Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods

tusharsethi · 18th May 2011, 22:01

Hello Everyone,

I was in a big dilemma for the past 1 month. It being that I had 3 cars out of which 1 was always parked and never used. Hence, the thought of reducing the number of cars to 2 sounded good and practical.

I started out with the thought that I should replace my 1.5 year old Tata Safari as it wasn’t a practical purchase for a family of 2 and I had got it because of the childhood dream of the Safari ad jumping through the Jungle and the tagline “Make your own road”. That was all it took for me to become a diehard Safari fan. Even after having 3 Indica’s in the family and dealing with all the Tata Issues, I went ahead and got the Safari. After driving for about 51,000 kms I knew I was just forcing myself and didn’t really want to keep the truck anymore. So, I set out with a realistic price demand for the Safari, but as fate had it, even after a very good offer, I couldn’t let go. Anyone who owns one will understand how difficult it is to part with the beast. Be it 5 visits to the service centre every month or anything. All problems are forgotten when you're behind the wheel of the beast. You are the king of the road in this.
So, Now the option was to change my 04' Chevy Optra 1.6 and my 05' Ford Ikon 1.3 and went ahead and the search for a good powerful diesel car began. It was difficult to part with both of them as I had done about 1.75+kms in them and they never let me down.

I had set out with a budget of 15 Lacs for the on road price and my feature priority list being (in order of preference):
1) Airbags & ABS
2) Sunroof
3) Power
4) Gadgets and Features
The options I had considered were:

1) Skoda Laura TDI Ambiente
Pros:
More Legroom
Good Handler

Cons:
SKODA!
No Sunroof

2) Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Pros:
German Thud noise in the doors

Interior fit and finish was excellent

Cons:
Replacement due in a couple of months
No Sunroof

3) Hyundai New Verna SX-O
Pros:
Cheaper by atleast 5Lacs
Cheaper Maintenance
All features present from a higher category

Cons:
Interior quality not too great
No Sunroof
Genetic Verna Handling

4) Chevrolet Cruze LTZ
Pros:
Excellent Feature List
Complete VFM option
Maintenance not too high
Cruze Control

Cons:
Already have 2 Cruze in the family
Rear Legroom issue
Turbo Lag

Finally, the choice was made. It was a Cruze LTZ. The third in my family. There isn’t a more VFM option in the market today. I had decided to get an Olympic White Cruze LTZ, but as we already have an Olympic White and Switchblade Silver in the family, I was confused again. I went to the showroom to decide the colour when I saw the new Sandrift Grey parked there waiting for me. I knew it then and there, this is the colour I want.

The showroom belongs to a friend and hence told him that I’ll be taking delivery on the 17th of May because it was an auspicious day according to Mr. Pandit. Didn’t opt for any additional accessories, but made a deal that they would take back my stock alloys as I’ll be going in for better ones.

The total pricing was something like this :

On-Road Price in Jaipur : 16,07,000
(+) 0% Dep Insurance : 5,000
( -) Discount : 67,000
Total On Road Price : 15,45,000

They are giving me a buyback at Rs. 15,000 for the stock alloys.

Took delivery on the 17th and went straight to the temple to get the customary puja done. This temple does about 100 Car puja’s everyday and about 1,000 puja’s on auspicious days!

After that took the car straight to the tyre shop and got Continental CPC2 225/55 R16 in place of the JK's. Paid a difference of 5k per tyre. Also got Garware Sunfilms installed on all glasses with a 63% heat rejection and Ice cool on the front glass with a 50% heat rejection.

I've done about 200 kms till now and here is what I have to say about the monster :

Pros:
1) Excellent Handling
2) There’s a Major difference with the Tyre Upgrade. I would recommend everyone to get that done as soon as you get your cruze.
3) Too Many Features – It’s a full Timepass car.
4) ICE – I was thinking about the changing the headunit to a Caska or something, but the headunit in the newer models have USB connectivity and it is excellent. There is no lag in navigating the ipod list of anykind. The speakers need an upgrade if you’re an ICE ‘Keeda’ like me

5) Black Leathers : The best thing they could have updated on the Cruze was that Grey interior. Black looks classy and sporty at the same time.
6) Sunroof – It is just amazing!
Cons:
1) Still have to Run-in the Car
2) Turbo Lag – This is a pain in the city driving, but I guess I’ll get used to it and it should improve with the first checkup.

I'll be using the car for my daily office run, which is about 35kms one way out of which 25 kms is the NH8 expressway and will be a delight because of the Cruise Control.

I've yet to measure the fuel efficiency, but I will do that once i've done the 1000kms checkup. Till now the MID shows about 10kmpl.
The tyre change has made a major improvement in the handling and in cabin comfort level. CPC2's are too silent and with an excellent grip. I would definitely recommend everyone to change the JK's from the Cruze, even if you want to keep the same size.

I did not take the 3Year/45,000 Kms Maintenance Package as my yearly usage will be about 40-45,000 kms and it didn't make sense as the total of the 3 services done is this time would not go beyond 20k.

Overall, the car is the most VFM product available in this price range currently and I would definitely recommend people considering it take a plunge and go for it. The only drawback I could find in the car is the turbo-lag, which you will get used to and wont be much of a problem. I have stalled the car 2-3 times since I've got it, but now I'm used to the lag and it doesn't stall anymore.

I'll be upgrading the ICE this weekend and will update everything on this thread.

P.S - I love this colour. It gives the car a bigger and meaner stance. These photos do not do justice to the colour. All of them clicked with my phone. I will surely update better pics tomorrow. And yes, the Got BHP? sticker is already on

In the pic on the lift, I was just checking if the alloys looks good. Its a 15", but was just checking the design. Any comments on this?

Enjoy

EDIT : Updated Pics

Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods-photo-1.jpg

Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods-2.jpg

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kaush666 · 18th May 2011, 22:08

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new car.

The Cruze is an awesome vehicle in the segment with a wonderful diesel engine. Do keep us updated on the many miles that you cover with this car and also create a thread once you do your ICE upgrade. Looking forward to the alloy upgrade that you have in mind

Happy Motoring!

Cheers,
Kaushik

bluevolt · 18th May 2011, 22:09

Hi tushar,

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new Chevy Cruze. In fact it’s raining Cruze here on team-bhp. The car really looks good in this color. Please do add some more pictures of your car including interiors and engine bay.

Happy driving.

Dry Ice · 18th May 2011, 22:24

Congratulations! This color does make it a little more menacing to look at!
Please do post some interior pics as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tusharsethi

I also got the showroom people to buyback my stock alloys as I'm not a big fan of them and am looking for better alloys right now.

err.. if you have sold your alloys and are 'deciding' about new ones.. what are you riding on then, right now?

About the last alloy pic, the wheel looks puny in that gigantic wheel well!!

tusharsethi · 18th May 2011, 22:29

Thank you everyone for the wishes. I hope I have a good journey with the beast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Congratulations! This color does make it a little more menacing to look at!
Please do post some interior pics as well.

err.. if you have sold your alloys and are 'deciding' about new ones.. what are you riding on then, right now?

About the last alloy pic, the wheel looks puny in that gigantic wheel well!!

A friend owns the showroom and I have a week to return the alloys to them as I'm in Jaipur and there aren't much options available here so trying to source the alloys from Bombay.

About the alloy pic, I had mentioned that I wast checking if the design would look good and the alloy in picture was a swift alloy, hence the puny size. If I do order, I'll get the same ones in 16".

Dry Ice · 18th May 2011, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by tusharsethi

A friend owns the showroom and I have a week to return the alloys to them as I'm in Jaipur and there aren't much options available here so trying to source the alloys from Bombay.

Aah.. that makes sense now!

Good luck with the alloy chase.

tusharsethi · 19th May 2011, 16:53

Hello Everyone,

Updated the high red photos in the first post.

Enjoy

mobike008 · 19th May 2011, 17:18

Congratulations Tushar. Finally, the beast comes home..eh?

It looks really mean in the grey color and so refreshing from the majority of whites that are on the road. Great choice!

With regards to alloys, I would honestly hope that you would choose something in black as it would give the car a totally mean look.

Also, please provide more technical feedback with regards to some of the following :-

1. Gearshifts
2. Ride
3. Turbolag. Would be nice if you elaborate your thoughts on it
4. some better/daylight and night pictures of the interiors

It would also be interesting to know a comparison with your petrol Optra. What you feel is different in this car since they come from the same family.

Finally, hope to see regular updates with pictures on this thread.

Keep those revv's high

Cheers and Safe Driving !!!

anekho · 19th May 2011, 17:22

Congrats on the Cruze! Looks awesome in Grey!

To be honest I didn't like the alloy in the lift-pic. Check out this fellow Bhpian's alloys on his Cruze - looks seriously awesome!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/73709-chevrolet-cruze-ltz-ownership-report-5000-km.html

tusharsethi · 19th May 2011, 18:10

Hi mobike,
I will surely keep updating this thread regularly. Regarding the black alloys, I lie in Jaipur and it's too tough to maintain black alloys here. I totally agree they will look awesome though.

Cheers

Hi anekho,
I've read Sameer's thread in and out and no doubt the alloys are killer but IMHO they look good only in 17". If I get the same design in 16", it won't appeal that much. I'm going through all possible options and should have an update in a week.

Cheers

Torquedo · 19th May 2011, 18:13

Tushar -

Pardon me for missing out on being the 1st one to congratulate you for owning the BEAST.

But anyways as they say, better late than never.

My heartiest congratulations to you !!

Drive safe, follow the run-in guidelines and enjoy many a happy miles with the machine.

Cheers

Happy Motoring !!

Ace F355 · 19th May 2011, 18:22

Congratulations tusharsethi. You have made a sensible choice choosing Cruze over the Germans (and the Czechs

). The Chevy will serve you beautifully for years to come! Wish you thousands of happy and soulful miles on your new prized possession.

P.S. Great choice of color too! My love for grey and black color is well documented on this forum (I own a carbon bronze Civic myself) and the color is bound to give your Cruze a mean and aggressive look!

Happy Cruzzzing (in Will Smith style, eh)....

GTO · 19th May 2011, 18:32

Gawd, this colour looks jaw-dropping awesome on the Cruze. My favourite car - the OHC Vtec - also wore a similar shade. And need I mention, fab positioning of the Team-BHP sticker. Congrats on the diesel rocket, Tushar, and do drive safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tusharsethi

It was a Cruze LTZ. The third in my family.

You guys should line up and ask Chevrolet for family discounts.

Quote:

Black Leathers : The best thing they could have updated on the Cruze was that Grey interior. Black looks classy and sporty at the same time.

Where the grey looks so dull, the black is classy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tusharsethi

there aren't much options available here so trying to source the alloys from Bombay.

Good luck with finding a nice set in Bombay, though I've not been too happy myself with the available designs.

amit_2025 · 19th May 2011, 18:53

Hey Tushar, Excellent Pick.

I am glad Chevy introduced this Color
One of the better cars in the Segment in an excellent color.

Agree with GTO that it looks Jaw Dropping in Grey

CRtorquefan · 19th May 2011, 21:38

Its raining CRUZE at teambhp these days.
Congratulations alot tushar for your Excellent car choice-CRUZE & even better is the colour choice.
The Grey looks even more glistening in Sunshine.

But why the Left front alloy is different from the rest in the 4th pic from above ?

18th May 2011, 22:01	#1
tusharsethi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Jaipur Posts: 126 Thanked: 62 Times	Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Hello Everyone, I was in a big dilemma for the past 1 month. It being that I had 3 cars out of which 1 was always parked and never used. Hence, the thought of reducing the number of cars to 2 sounded good and practical. I started out with the thought that I should replace my 1.5 year old Tata Safari as it wasn’t a practical purchase for a family of 2 and I had got it because of the childhood dream of the Safari ad jumping through the Jungle and the tagline “Make your own road”. That was all it took for me to become a diehard Safari fan. Even after having 3 Indica’s in the family and dealing with all the Tata Issues, I went ahead and got the Safari. After driving for about 51,000 kms I knew I was just forcing myself and didn’t really want to keep the truck anymore. So, I set out with a realistic price demand for the Safari, but as fate had it, even after a very good offer, I couldn’t let go. Anyone who owns one will understand how difficult it is to part with the beast. Be it 5 visits to the service centre every month or anything. All problems are forgotten when you're behind the wheel of the beast. You are the king of the road in this. So, Now the option was to change my 04' Chevy Optra 1.6 and my 05' Ford Ikon 1.3 and went ahead and the search for a good powerful diesel car began. It was difficult to part with both of them as I had done about 1.75+kms in them and they never let me down. I had set out with a budget of 15 Lacs for the on road price and my feature priority list being (in order of preference): 1) Airbags & ABS 2) Sunroof 3) Power 4) Gadgets and Features The options I had considered were: 1) Skoda Laura TDI Ambiente Pros: More Legroom Good Handler Cons: SKODA! No Sunroof 2) Volkswagen Jetta TDI Pros: German Thud noise in the doors Interior fit and finish was excellent Cons: Replacement due in a couple of months No Sunroof 3) Hyundai New Verna SX-O Pros: Cheaper by atleast 5Lacs Cheaper Maintenance All features present from a higher category Cons: Interior quality not too great No Sunroof Genetic Verna Handling 4) Chevrolet Cruze LTZ Pros: Excellent Feature List Complete VFM option Maintenance not too high Cruze Control Cons: Already have 2 Cruze in the family Rear Legroom issue Turbo Lag Finally, the choice was made. It was a Cruze LTZ. The third in my family. There isn’t a more VFM option in the market today. I had decided to get an Olympic White Cruze LTZ, but as we already have an Olympic White and Switchblade Silver in the family, I was confused again. I went to the showroom to decide the colour when I saw the new Sandrift Grey parked there waiting for me. I knew it then and there, this is the colour I want. The showroom belongs to a friend and hence told him that I’ll be taking delivery on the 17th of May because it was an auspicious day according to Mr. Pandit. Didn’t opt for any additional accessories, but made a deal that they would take back my stock alloys as I’ll be going in for better ones. The total pricing was something like this : On-Road Price in Jaipur : 16,07,000 (+) 0% Dep Insurance : 5,000 ( -) Discount : 67,000 Total On Road Price : 15,45,000 They are giving me a buyback at Rs. 15,000 for the stock alloys. Took delivery on the 17th and went straight to the temple to get the customary puja done. This temple does about 100 Car puja’s everyday and about 1,000 puja’s on auspicious days! After that took the car straight to the tyre shop and got Continental CPC2 225/55 R16 in place of the JK's. Paid a difference of 5k per tyre. Also got Garware Sunfilms installed on all glasses with a 63% heat rejection and Ice cool on the front glass with a 50% heat rejection. I've done about 200 kms till now and here is what I have to say about the monster : Pros: 1) Excellent Handling 2) There’s a Major difference with the Tyre Upgrade. I would recommend everyone to get that done as soon as you get your cruze. 3) Too Many Features – It’s a full Timepass car. 4) ICE – I was thinking about the changing the headunit to a Caska or something, but the headunit in the newer models have USB connectivity and it is excellent. There is no lag in navigating the ipod list of anykind. The speakers need an upgrade if you’re an ICE ‘Keeda’ like me 5) Black Leathers : The best thing they could have updated on the Cruze was that Grey interior. Black looks classy and sporty at the same time. 6) Sunroof – It is just amazing! Cons: 1) Still have to Run-in the Car 2) Turbo Lag – This is a pain in the city driving, but I guess I’ll get used to it and it should improve with the first checkup. I'll be using the car for my daily office run, which is about 35kms one way out of which 25 kms is the NH8 expressway and will be a delight because of the Cruise Control. I've yet to measure the fuel efficiency, but I will do that once i've done the 1000kms checkup. Till now the MID shows about 10kmpl. The tyre change has made a major improvement in the handling and in cabin comfort level. CPC2's are too silent and with an excellent grip. I would definitely recommend everyone to change the JK's from the Cruze, even if you want to keep the same size. I did not take the 3Year/45,000 Kms Maintenance Package as my yearly usage will be about 40-45,000 kms and it didn't make sense as the total of the 3 services done is this time would not go beyond 20k. Overall, the car is the most VFM product available in this price range currently and I would definitely recommend people considering it take a plunge and go for it. The only drawback I could find in the car is the turbo-lag, which you will get used to and wont be much of a problem. I have stalled the car 2-3 times since I've got it, but now I'm used to the lag and it doesn't stall anymore. I'll be upgrading the ICE this weekend and will update everything on this thread. P.S - I love this colour. It gives the car a bigger and meaner stance. These photos do not do justice to the colour. All of them clicked with my phone. I will surely update better pics tomorrow. And yes, the Got BHP? sticker is already on In the pic on the lift, I was just checking if the alloys looks good. Its a 15", but was just checking the design. Any comments on this? Enjoy EDIT : Updated Pics Last edited by GTO : 19th May 2011 at 18:26. Reason: Inserting all pictures in-line for easy readability
	(1) Thanks

18th May 2011, 22:08	#2
kaush666 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 311 Thanked: 79 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new car. The Cruze is an awesome vehicle in the segment with a wonderful diesel engine. Do keep us updated on the many miles that you cover with this car and also create a thread once you do your ICE upgrade. Looking forward to the alloy upgrade that you have in mind Happy Motoring! Cheers, Kaushik
	() Thanks

18th May 2011, 22:09	#3
bluevolt Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New Delhi Posts: 3,273 Thanked: 3,477 Times View My Garage	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Hi tushar, Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new Chevy Cruze. In fact it’s raining Cruze here on team-bhp. The car really looks good in this color. Please do add some more pictures of your car including interiors and engine bay. Happy driving.
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 16:53	#7
tusharsethi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Jaipur Posts: 126 Thanked: 62 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Hello Everyone, Updated the high red photos in the first post. Enjoy
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 17:18	#8
mobike008 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,991 Thanked: 17,114 Times View My Garage	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Congratulations Tushar. Finally, the beast comes home..eh? It looks really mean in the grey color and so refreshing from the majority of whites that are on the road. Great choice! With regards to alloys, I would honestly hope that you would choose something in black as it would give the car a totally mean look. Also, please provide more technical feedback with regards to some of the following :- 1. Gearshifts 2. Ride 3. Turbolag. Would be nice if you elaborate your thoughts on it 4. some better/daylight and night pictures of the interiors It would also be interesting to know a comparison with your petrol Optra. What you feel is different in this car since they come from the same family. Finally, hope to see regular updates with pictures on this thread. Keep those revv's high Cheers and Safe Driving !!!
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 17:22	#9
anekho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 1,997 Thanked: 685 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Congrats on the Cruze! Looks awesome in Grey! To be honest I didn't like the alloy in the lift-pic. Check out this fellow Bhpian's alloys on his Cruze - looks seriously awesome! http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/73709-chevrolet-cruze-ltz-ownership-report-5000-km.html
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 18:10	#10
tusharsethi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Jaipur Posts: 126 Thanked: 62 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Hi mobike, I will surely keep updating this thread regularly. Regarding the black alloys, I lie in Jaipur and it's too tough to maintain black alloys here. I totally agree they will look awesome though. Cheers Hi anekho, I've read Sameer's thread in and out and no doubt the alloys are killer but IMHO they look good only in 17". If I get the same design in 16", it won't appeal that much. I'm going through all possible options and should have an update in a week. Cheers
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 18:13	#11
Torquedo BHPian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: . Posts: 706 Thanked: 829 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Tushar - Pardon me for missing out on being the 1st one to congratulate you for owning the BEAST. But anyways as they say, better late than never. My heartiest congratulations to you !! Drive safe, follow the run-in guidelines and enjoy many a happy miles with the machine. Cheers Happy Motoring !!
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 18:22	#12
Ace F355 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 1,284 Thanked: 3,067 Times View My Garage	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Congratulations tusharsethi. You have made a sensible choice choosing Cruze over the Germans (and the Czechs ). The Chevy will serve you beautifully for years to come! Wish you thousands of happy and soulful miles on your new prized possession. P.S. Great choice of color too! My love for grey and black color is well documented on this forum (I own a carbon bronze Civic myself) and the color is bound to give your Cruze a mean and aggressive look! Happy Cruzzzing (in Will Smith style, eh)....
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 18:53	#14
amit_2025 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 246 Thanked: 374 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Hey Tushar, Excellent Pick. I am glad Chevy introduced this Color One of the better cars in the Segment in an excellent color. Agree with GTO that it looks Jaw Dropping in Grey
	() Thanks

19th May 2011, 21:38	#15
CRtorquefan BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 534 Thanked: 208 Times	re: Chevy Cruze 12500kms update with minor mods Its raining CRUZE at teambhp these days. Congratulations alot tushar for your Excellent car choice-CRUZE & even better is the colour choice. The Grey looks even more glistening in Sunshine. But why the Left front alloy is different from the rest in the 4th pic from above ?
	() Thanks