[anb]

If you are driving a lot in the city, don't buy cruze. Due to turbo lag and heavy clutch, it's very difficult to use in city.

[thedreamcatcher]

Personally, I would treat this as a no brainer

Go flat out for the Cruze Mobile

Chuck the Vento. I understand what you must be feeling, as I had a similar experience 2 years back for Apex Chevy Gurgaon.

The Cruz is definitely a VFM car considering the features it has and the performance as well. My pick would be the Cruze Petrol, for good in and out of city driving (read not too good turbo lag)

[prateekm]

My father has decided to go for a premium diesel sedan now.But the problem is that vento has a waiting period for 5 months and Cruze is available.But the main problem is which one should we go for?

Well, this thread is actually a comparison between cars of 2 different segments, so the Cruze is a no-brainer. Looks much better than Vento's plain-jane looks and performs better too

Originally Posted by thedreamcatcher

The Cruz is definitely a VFM car considering the features it has and the performance as well. My pick would be the Cruze Petrol, for good in and out of city driving (read not too good turbo lag)

Sorry to nitpick, but Cruze Petrol hasn't been launched yet in India.

@TC
If you are open to other brands, do check out the Laura. The petrol engine is made for enthusiasts and the diesel is quite nippy too. Also, it has a fantastic auto transmission !

[thedreamcatcher]

^^Oops My Bad. Dont know why i had this feeling that it was already here, when I was typing

[MAS]

If I were you, I would cancel the Vento and go in for the Cruze. The Cruze is one segment above the Vento!!! Go in for the Cruze eyes closed. It will prove to be more VFM than the Vento.

[ashish22]

Cruze is great for highways. It can gobble up the distances like anything. BUT its a pain to drive in the city as turbo lag is evident and also the clutch has that spring effect. Many a times its hard to control the car and sometimes while changing gears the car can be sluggish(it can either scoot off or no reponse) which can get quite irritating.
For highways its a gem of a car and the torque pulls the car effortlessly. If 90% of your driving is within the heavy city traffic then i guess you would be better off with the Vento. For all the other factors cruze wins hands down.

[iIncepted]

Well, I called the GM dealership on Saturday and had a small chat. The salesman was interested in sending the car immediately for test drive but I refused due to prior commitments. When I asked for waiting time, he said LTZ will take 2-3 weeks, while LT will take 1month+. Just after saying Thank You and before hanging up as I didn't want to wait for another month for LT model, the salesman immediately said he can arrange LT within 3weeks. I really didn't buy his 3weeks commitment as I don't want to book and wait for another two months. Still I told him I will call him back to arrange for TD.

Looking at the posts and suggestions, I believe I should stick to Vento as I will be driving within the city 99.99% of the time. I know there is no point, but I will call the VW dealership tomorrow to see any development and will take TD of Cruze as well. Till then I appreciate everyones help/ valuable comments.

Regards

[ACM]

Incepted - Yours is a common dilema but the solution that you have considered is odd. Cruz and Vento are from two different segments.

Ofcourse you will love the interiors and features of the cruz more - though those of the vento are likely to last longer.

Both are VFM in their own right for the price that they come for.

For city driving I did not enjoy the cruz as that much (have not driven the vento as yet).

Cruz is a highway mile cruncher, but for the city vento may be better.

Also it's just my personal opinion, but Vento is likely to hold resale prices better than the cruz, (optra from the same GM family is just a reference case to point of poor resale of a car that was in the same segment earlier.).

Suggest you check with VW for your booking status and push the dealer more.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by prateekm

Well, this thread is actually a comparison between cars of 2 different segments, so the Cruze is a no-brainer.

Originally Posted by MAS

The Cruze is one segment above the Vento!!!

I don't understand why the car being from a segment above / more expensive automatically makes it better. The thread starter needs to primarily drive within the city and that's exactly where the Vento owns the Cruze. Nearly zero turbo-lag (the Cruze has heavy), a lighter clutch and more compact dimensions make the VW better suited to his usage.

Originally Posted by iIncepted

Looking at the posts and suggestions, I believe I should stick to Vento as I will be driving within the city 99.99% of the time.

Good decision, congrats!

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't understand why the car being from a segment above / more expensive automatically makes it better. The thread starter needs to primarily drive within the city and that's exactly where the Vento owns the Cruze. Nearly zero turbo-lag (the Cruze has heavy), a lighter clutch and more compact dimensions make the VW better suited to his usage.



Good decision, congrats!

+1 to what GTO said. A car from an more expensive segment isn't necessarily a better car than one from a cheaper segment.

Having I said that, though, I know the thread starter's decided to patiently stick with the Vento (good decision, because it's a great car), but if money wasn't a deterrent I'd have gone in for the Cruze. I've driven a friend's Cruze in normal Bombay traffic for about 2 hours, and didn't have a problem with either the clutch or the turbo lag. In fact, the Turbo lag seemed to be more or less on par with the lag I find in my Swift MJD. Any comparison between the two ends there, though, because when the turbo on the Cruze kicks in that car moves like a scalded rat!
Also, I found the level of toys and the interior styling of the car to be leagues ahead of anything else that's in the price segment (especially the Altis, which has absolutely nothing).

I'll probably trade my Swift for the Vento in a year's time (the Cruze will still be elusively out of budget), but I'm REALLY hoping they spruce up the plain-jane, slightly dated interiors. It's a great car, but the insides could do with some verve and style.

[noopster]

I had the same dilemma but wrt Vento AT and Laura DSG. Agreed they are from different segments but this was a real choice that I had to make. All things considered the VFM offered by the Vento was incomparable, so I went for that!

In your case, Vento TDi is the torque king of the C segment (to quote GTO). You can't really go wrong with it. Cruze is bigger and more powerful but at about 60% more outlay, I don't think you will ever find it delivering in terms of value (my opin9ion purely). Go with your heart!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ashish22

BUT its a pain to drive in the city as turbo lag is evident and also the clutch has that spring effect. Many a times its hard to control the car and sometimes while changing gears the car can be sluggish(it can either scoot off or no reponse) which can get quite irritating.

I am surprised that after living with the car you still find the turbolag an issue? I am not denying that there isnt any lag but, come on which diesel car does not have it. It's just the matter of staying in the right gear to overcome this issue. Whereas, there has been a lot of talk about the heavy clutch and i dont find that an issue at all ( remember i drive a petrol hatch on weekends)

However, i completely agree with you that controlling it in traffic is bit of a task as it scoots forward like a scared rabbit. Apart from this issue, i have another one which is when i stop at a traffic signal on a plain/flat ground with no handbrake. The car simply wont stand still. It either slowly drifts forward or backward. If your looking at any pretty damsels in the next car, then be assured you will bump into someone at the front or back.

It has happened to me twice and i find that a bit irritating.

Solution : eyes in front or apply handbrake

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Having I said that, though, I know the thread starter's decided to patiently stick with the Vento (good decision, because it's a great car), but if money wasn't a deterrent I'd have gone in for the Cruze. I've driven a friend's Cruze in normal Bombay traffic for about 2 hours, and didn't have a problem with either the clutch or the turbo lag. In fact, the Turbo lag seemed to be more or less on par with the lag I find in my Swift MJD. Any comparison between the two ends there, though, because when the turbo on the Cruze kicks in that car moves like a scalded rat!

Also, I found the level of toys and the interior styling of the car to be leagues ahead of anything else that's in the price segment (especially the Altis, which has absolutely nothing).

I'll probably trade my Swift for the Vento in a year's time (the Cruze will still be elusively out of budget), but I'm REALLY hoping they spruce up the plain-jane, slightly dated interiors. It's a great car, but the insides could do with some verve and style.

I agree to most of your points. After driving it for 10,000kms and using it as my daily car in traffic conditions in Hyderabad. I dont find the lag an issue ( as long as you know the gear to keep the engine in its powerband (i.e) 1300 rpm onwards).

Used to drive an Pete'd Accent Viva CRDi before and it also had a lag and only difference is instead of controlling that car in traffic in 2nd gear i have to do it in 1st gear for the Cruze. This lag is an issue only on steep inclines where your crawling behind someone and Hyderabad has many steep climbs within the city. But, then again getting used to it is the trick and will certainly be uncomfortable for someone just taking a short drive.

Another minus point for Cruze is the swooping roofline which will be a bit claustrophobic for 6-footers. I am 6ft. 1in and I do feel little suffocated at times

Take it on the highway, there is almost NO other car that can come anywhere close to it in terms of it's performance and excellent highway manners.

If money is not a consideration then its a no-brainer which car to choose.

Comparing a Vento with the Cruze is just not fair

[ashish22]

Avinash i would rather prefer the handbrake and enjoy the damsels errr surroundings i mean!

The reason i find the turbo lag annoying is especially when i'm in a bit of hurry and i have to make my way through heavy traffic. This kind of situation requires lot of gear shifts and quick overtaking maneuvers and even if you are absolutely used to the characteristics of your car, still there are lot of times when you shift a gear and you end up right in the turbo lag zone (precisely because you cannot control how the traffic behaves). And by the time you enter the turbo zone again there's already another car in front (so there goes your maneuver for toss) and add to that a heavy clutch which can make smooth shifts difficult when you are in a hurry. Even after getting used to the heavy clutch of RS i still find cruze's clutch quite a task sometimes.

When the traffic is smooth then its a different story all together, it allows us to use the turbo spool to the maximum effect and thats where cruze is simply a rocket. But smooth traffic these days is quite rare.

Infact i always prefer to use kappa in heavy traffic. Its a joy to use with its linear response and smooth gearbox. And it has the size advantage as well.

Cruze is a decent city car but vento is better in that aspect and since in this case 99.99% usage will be in city thus i feel vento will be easier to live with.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ashish22

Infact i always prefer to use kappa in heavy traffic. Its a joy to use with its linear response and smooth gearbox. And it has the size advantage as well.

Cruze is a decent city car but vento is better in that aspect and since in this case 99.99% usage will be in city thus i feel vento will be easier to live with.

Well, if usage is 99.99% in city ( which i find quite unreal) as most buy sedans and then plan a long/highway drive regularly instead of buying one knowing before hand.

In that case, Vento should be a more suitable car for city driving.

I too like my Kappa for its size advantage and also its zippy nature. But, reason i dont use it on a daily basis is due to its low FE and i drive minimum 50km-60km each day.

Whereas, with Cruze in city conditions my heart is in my mouth always as everyone is so close to the car that i get paranoid they are deliberately trying to scratch the car and size does matter in our traffic conditions

Anyways, i am more of listener to my heart than mind. I will buy a car that I instantly like irrespective of it not meeting all my criterias.

[MDe]

If it was for the look and power, nothing beats the Cruze. Having 150PS to your disposal is a great feeling in itself provided you have the place to utilize it. If you are going for a complete city drive and are happy with a decent performance, Vento is the way to go. If you are a person who likes zippy drives and seeks fun in between 2 traffic jams, Cruze still wins. I believe it is worth the money.