average of 40.67 MPG.  The VIC was actually higher than calculated on this tank saying I got 40.9 MPG.  Average speed for the tank was 41.2 MPH and we'll call it a 50/50 city/highway split.

 

Due to the VIC being way off on fuel economy the last tank compared to calculated, my guess is I didn't get a completely full tank last tank.  That being said, I'd say my last tank was a little lower than calculated, this one a little higher than calculated.

Amazing. I wonder when performance tunes will come out for the diesel crude like they have for the VW TDI. The TDI guys are picking up economy with tunes....


Still, great numbers, Z!

 

You know, if GM would come out with one, say a stage 1 or something like that and it would not cause any problems with the warranty, that is something I would jump at if the price was right.  I wouldn't want to take a chance on something aftermarket.

[A Horse With No Name]

Still great numbers...glad to see this working out for you!

[daves87rs]

Nice....

[David]

Well, I finished the tank off today.  In the end, my regular commute for the rest of the tank killed the final mileage number.  All told it went 578.3 miles on 14.221 gallons for an average of 40.67 MPG.  The VIC was actually higher than calculated on this tank saying I got 40.9 MPG.  Average speed for the tank was 41.2 MPH and we'll call it a 50/50 city/highway split.

 

Due to the VIC being way off on fuel economy the last tank compared to calculated, my guess is I didn't get a completely full tank last tank.  That being said, I'd say my last tank was a little lower than calculated, this one a little higher than calculated.

Amazing. I wonder when performance tunes will come out for the diesel crude like they have for the VW TDI. The TDI guys are picking up economy with tunes....

Still, great numbers, Z!

 

You know, if GM would come out with one, say a stage 1 or something like that and it would not cause any problems with the warranty, that is something I would jump at if the price was right.  I wouldn't want to take a chance on something aftermarket.

I used to be like you only wanting to use GM products on my auto's but after trying Jet chips and a few others found that most are very solid and as such you can gain considerable HP / Torque along with MPG. Check these out for the Diesel Cruze.

 

http://www.chipexpress.com/products/chevrolet/cruze/

 

http://www.chipmydiesel.com/products/diesel-chip-tuning/chevrolet/cruze-d/1722.html

 

http://www.inmotionusa.com/website/domestic.html This company tunes the chip for you and sends it back to you, there is many good comments here on this forum. http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-chevy-cruze-diesel-general-discussion/28057-chip-tune-diesel-cruze.html

 

Their Video

 

I like this one best.

http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/fleece/chevy-cruze-diesel-tuner.htm

 

Just some reading for you to consider.

[2QuickZ's]

It's not the tuner companies I don't trust.  It is GM honoring the warranty.  That is why I would only do a GMPP tune.

[A Horse With No Name]

When the warranty is done....hmm...

[2QuickZ's]

Next tank in:  36.2 MPG with an approx. 70/30 city/highway split with an average speed of 32.2 MPH.  This includes a couple of pretty bad traffic jams on this tank.  508.7 miles on 14.055 gallons at $3.63/gallon.  EVIC said 34.6 MPG.

[2QuickZ's]

Three more tanks to report, two of which are somewhat interesting changes of pace:

 

Tank one (same old, same old): 508.7 miles on 14.055 gallons (@ $3.63/gallon) = 36.2 MPG.  Split was probably 65/35 but with fairly heavy traffic.  Per EVIC, average speed was 32.2 mph.

 

Tank two (partial tank):  100% city driving in heavy traffic.  125.9 miles on 4.136 gallons (@ $3.869/gallon) = 30.44 mpg.  Per EVIC, average speed was 24.1 mph.  This small tank was for two reason.  One was to see how 100% city driving in heavy traffic would turn out and two was to give me a clean calculation for tank 3 below.

 

Tank three: Trip from Detroit area to Chicago -->  551.6 miles on 12.489 gallons = 44.17 mpg.  99% Interstate.  Per EVIC average speed was 56.7 mph.  I have to say I was initially a little disappointed with this result until I mentally calculated in a few factors that probably hurt the economy by at least a few mpg.  1) Got stuck in a traffic jam where it took ~50 minutes to go approx. 5 miles with a lot of stop and go.  2) Typical Chicago traffic due to later than anticipated arrival because of issue 1 (caught the early stages of rush hour).  3) Air conditioning on for 90% of the trip.  My average speed while in Michigan was in the 75 - 80 mph range other than the one massive traffic jam.  It was in the 65 - 70 mph range through Indiana and Illinois other than the metro Chicago area. We did not drive around Chicago other than to the hotel and then on to our parking spot.  

 

One cool thing was that when I arrived at the gas station to fill up after putting the 552 miles on that tank, the EVIC still showed 135 miles of range.  

[David]

AWESOME That is some great gas mileage.

[A Horse With No Name]

Why GM is not selling this in large numbers is a mystery.

[David]

Why GM is not selling this in large numbers is a mystery.

Marketing is the biggest thing, they did an initial marketing of the Cruze Diesel and now nothing. I never hear about it, never see anything about it, etc. GM has the WORST Marketing / Sales ad department I have ever seen. They need to fire the morons who cannot seem to focus on selling everything and only on a few things.

[A Horse With No Name]

Exactly.  They utterly, utterly have the product.  It is an insult to the engineers and production people that brought us these vehicles to let them rot on the vine.

[2QuickZ's]

The tough part for them is they have so many makes and models in their portfolio that it is tough for them to put a significant chunk of marketing dollars on any one model for anything more than its initial launch.  Now take a subset of the model like my diesel and it is even tougher, though I would argue that as something new to segment in a Big 3 vehicle (really anything outside of VW in a non premium brand car) it would be even MORE important to spend that money and make people aware.

 

I don't really recall seeing any significant advertising for the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel or the Ram 1500 diesel.  Maybe a little on the Ram and that is about it.  Everything else has been through car reviews.

[A Horse With No Name]

There has to be a better way.

[2QuickZ's]

There has to be a better way.

 

I agree.  With the Ram being a truck I just don't think it will need to be advertised much for buyers to know it exists.  I think that specific market has a more powertrain savy customer base and people pay attention to what is being offered without advertising dollars being spent to make them aware.

 

In the case of my Cruze and the Grand Cherokee, most people aren't going to be coming into the dealership looking for a diesel.  Either the dealership or the OEM need to make the consumer aware that it exists and what its benefits are.  Unfortunately, it appears the OEM's can't afford to or won't pay for the advertising.  That leaves it up to the dealer.  Now your potential market has already shrunk just to people that actually come through one of your dealerships doors and what is the incentive for the dealership to push the diesel option?  Yes, they want to sell vehicles with higher transaction prices so they make more money but I'd venture a guess that it is much easier to do that with "luxury" content than with a diesel engine.  A dealer's primary goal is always going to be a quick, sure sale.

 

Honestly, I almost wonder if they hope diesel passenger cars fail.  That way they can say, "Well, we tried and nobody bought them."  Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy where they went in to it thinking "It's not going to sell in the U.S. but we will give it a try anyway" and then since they don't think it will succeed why spend money advertising it?

[David]

 

There has to be a better way.

 

I agree.  With the Ram being a truck I just don't think it will need to be advertised much for buyers to know it exists.  I think that specific market has a more powertrain savy customer base and people pay attention to what is being offered without advertising dollars being spent to make them aware.

 

In the case of my Cruze and the Grand Cherokee, most people aren't going to be coming into the dealership looking for a diesel.  Either the dealership or the OEM need to make the consumer aware that it exists and what its benefits are.  Unfortunately, it appears the OEM's can't afford to or won't pay for the advertising.  That leaves it up to the dealer.  Now your potential market has already shrunk just to people that actually come through one of your dealerships doors and what is the incentive for the dealership to push the diesel option?  Yes, they want to sell vehicles with higher transaction prices so they make more money but I'd venture a guess that it is much easier to do that with "luxury" content than with a diesel engine.  A dealer's primary goal is always going to be a quick, sure sale.

 

Honestly, I almost wonder if they hope diesel passenger cars fail.  That way they can say, "Well, we tried and nobody bought them."  Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy where they went in to it thinking "It's not going to sell in the U.S. but we will give it a try anyway" and then since they don't think it will succeed why spend money advertising it?

 

This is idiot thinking to expect a product to fail. We need to Eject these people from GM.

[A Horse With No Name]

Diesel is just too smart of an idea to give up on.

[2QuickZ's]

Okay, next tank is in.  100% city driving.  EVIC showed 22.3 mph average for the tank and 27.7 MPG.  It went 437.6 miles on 15.05 gallons for a calculated average of 29.07 MPG.  If the amount of fuel exceeds the tank size it is because my wife was driving it and running low so she just splashed a few gallons in and let me fill it up when she got home. lol

[2QuickZ's]

CEL came on again Friday.  I'm going to try to drop into the dealer tomorrow and get it read.  It still seems to run and drive fine so I have a sneaking suspicion it has fried another O2 sensor.  It rolled 11.5k miles yesterday.  Fuel economy for my daily commute has stayed right in the 36 - 37 MPG range running something like 80/20 city/highway.

[2QuickZ's]

I dropped by the dealership this morning and they didn't even have time to check the code.  They are so backlogged with recalls they are booked 5 weeks in advance.  For folks in my situation, they are reserving rental cars.  They are going to try and have my rental ready by Friday and my car will be treated as a walk-in.  They do keep some time set aside for these exact scenarios.  One big surprise:  my car has ZERO recalls.  In spite of tens of millions of vehicles they have recalled this year, not one of them applies to my car.

[2QuickZ's]

I dropped the car off on Monday.  Still no update on what the issue is.

 

They gave me a new Volt as a loaner if anybody has any questions.  It had about 90 miles on it when I got it.  I'm not sure if it is the weather or the fact that it is new and the batteries are not conditioned yet but a full charge shows 30 miles of range and it is pretty darn accurate with the estimate.  My daily round trip commute is over 50 miles so I barely make it to work on the charge and drive home on gas.  For the whole couple hundred miles that are on it, it is showing FE of around 54 MPG.  The person that had it before me was one of their techs and I didn't check the electric/gas split when I got it.  I do know it only had 16 miles of charge when I picked it up.

[David]

Very Cool, Tell us how you like it or not, over all impressions on fit and finish and how it drives compared to your Cruze please.

[Z-06]

Weather plays a critical part. If you have sub-32 temperatures, getting 30 miles (compared to 38 miles) for a brand new car is actually good.

[2QuickZ's]

It's a different driving experience for sure.  I'd have to say I prefer the driving experience of the Cruze.  It is a nice car, though.  I had a positive impression of the Volt before I had driven one but I would say my impression of it has only gotten better now that I have driven it.  It is really not my type of car so I can't say that I would want to own one.

 

In general, the fit and finish seems good.  The layout is nice.  I'm not a fan of the capacitive touch switches.  As I had heard, it doesn't do a great job of keeping your feet warm on a cold day.  The HVAC system is not quite up to the task.  That's not great for me as I'm not a fan of heated seats which is how they would prefer you to keep warm.  They default to the highest setting on start up.  I need to dig through the menu and see if I can have it default to the lowest setting.  Even on low it feels like it is burning my ass after only a few minutes.  There is a BSR somewhere but it is possible something is rubbing on one of the two kids car seats I have installed.  I haven't investigated it yet.  Speaking of that, the center console for the rear seats is probably great for families without kids in car seats but its not the best with them.  My son seems to think there is less leg room for him than there is in the Cruze.  I'm not sure if that is true or just his perception.  I'll need to look a little closer at that one as it is hard to believe.

 

Positives:

- Fit & finish is good

- Ergonomics are good

- Cluster display is nice and presents useful information

- Serene driving experience

- The engine is pretty unnoticeable as long as you aren't under heavy acceleration

- The charger is pretty straight forward and easy to use

- Seemed to do pretty well in the 1" or so of snow I had to deal with on the drive home.

 

Negatives:

- Does not keep my feet warm on a cold day

- Utilizes seat heaters to compensate for inadequate heating system (not a fan of seat heaters)

- Acceleration is not great but I haven't put the pedal to the floor yet.  I may have to give it a go just to see how it does at WOT.

- When you are under heavier acceleration and the engine kicks on, it is an odd sensation that the revs don't always match the throttle input.  This is one I think I will get used to pretty quickly, though, so only a short term negative.

- Charger cord does not stay wound on charger very well.  A cord reel would be better.

- A pillars and C pillars seem huge leaving big blind spots.  Standard blind spot monitoring would be appreciated.

[David]

Awesome first initial response to driving the VOLT. Thank you!

[ocnblu]

Sorry man.  I hope you get your Cruze back SOON.