7th August 2010, 00:22 | #136 |
Senior - BHPian | Congrats Avi. The baby looks good. Re. the keys and Ducati, I think you are referring to desmodromic valve systems. The key that the Cruz has is like the ones that VW group uses i.e. switchblade a.k.a Rampuri! Hyundai too uses keys like this and the new i20 comes with such keys. I think the car can be programmed to react to the particular key (of the two keys) being used and it will adjust the seat, mirrors etc to the config preferred by the user of that key. I loved the look of Avi's cars - both the Red Devil and the White Angel, they have a clean uncluttered look. Keep it that way with this one too, the neat look spells class as opposed to an over-accessorised, multi-coloured look which screams "Look at me". |
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7th August 2010, 00:31 | #137 |
BHPian | Thats a great experience shopping for a great car. Yea it usually happens, the dealers can not keep up the delivery time on certain days since there must be loads of deliveries and jus a couple of washing bays with 1 guys washing all the cars This used to happen at the dealer i was associated few years back |
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8th August 2010, 12:09 | #138 | |||
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Opps. Didnt realize till you mentioned and i am not offended Quote:
Sure, will copy paste the dealership experience in that other section as well. Look forward to your dealership experience and more pictures Quote:
For me, most important factors are the gleam, cleaniness, jet black tyres and a non cluttered look in that order. I plan to keep it in stock condition as much as its possible. It reeks of style even without the regular accessories Quote:
I too think those 90 minutes was worth watching the White Annihilator getting the teflon treatment. | |||
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10th August 2010, 16:45 | #139 |
Distinguished - BHPian | White Annihilator : 500kms Review Since the time i got the car, i was able to do only about 550kms and that too completely in city. I am yet to take my maiden drive on a highway where this car belongs. I plan to do a small highway run this weekend and hope to get the real feel of this car then. Will post my thoughts of that whenits completed. For the moment, let me pen down my initial thoughts on the key parameters of a car Exterior :- I can safely mention that this is one of the most good looking D segment sedan in our country. This statement is true despite the fact that looks are subjective and i am confident this is one area where i doubt if i can come across someone who says this car looks ugly. My rating for its looks :- Front (5/5) : This is the best part of its external feature. It's brutal and ready to tangle with you look gives it an intimidating and formidable look and i am sure people who look at that front in their ORVM will pay respect and let it pass them without thinking to tangle as it surely can beat the pants down of most cars in that segment Side Profile (4.5) : Side profile looks very germanic and seems like its cue was taken from a BMW which is strange since Chevy is American. Not sure if thats a compliment for BMW or vice-versa. Whatever the case, as a customer I absolutely love those beautiful curved muscular sidelines. Again a very formidable external part of this beautiful car. Back (3/5) : While designing the car, the designers did an excellent job in the front and more than terrific one for the side profile and somehow seemed to have lost focus when they came to the back. Its inspiration seems to be Civic and somehow it does not really fit well with rest of the design. However, finish-wise its superb and looks just awesome. To summarize, this car has more presence than any other D-Segment car in this country. Engine performance :- Coming to the main point/criteria of any car. This is the single important reason for deciding to invest on this car. I wanted a fast car which was diesel and not too expensive to maintain and Cruze fit into that slot as if it was manafactured for me. It's got class leading engine power (150PS) and performance and it's power should be experienced to understand how fast this car can be. Yeah, everyone is talking about the turbo lag and all that but, shucks, why is it a problem if you stay above 1000-1200rpm? Its a minor excuse to chuck this beautiful engine out of contention. This beauty of an engine has got so much promise ( PS & Torque-wise) that I'am sure from 30kmph in 4th gear it can pull the bulk of this car to its top speed of 215kmph ( as mentioned by Sameer Sultan in his ownership thread). I can feel that surge right from that gear and i am sure if there's an open road, no need for a downshift till you reach the top speed. I am being extra careful during my run-in and have not treated her harshly except for an occassional 100kmph+ type of sprints with 125kmph being the top-speed that i touched till date. Ground Clearance:- I travel everyday 50kms to office and in my route there are many speed-breakers, i dont slow down for any breaker except for the really large ones. Touchwood, no bottom scrape issue till now. I tried this with 3 passengers too but, no issues. Who knows, maybe with 4 or more, this issue might crop up. But, then i almost never have a full load in my car Interior space :- Considering the huge length ( lengthier than a Civic, Altis and Laura) the interior space is equally good if not class leading. For a country like us where the average height is not over 5.7Feet, it is more than enough. I am 6ft. 1inch and depite pushing the driver seat fully at back. A 5ft.10inch guy can easily fit right behind me. If a comparison is to be brought into the picture, its just a wee bit lesser than a Civic. Space was never my priority as we are a family of only 3. Only concern is due to stylish and swooping roofline, head-room is slightly at a premium. Interior quality :- After being used to an Accent Viva for last 4 years, immediate feel of the quality is certainly many segments higher since the quality feel is top-notch but, maybe when i compare it with other cars in its segment then probably the quality may not be on par with them. But, for the price that i paid, i am not complaining and love the grey, black and silver combinations of this car's interior. Highlight being the numerous lights that come up at night which practically turn the Cruze interiors into a pilot's cockpit. The blue lights are extremely soothing to the eyes and can safely say one of the best interiors at night. Visibility :- Visibility is just wonderful and there is no A pillar or B pillar hassle as both of them are not too thick. But, then you need to slightly crane your head around them to get the full picture while turning. Build quality :- This is one of the strongest points of the Cruze. At 1530kgs, this is built like a tank and much heavier than a Laura L&K (1355kgs). This can be clearly ascertained by just opening the driver's door and it takes you an effort to open and close the door. My wife joked that she needs to start going to a gym as she cannot open the door without applying a lot of effort. This build quality gives you utmost confidence. Gearshifts:- I had initally mentioned that the gearshifts were hard. But,after driving the car in the last few days the gear shifts have become much smoother and its much easier to slot the gears and those short throws are making me feel like i am the next M.S! But, fact remains my Accent Viva CRDi had a much butter smooth shift action than the Cruze. Ride quality:- After changing the tyres from OEM to CPC2, the ride quality has increased phenomenally and feels like i am gliding in air ( not literally) but, just an analogy for ride being so silent and when car goes over potholes, there is a lovely muted thud which does not jar your bones but, is absorbed nicely Handling:- I took turns at 80kmph+ and is rock stable but, its true colors can be seen on highways where if turns taken at 100kmph+ it should dazzle me. Lets hope it does. OE Music System :- Its one of the best OE music system in the market. I cranked up the volume to maximum and there is absolutely no breakage in voice or tonal quality. I dont intend to add anything to existing set-up, i am pretty much happy with how it sounds. Imagine this is coming from someone who spent close to 70K for ICE in his previous car. I read reviews in many auto magazines and they rated Cruze handling as better than an Altis and Civic. Not sure if that's biased or true. I think NP23 who owns both can comment his views on handling between a Civic and Cruze. Boot Space :- Its got a huge boot space ( dont know how many litres) and is quite deep and it can load a couple of large international travel suitcases easily. Though the LT version does not come with all those gadgets that are their in LTZ but, it has its fair amount of features which i will list them out in the next post. Last edited by mobike008 : 10th August 2010 at 16:57. |
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11th August 2010, 08:24 | #140 | |||||||||||||||||
BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: New Delhi
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11th August 2010, 15:08 | #141 | |||||
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At a glance, dont see any difference as i checked out a Cruze which is first Cruze to be delivered in Hyderabad and he lives next door and didnt find any major difference. Quote:
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Sunroof (Not useful) PEPS (Good to Have) Cruise Control (Not useful) Music Controls on Steering (Very Useful) Rain Sensors (Good to have) Climate Control (Useful) Leather Seats (Good to have) Telescopic steering (Useful) Fog Lamps (Useful) Reverse Sensors (Useful) All of the above for Rs.2 Lakhs extra Last edited by mobike008 : 11th August 2010 at 15:09. | |||||
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11th August 2010, 16:17 | #142 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: !!!!
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| Sunroof (Not useful)- not needed in our climate PEPS (Good to Have)- what is this? Cruise Control (Not useful)-not useful in india Music Controls on Steering (Very Useful)- true very useful- see if you can get one of those small steering remotes installed Rain Sensors (Good to have)- can these be fitted aftermaket? Climate Control (Useful)-overhyped IMHO- I have it in SX4 but it is no great shakes Leather Seats (Good to have)- Rs. 5K will get you real sweel looking art leather seat covers Telescopic steering (Useful)-NA Fog Lamps (Useful)-Rs. 5-8K Reverse Sensors (Useful)- Rs.3-5K so for a few bucks more, you can brink the anhilator close to LTZ levels |
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11th August 2010, 17:16 | #143 | |
Distinguished - BHPian | Quote:
PEPS : No Key touch the handle entry and start and stop button for engine Fog Lamps : Already fitted to White Annihilator. Spent Rs.8.3K (OEM) Reverse Sensors : Already fitted to White Annihilator. Spent 3K (OEM) Need to check if music controls on steering and rain sensors can be fitted aftermarket without causing any issues to electrical or other equipment. | |
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11th August 2010, 17:46 | #144 |
Senior - BHPian |
It hardly rains in Hyderabad to justify fitment of rain sensor. This is one feature that is more required in Britain than in India. |
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11th August 2010, 18:17 | #145 |
BHPian | i actually find it sometimes annoying on cruze as well as vRS. Sometimes its too sensitive or sometimes its too lazy to give you a good wipe speed. Most of the times i end using manual wipe. |
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11th August 2010, 19:51 | #146 | |||
BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: New Delhi
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Music controls are of great convenience.Rain sensors are just a gimmick and at a lot of times you want to control the wiper speed manually. I agree that Climate control & telescopic steering should have been standard on the Cruze across variants.Leather seats are again not such a necessary thing as I have the civic with the fabric seats and they are great as well. My CIvic (1.8 S AUTOMATIC) doesnt have the fog lamps and I feel they are one of those things which you dont mind not having or really relish having;I feel it goes like "if they are there then its good if not then its fine". Reverse sensors are a good aid in today's cars which dont offer a good rear view. Last edited by np23 : 11th August 2010 at 19:53. | |||
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12th August 2010, 14:33 | #147 | |||
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If i were GM, then i would have introduced another model ( say, LTV in between) by adding another 50K-75K and cover the most important features like :- Climate Control Audio Control on steering Leather Seats Fog Lamps Telescopic Steering If LTV model is introduced, it would be a great hit | |||
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12th August 2010, 16:05 | #148 |
BHPian | who would buy LTZ then? :-P I have a query NP23 and i guess Avi you can also take a note of it. Whenever i drive my Cruze in rains it starts circulating cool air even if the AC is turned off(but the blower is on). I mean its like as if Cruze has automatic sensors to detect rain or wet climate and it automatically starts circulating cool air from the blowers. This happens everytime when its raining and its not a one off case. Also it doesn't matter if i turn on/off the ac, it just keeps on circulating the cool air. And whenever the climate is normal or its not raining it circulates normal air so there's nothing wrong with the AC as such. Inputs guys??? Last edited by ashish22 : 12th August 2010 at 16:10. |
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12th August 2010, 16:14 | #149 | |
Distinguished - BHPian | Quote:
Btw, assuming that the air blower is open. But, a question comes to mind, if you dont have the AC switched on, why do you keep the air blower ON? I will keep a check of this situation next time it rains here. However, i have experienced the windows getting terribly fogged. Didnt know how to get rid of it? Any inputs and help on it would be appreciated. There are two de-fog buttons not sure which one is for front window and which is for rear? Too lazy to read the manual. Also, do i press the de-fog button and keep the cooling at COLD or HOT? | |
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12th August 2010, 16:21 | #150 |
BHPian | This is what I have noticed on my RS, and may be it applies to the Cruze as well. When the weather cools down or it starts to rain, even if my AC / blowers are not on and the vents for outside air circulation is open, the cool air comes in the cabin. And when its hot, hot / normal air comes in without the blower being on. Ashish: Check your air vents for outside air circulation. Cheers, |
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