So i test drove the Cruze LTZ on wednesday and have finalized on it as well. The only reason i'm booking this car is because of the looks, features and the engine. This engine although a nightmare to drive in city traffic will give oodles of torque and driving pleasure on highways. And this is the reason i'm buying this car. Its going to be used solely as a highway cruiser and for my long drives.
I guess an excellent equation of fuel economy+performance+looks+features just forced me to make this decision. Its more of a heart's decision rather then the mind one.
Now as far as the review of TD is concerned i'm bound to compare it with the vRS which i currently use as a daily drive. After having driven the vRS i'm obviously spoilt by its performance and thus was looking for a diesel car which is capable of similar performance within 15 lacs. And after the launch of cruze and looking at its performance figures and features i already knew that this is the one for me. It was just the matter of dragging myself to the dealership and driving one. Now this is the closest i can get to vRS in terms of performance and features in a diesel car and thus the decision was already made. Cars likes Laura, Jetta and linea were already out of the consideration because of the above said reasons. And i was never really looking at petrol cars since vRS is already drinking lots of it and thus never thought about civic, altis or the TSI.
Now coming to the actual TD of the car, it has been a mix of positives and negatives. First the dealership. Apex auto, Gurgaon did not even have the TD vehicle of cruze and when i told these guys that i need to book one this week itself but will not do it before i test drive it they promised to arrange the car within 3 days. However i've not recieved any call form them yet. Meanwhile there's another dealership in gurgaon near to the iffco chowk with the name of 'aravali automobiles'. Guys at aravali were really curteous and prompt with their responses and they had a TD vehicle readily available.
Coming to the actualy drive, Cruze is not a perfect car by any stretch of the imagination and IMHO anyone buying a cruze will be absoultely sure of why he/she is buying it. If someone is looking for diesel+comfort+build quality+lots of city driving then just forget the cruze. You are better off with the jetta or the laura. In terms of the acceleration cruze felt definately slower then the vRS but not by much. You never really feel the torque wave hitting you and its more of a linear incline towards the acceleration. The car is a dead meat till 2K rpm and after that it becomes lively and very responsive and surges ahead really well. One thing is for sure, this engine revs just like petrol and you dont really feel loss of power till the red line. However i've found this engine to be less refined and gruffy at higher rpms in comparison to vRS but definately more refined and less noisy then other diesel engines. The low end torque really kills the driveability of this car and in city even altos and 800s can leave you for dead in a drag if you are not in the right power band. On highways its a different story all together and it can outdrag just about any diesel car this side of 30 lacs including almost most of the petrol sedans. Its fitting to call it a 'Highway king' and 'City Pauper'. This car definately has a dual personality as far as the driveability is concerned.
Coming to the interiors of the car well what can i say its a huge disappointment. After being spoilt by the tank like build quality of vRS i must say that this car pales in comparison. The plastics and quality of the interiors can put tata to shame. The glovebox and door pockets feel so cheap that you wonder how can this be a entry luxury saloon car. Also you have to be really careful with the controls and knobs for seat adjustment as they feel really light and cheap to operate. The front facia has a 'in your face' kind of a placement and my fiance had an immediate dislike for it and felt it to be to too full and obstrusive. The facia is definately nice to look at but thats just about it. Its functionality and utility is yet to be seen and felt in order to make any comments on it.
OEM sound quality is very optra like which is good but definately could have been better. I guess audiophiles will definately have to make a trip to their fav stores in order to quench their thirst for SQ.
Coming to the comfort i found the front seats to be really good and snugs the occupants really well. It also gives a sporty feel to the driver as well as the front passenger. Coming to the rear its definately more spacious then the vRS but yet its worse then a 'C' segment car. The optra is anyday more comfortable and spacious then the cruze so one can imagine how mismatched the cruze is. Rear space is a joke and even ANHC provides much better comfort and space to the rear passengers. Its a car which is meant to be driven not to be driven in.
The exterior is where this car scores again and scores big time. I found the front and side profile of this car to be really attractive and rear is also decent. The only reason rear looses out is because it looks a copy of civic rear lights. If you keep civic lights aside then you might just find the rear decent to look at. IMHO the car will look best in black and white. However i'm booking a black one (though i wanted white) as my fiance is hell bent on that color
Having said that cruze really looks like a beast in black and thats a good thing!
I'm taking the delivery of black cruze LTZ on 22nd Jan which is my Birthday and thus it would be really special to have it on that day.
Salesman at aravali adviced me to do the billing before 31st Dec as after that the price of cruze is expected to rise by 20-25K and he also showed me the formal letter sent to all the dealers by GM motors.
So friends you can expect the initial ownership report after 22nd jan and till then i'm keeping my fingures crossed and waiting for my black beauty. Soon i'll have a diesel rocket to give company to my petrol rocket