[narendra_urs]

Recently heard about the LED Headlights & Tail lights for Cruze from The Retro Rides. I was desperately looking out for something similar. The Delhi based vendor is quoting INR 35,000 for Headlights & INR 30,000 for Tail lights (including shipping charges). Not sure how good they look in real and the quality of lighting. I solicit your suggestions / inputs.

[EssYouWe]

Umm... I don't really like the headlights. LED strips are so overused nowadays. Also, they aren't looking all that great in the image.

The tail lamp cluster looks good! A more reddish color would be even better.

[Skye1592]

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

LED strips are so overused nowadays.

I agree! I saw a Punto the other day with LED strips! They just looked plain ugly.
Another thing that's becoming to clichéd nowadays are the 'angel eye's for motorbikes. I saw one RX 135, a classic Yamaha with one. My heart sank.

[.anshuman]

Even Autopsyche has this set of lights available for Cruze. Check their prices too with Arush.

[narendra_urs]

That was my first reaction too. The headlights aren't very impressive. The Tail lights look much better than the Cruze's stock tail lights (copied from Civic).

[tusharsethi]

Hi Narendra,

The Headlights dont look impressive at all. But, the tail lights rock. I'm also on the lookout for a good set of lights for my soon to come cruze and contacted a direct dealer in Korea for the same. I'm pm'ing you the prices he sent me for the tail lights as well as the price for a better set of headlights. Maybe we can do a group purchase as that may get the shipping costs etc. to come down.

Anyone else interested?

[FlyingSpur]

Narendra, like the rest, the headlamps don't impress me, but the taillamp cluster looks just awesome !! It's very very similar to the W212 E-Class, and it makes the bum of the Cruze look far better IMO. In fact it's the only angle in which I don't like how the Cruze looks (with stock tail lamp cluster). Do let us know whether you went in for them, or have decided to retain the stock tail lamps.

Also, would much appreciate an update on the FE you're getting with the Diesel AT. Thanks!

[narendra_urs]

Karan who's in charge of Caska HU for Karnataka will start dealing with Cruze lights in about a month's time. He has explored all options available and will import the best. He owns a White Cruze LTZ AT and is planning to install on his car too. I'll get a chance to see how they look in real before installation.

Last week, my Highway Star completed 1 year with 22154 kms on the Odo. The car has far exceeded my expectations. I'll share a detailed review in the near future.

The FE in Bangalore traffic is about 12.3 kmpl and on highway its around 15.6 kmpl with 100% AC. Though I'm not very mileage conscious, in the initial days I used to observe the instantaneous fuel consumption reading and learnt how to get the best out of every liter. On the highways, I mostly let the cruise control run the show. It serves multiple purposes. (1) My family feels extremely comfortable due to absence of jerks during acceleration and deceleration. (2) I'm not disturbed by anyone overtaking me. (3) The FE is optimal. (4) Last but not the least, no leg aches even after very long drives.

The only area where I'm disappointed with the car is in the handling department. No matter what other Cruze owners say this is a weak point, it badly needs ESP/TCS. My other car (Fiesta 1.6 Sxi) handles like dream around the corners even after 80 k+ kms. I've decided to upgrade to Bilstein suspension shortly. Hot Tracks quoted Rs. 54 K and I'm fine with the price if it can make Cruze as good as Fiesta.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

Last week, my Highway Star completed 1 year with 22154 kms on the Odo. The car has far exceeded my expectations. I'll share a detailed review in the near future.

Congratulations for completing 1 year. That's a lot of driving in 12 months. Look forward to a detailed report where I hope to see how and where it has exceeded your expectations.

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

The FE in Bangalore traffic is about 12.3 kmpl and on highway its around 15.6 kmpl with 100% AC.

That's excellent FE considering your's is AT and that too in Bangalore traffic which is more crowded than Hyderabad. I am guessing your a gentle driver and dont push the car too often. Is that right?

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

The only area where I'm disappointed with the car is in the handling department. No matter what other Cruze owners say this is a weak point, it badly needs ESP/TCS. My other car (Fiesta 1.6 Sxi) handles like dream around the corners even after 80 k+ kms. I've decided to upgrade to Bilstein suspension shortly. Hot Tracks quoted Rs. 54 K and I'm fine with the price if it can make Cruze as good as Fiesta.

Well, I dont really agree with you on the handling part. Are you still on JK Vectra's or have you changed the stock tyres?

After changing mine from stock to CPC2's the handling has improved by leaps and bounds along with eliminating the road noise to almost 90%.

Though, i agree its not exactly flat on corners but, not too bad as well. I have taken corners at 100+kmph in wet conditions without flinching and not for a moment had any fears of fish-tailing.

Do you plan to use your car for any performance related sport? Drag? Track Days? If not, its my recommendation to stick to original suspension

[narendra_urs]

Originally Posted by mobike008

That's excellent FE considering your's is AT and that too in Bangalore traffic which is more crowded than Hyderabad. I am guessing your a gentle driver and dont push the car too often. Is that right?

You are right, Buddy. I have driven hard only on two occasions in the last 1 year.

First time, I was racing against time. I'd to do Bangalore - Anantapur in approximately 2.5 hours (I could actually do BLR Airport to Anantapur in 1 hr 18 minutes). It was a sunday afternoon with very little traffic.

On the second occasion, I was instigated by a Jetta driver to race him on the Pune - Hubli Highway. Though I won the race, the Jetta won my heart for its amazing composure at high speeds.

But for these two instances, I've always driven at 2-digit speeds. Of late, I've developed a liking for happy faces overtaking my Cruze in their Swift, Innova, etc.,

Originally Posted by mobike008

Well, I dont really agree with you on the handling part. Are you still on JK Vectra's or have you changed the stock tyres?

After changing mine from stock to CPC2's the handling has improved by leaps and bounds along with eliminating the road noise to almost 90%.

Though, i agree its not exactly flat on corners but, not too bad as well. I have taken corners at 100+kmph in wet conditions without flinching and not for a moment had any fears of fish-tailing.

Yes, I'm still on the stock tyres. When I bought the car, I couldn't make up my mind to upgrade the tyres. Later when I realized that they are really bad, it didn't make financial sense. Though I've done 22K+ kms, it will easily last another 15K kms and I'll wait for it to wear out. I'm amazed to know that CPC2s can improve the handling a great deal. Do you recommend wider tyres or stick to the original configuration?

Originally Posted by mobike008

Do you plan to use your car for any performance related sport? Drag? Track Days? If not, its my recommendation to stick to original suspension

Is there is any specific reason why you suggest not to upgrade to Bilstein (Other than loss of warranty and costs associated with it)?

[narendra_urs]

Last saturday (11-Jun) I'd been to Mysore and at around 7:50 PM my Cruze had its first impact with another vehicle. My car was scratch less for 1 year and 13 days (22,560 kms). The diagrams below depict exactly what happened.

The truck driver had initially planned to drive straight and had stopped in the right most lane at the signal (in fact he was the first guy to reach the signal and then I followed). During the stoppage he changed his mind and took a sharp left turn (as soon as the signal turned green) and hit my car.

I hadn't even moved 2 meters at the time of impact but couldn't avoid damages to the right fender, OVRM and and tyre (the alloy wheel and the front bumper were intact). Since the cop on duty was in perfect position to witness the incident he immediately took the truck driver to task. The driver agreed to pay Rs. 8,000 and I accepted the offer. I'll be getting the car back from the service station tomorrow. The estimation for the repair is Rs. 28,500.

Lesson learnt: Honk once to announce your arrival next to heavy vehicle at signal

P.S: I didn't take pictures at the spot since the truck driver accepted his mistake immediately and agreed to compensate then and there itself.

Forgot to mention that the truck driver was courteous enough to change the stepney for me.

[narendra_urs]

Quick update: Have just crossed 52K kms and car looks and feels as good as new. Have done a series of modifications like new alloys, Michelin R16, 225, 55% rubber, Projector headlights, tail lamps, Bilstein B14 suspension, et al. Last saturday, I got the dual channel Diesel tuning box installed (perhaps I'm the first one to get it for Cruze). Have driven only 150 kms after the installation but the performance improvement are quite evident. The E, S and P1 work exactly as in the normal DieselTronic box. Only in the P2 mode, there is re-calibration of Turbo boost and when floored to the maximum, car goes wild.

Will upload the pics over the weekend and write a detailed review after 1000 kms. Btw, the cost of the box is INR. 26K.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

Quick update: Have just crossed 52K kms and car looks and feels as good as new. Have done a series of modifications like new alloys, Michelin R16, 225, 55% rubber, Projector headlights, tail lamps, Bilstein B14 suspension, et al

Congrats !!! That's a pretty long list. Look forward to the pictures of all these upgrades. Some queries :-

a) How long your stock tyres lasted? Price for the new Michilens?

b) Pricing of Headlights and Tail Lamps

c) Would love a detailed report on the new suspension and also its pricing

If your uncomfortable to share the pricing here, please PM me

P.S: btw, I am disappointed to know the dual-channel RD box is effective only in P2 as it's a mode majority of us would NOT prefer to use. Can you reconfirm you dont feel any difference in P1?

[narendra_urs]

Thanks, Avinash. I'll positively upload the pictures on saturday morning. Here are the responses to your queries.

(a) I replaced the stock tyres (JK Vectra) at 46 K kms(I think I'm one of the very few Team-BHPians who chose to stay with stock tyres on Cruze). It would've definitely lasted another 5 - 6 K kms but I didn't want to go through the pain of punctures with a weak set of tyres. I got Michilens at a discounted price of Rs. 11,900 per tyre. I instantly realized what I missed for 46,000 long kms.

On another note, the break pads wore out at 37 K kms which is phenomenal considering mine is an AT.

(b) Headlights costed me INR 33 K and Tail lamps costed me INR 18 K. The cost includes shipment cost by Air. I got it from Nikunj from Kolkatta who imports it from Taiwan. His contact number is 09836335336. I paid a nominal advance of Rs. 2,000 and waited for about 4 weeks to get them. He is a gem of a guy and did the transaction very professionally.

(c) The Bilstein suspension costed me Rs. 56,000 + Rs. 2000 (for installation). I got it from Hot Tracks, Bangalore who in turn sourced it from Petes. I upgraded my alloys, tyres and suspension all at once (@ 46 K kms) and the car started feeling a completely transformed after that. I was utterly disappointed with Cruze's handling right from day one (perhaps my Fiesta 1.6 Sxi which pampered me for 4 years is the culprit here). But the bilstein upgrade changed all that. It almost feels like a car on rails now. Cornering is an absolute bliss (may be the wider tyres is also playing its part). Further, I haven't scraped a single hump so far (even with full load on the unscientifically laid humps on Bangalore roads and our state highways). I'll be in HYD on 26-Jan. If you wish you can take my car for a spin to get a first-hand experience.

I think you got me wrong on the dual-channel RD box. What I said is that the channel calibrating the Turbo boost is active only in the P2 mode. In the Economy, Stock and P1 mode only the fuel delivery is re-calibrated. There is considerable improvement in fuel consumption in the Economy mode (I guess I'm getting 15 to 15.5 kmpl in Bangalore compared to earlier figures of 11.5 to 12 kmpl). In the P1 mode I feel the power delivery is as good as in my friend's Jetta. Suddenly even the 6 speed AT also feels a lot better.

[_raVan_]

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

Just found a few random pictures in my official laptop, enjoy...

The pics are missing. You might not have embedded the attachments in your post after uploading the pics.