[cruiser@0523]

This is going to be my first ever review.

Deciding on the car

So the hunt started way back in 09 when i was blown away by the Hyundai Verna's massive power and torque. It was the first diesel turbocharged car i sat in. I felt like i was sitting in a sports car as all i earlier drove was a Hyundai Santro or a Chevrolet Spark, because those were what my parents owned.

Now i was in love with the diesel cars and especially this Beast " The Verna ". I turned eighteen and this was the only car i wanted. I went to the showroom to get the car booked and i was told that the new Verna Transform was arriving soon in 2010.Now this was something unexpected as i was dying to get my hands on the Verna. But my dad advised me to buy some other car for now as he'd buy me the new Verna Transform later on.

So i bought a Hyundai i20 instead in December 09.It really was a good car and we have it still but i always missed the getting pushed back into the seats like in the Verna. Now finally the Verna Transform launched and i started Breathing Again . We had just bought an i20 so dad wanted me to wait for some months. Months passed and finally i managed go to the showroom and sadly again i was told that the new Fluidic Verna would be launching in 2011.Again dad refused to buy it but he promised to buy me the new Fluidic Verna.

I kept waiting for months and at last the day came when finally the new Fluidic Verna launched. Rushed to the showroom to get a test drive of the car but was very unhappy with the TD as now the old sudden burst of torque was gone. The torque delivery was on the linear side which made me decide not to buy the car. I just wanted a car that pushes me back into the seat with the burst of torque.

I did some research and suddenly the Chevrolet Optra Magnum came to my mind. The car offered more space, bigger engine and a much more torque. Took a test drive and fell in love with the car. The pickup and the torque were amazing, and was certainly a better option than the Verna. But some of features like folding mirrors, keyless entry, bluetooth connectivity were missing in the Optra which were available in the Fluidic Verna. And i don’t know why no sunroof is offered on the diesel Optra whereas it is available on the petrol variant. No doubt the Optra Magnum is an amazing car but it does lack behind in terms of features comparing it with its rivals, so i decided not to buy one.

Now while surfing i saw the new Hyundai Elantra/Avante was making its way to India soon. Searched on Google and according to some sites the car rumored to launch around December 2011 so decided to wait But unfortunately the launch of avante was postponed to 2012.Again I decided to wait till one fine day, dad's friend came to our place on his Chevrolet Cruze. I took it for a drive and was amazed with the power and the features of the car. Loved how the car looked, the pickup, torque and features like sunroof, cruze control, rain sensing wipers. Now i had decided that this was the only car i wanted. Took 2-3 months to convince dad and luckily i succeeded

The Booking Experience:

First i went to Dynamic Motors Chandigarh and asked for discounts as generally big discounts are given in the month of December. The Dynamic Motors Offered a corporate discount of Rs8000 for Govt. employees and free Teflon coating, anti-rust coating and side mirror indicators. Then i went to Padam Motors Chandigarh and they offered me a massive Rs10000 corporate discount for Govt. employees, straight Rs10000 cash discount and in addition to those they also offered free Teflon coating, anti-rust coating, side mirror indicators and sill plates. Straight away i got booked the Sand drift Grey LTZ MT with Padam Motors Chandigarh. They already had the car in stock and i took the delivery of the car on 23rd December 2011.

Driving Experience So Far:

I've covered up 4000kms so far. In the beginning I had a lot of problems getting used to the clutch and the gearshifts. Even after covering 4000kms my foot pains badly in bumper to bumper traffic because of the return action of the clutch. I thought I’ll get used to it but I guess this is one problem which is going to annoy me forever. There is a lot of difference in the older model and the new one, there is a noticeable turbo lag but not as much as it was in the old Cruze. Once you get used to the gear shifts, there isn’t any problem. So far I’ve just managed to touch 160Km/h and even at that speed the car is very stable and if u press the gas, it just gains more speed effortlessly. I Tried every bit not to cross 2000RMP mark for the first 2000 kms and somehow i managed to do it . So far I am amazed with the performance and it really is a fun to drive car especially on the highways.

Positives:

* Great Power, Great Torque as you all know. Starts with a little pull at around 1300-1400RPM and the response is great after it crosses 1800 mark.
* Overtaking is a pleasure especially on the highways
* Loaded with features like sunroof, rain sensing wipers, cruze control, parking sensors and so on
* Ac really is a chiller
* Excellent braking
* Excellent handling
* One push all 4 windows down
* Value for money car

Negatives:

* THE RETURNING ACTION OF THE CLUTCH - I read a lot about it being very hard, and it really is. My foot starts paining badly in bumper to bumper traffic.
* HEADLIGHTS - The headlights don’t provide a good visibility. An upgrade is recommended.
* CENTRE ARMREST - It is not placed it in a very good position. It doesn’t extend much like it should. Isn't Very usefull.
* SOME STRANGE THINGS:

+ All the 4 windows go down one push but they don’t close up one pull. Not even the driver side's window.
+ If the window is open and the car is off and if you open any door than the only way of closing the window it by turning the car on. This is really very annoying and the same is for the sunroof.
+ If you are listening to the music and you open the driver side's door the music system also turns off.
+ If you are listening to the music and your car is off than after like 10 minutes, the music system automatically turns off and if u turn it on again, it again turns off after 10 minutes.

Some Upgrades So Far:

* I’ve put on the Michelin Primacy HP R16 225/55 instead of the stock JK Vectra's and also changed the stock alloys to HRS 16". Four tires costed 42k i.e. 10.5k each. Alloys costed 26k and the shopkeeper gave me 28k for the old JK Vectras and the alloys. So in total it costed 68k - 28k = 40k for the new tires and alloys.

* Changed the stock horns and have put roots instead. Cost Rs 500

* Carbon centre console, Got it as a free gift from the supplier.

* Remote opening and closing window kit, free gift by the supplier.

* Chrome fog lamp cover, 16$ for the cover and 27$ for shipping.

* Installed window curtains since the sun film is banned . Rs 3200 for a set of 4 window curtains.

* I've put a spoiler Lip. Total cost is 6k including the paint.

* Audi A7 style headlamps, 30K for a set of two. HID 6000K for the low beam and Halogen for the high beam.

* Fog lamp bulbs changed to 5000k Halogen

* BMW Style tail lamps, 20k for a set of two.

* Links for the auto window closing kit : It just takes 5 seconds to install. There is a slot for plugging in the kit just above the gas pedal. Plug it in when you car is off and then turn on the car once. Shut down the car and close the door. Now press the unlock button on your remote thrice within 5 seconds and it will lower down all the 4 windows. In the same way, press the lock button thrice within 5 seconds and that will close all the windows.

Window Closing Kit For Chevy Cruze - YouTube

Chevy Cruze Window Open Close By Remote - YouTube

More Upgrades Planned :

* 3M black roof vinyl
* DVD player with GPS navigation and Reverse Camera


Here Are Some Photos :

[mobike008]

Congrats Cruiser on the Cruze. Welcome to the club

Please break the first paragraph into couple more paragraphs for easier reading.

Do add more about your experience of 4000kms and last but not the least, do add some pictures before requesting a mod to move it to public forum.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[drchernish]

A very beautiful car with smashing upgrades.If only Chevrolet can reduce the strong clutch issue the car will have no equal at this price point or above it.Hope they do it with the next planned upgrade.To counter this issue people are forced to buy automatic variant which raises the price further,hope Chevrolet listens to our pleas.

[.sourov]

Congrats on your car. She is really looking awesome with the upgrades you made.

Cruze is a very fast car and with some performance upgrades she will be faster, have you got any plans for the same in near future?

[cruiser@0523]

Thank you so much. Well, currently I have no plans for performance upgrade. I think it’s already hard to control the car when it gets going.

[DexterMorgan]

sweet ride there. Brilliant colour and alloys Congrats!!

You might want to go easy on decals. Please get rid of the skeleton decal on the rear bumper and also one on the bonnet. Bit of overdone.
The transformer side panel logo looks smashing though.

[triedeverything]

Good buy Cruiser, and nice pictures. The window curtains are superb! Are these available for different cars and sizes? Were these available off the shelf or can they be bought online? Any idea? Are they available for the front and rear screens too? I'm thinking these are going to get really popular.. till the next ban order.

The music system turning off if the engine is turned off should be considered a good one right? You can be sure that you won't have to push start your vehicle if the battery gets drained dry. But I agree, 10 minutes is an overkill.

[drmohitg]

Congrats man! Yours is the best looking Cruze on the forum. Amazing pics and loved the alloys, headlamps and tail lights. Total drool stuff. Looking forward to some more pictures.

[cruiser@0523]

Originally Posted by triedeverything

Good buy Cruiser, and nice pictures. The window curtains are superb! Are these available for different cars and sizes? Were these available off the shelf or can they be bought online? Any idea? Are they available for the front and rear screens too? I'm thinking these are going to get really popular.. till the next ban order.

The music system turning off if the engine is turned off should be considered a good one right? You can be sure that you won't have to push start your vehicle if the battery gets drained dry. But I agree, 10 minutes is an overkill.

Yes these are available for different cars, like the one's i have got installed are especially for cruze. You can get the curtains for different cars. I bought it from a local car care shop. The set includes the curtains for only 4 windows. Here is the email id of the importer, it was given on the box which contained the curtains " sales@amritrasindia.com " and this is their website " Welcome to Amritras India.com ". So i guess if you contact them, they will provide you at your doorstep .

[superutp]

Congrats on your Cruze!I didnt think the sandrift grey colour with blackened logos would look so cool. But it does! Your car looks great with the mods you have done!

How about some pics of the interior?

Happy miles and safe drive with your 150BHP monster

[cruiser@0523]

Thank you. I'll post some interior photos very soon.

[sameerg001]

Congratulations on owning this beauty, well i guess it's good that your verna decision delayed and you got a torque-monster instead of a verna .

All the mods that you've carried out are damn cool, expect for over done decals .

Sand drift color is my personal favorite in the cruze, and those killer lights and alloys, only enhances it further, BTW nice selection of alloys . Please do post some nice pictures, especially of the interiors.

What about the mileage that you've been getting ?

Wish you wonderful miles ahead, drive safe .

Cheers
Sameer

[saurabhdadhichi]

Awesome! Car looks like a Transformer now

Congratulations! Loved overall styling especially the front headlights and rear brake lights with a combination of Best of Audi and best of BMW!

What is the total cost of ownership for the monster now, including everything that you spent on it?

Yes indeed interiors pics are a must for this thread.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Wow, sand drift grey cruze is my favourite and I always hope that I will also own it some day. Its already an amazing car and you have made it even more loveable. Nice alloys. The A7 style headlights look just too good, the tail lamps are nice as well. Overall the car looks smashing. Enjoy your ride and drive safe.