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Old 16th January 2010, 06:46   #16
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Parking Sensor is another nice feature. There is no display but just a beep which does its job well. The display on the dash gives out the time date outside temperature and the A/C Temp. It also shows all the A/c controls like the air blowing towards face and legs or only legs, fogger etc.The seat belt chime keeps coming on once the car crosses 20KMPH and it stops once the driver puts on the belt.

There are two windscreen washer outlets each having three blowers which throws out the water like a shower.OVRM's do not have turn indicators which is a standard feature in this segment.(There are far many features in the Cruze which are not available in any other car this side of 20 Lacs)

There is the coming home light feature and the settings are available in the display. but it does not work. I did not check with the service guys. The user manual too has a mention of it. I will have to check it in the next service.

Last edited by sameer sultan : 16th January 2010 at 06:47.
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Old 16th January 2010, 07:13   #17
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The keyless entry and push button start feature add a wow factor to the Cruze. At the same time there is a down turn to this feature. The engine is on even if the driver walks away with the key fob. Only when the strat/stop button is pressed the engine shuts down. I had a scary experience once. I had gone to Yelligiri Hill station for a family function last month. When it was time to return to Chennai I asked my brother to get the car from the parking lot. He brought the car, kept it on, just pulled the hand brake and got out off it. I got into the car and proceeded to drive to Chennai. Just as I was in the first hairpin bend I got a call from my brother saying that he has forgotton to give the key fob to me. Thanks heavens he realised within 10 mins of my drive. If he had not and if I had stopped the car some where in the highway then I could not have re started it and would have been stranded for a couple of hours waiting for my brother to bring the key fob as he was driving down in his car!!!! In such a situation I cannot leave the car and go away also as I will not be able to lock the car manually since I do not have the key fob with me. This is such a scary scenario.
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Old 16th January 2010, 11:50   #18
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Damn for replica alloys, they sure look nice! If you don't mind, could you share some of the details - cost, brand and the place you bought them from?
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Old 16th January 2010, 12:05   #19
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Pardon me for the ignorance, but what is this?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...s-dsc00231.jpg

Thanks for the interior pics, Sameer. They look ravishing.
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Old 16th January 2010, 12:16   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DRIV3R View Post
Pardon me for the ignorance, but what is this?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...s-dsc00231.jpg

Thanks for the interior pics, Sameer. They look ravishing.
That is the sensor for keyless entry/exit.

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Originally Posted by khan75 View Post
Damn for replica alloys, they sure look nice! If you don't mind, could you share some of the details - cost, brand and the place you bought them from?
A set of 4 alloys 17" cost me Rs. 27,500/-

Brand Flying Eagle.

Majestic Tires Chennai. 98410 25335.
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Old 16th January 2010, 12:19   #21
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Awesome review and great pictures! The Cruze has a lot of tech inside. Beats many of it's rivals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sameer sultan View Post
The engine is on even if the driver walks away with the key fob. Only when the strat/stop button is pressed the engine shuts down. I had a scary experience once. I had gone to Yelligiri Hill station for a family function last month. When it was time to return to Chennai I asked my brother to get the car from the parking lot. He brought the car, kept it on, just pulled the hand brake and got out off it. I got into the car and proceeded to drive to Chennai. Just as I was in the first hairpin bend I got a call from my brother saying that he has forgotton to give the key fob to me. Thanks heavens he realised within 10 mins of my drive. If he had not and if I had stopped the car some where in the highway then I could not have re started it and would have been stranded for a couple of hours waiting for my brother to bring the key fob as he was driving down in his car!!!! In such a situation I cannot leave the car and go away also as I will not be able to lock the car manually since I do not have the key fob with me. This is such a scary scenario.
lol! That is scary! I thought the car can only run when the keys are inside the car. Or within 10mtrs of it. Be careful next time. I'd rather switch off PEPS completely. Atleast that would not result in such situations.
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Old 16th January 2010, 12:28   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theragingbull View Post
Awesome review and great pictures! The Cruze has a lot of tech inside. Beats many of it's rivals.

Thanks mate. its VFM in this segment.

lol! That is scary! I thought the car can only run when the keys are inside the car. Or within 10mtrs of it. Be careful next time. I'd rather switch off PEPS completely. Atleast that would not result in such situations.
If I switch off PEPS only the keyless entry exit will be de-activated. The engine Start/Stop button has no option of de-activating.AFAIK
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Old 16th January 2010, 13:14   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sameer sultan View Post
If I switch off PEPS only the keyless entry exit will be de-activated. The engine Start/Stop button has no option of de-activating.AFAIK
now thats something scary too, and sure GM would come out with the solution to this in future from feedbacks from owners like you.
Congratulations on your wheels, looks stunning in this shade with alloys.
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Old 16th January 2010, 13:55   #24
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Dont remember seeing another review wherein people praise the alloys first! Let me too! Great alloys !

The review too is good coz of the detail description of stuff and its pix.

Now, hows the ride quality with the 225/45's ? Remember people talking about warranty issues if one upsize beyond a limit. Can you confirm about this with Cruze.
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Old 16th January 2010, 14:20   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vijaythacker View Post
now thats something scary too, and sure GM would come out with the solution to this in future from feedbacks from owners like you.
Congratulations on your wheels, looks stunning in this shade with alloys.
Thanks Vijay. This feature is very convenient and easy to use. But there are drawbacks to everything that is good!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jkdas View Post
Dont remember seeing another review wherein people praise the alloys first! Let me too! Great alloys !

The review too is good coz of the detail description of stuff and its pix.

Now, hows the ride quality with the 225/45's ? Remember people talking about warranty issues if one upsize beyond a limit. Can you confirm about this with Cruze.
Year right. Everyone praises the alloys first and then the Cruze :P I have got used to it!! Thanks happy to hear you liked my detail description.

In my future posts about my drive I shall address the ride quality issue.

I checked with Sundaram Motors, you are right here the warranty will be void for the parts related to the wheels coz I have upsized the tires and alloys. I think there wont be any warranty on the tyre rod end and wheel axls.Maybe shock absorbers too.
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Old 16th January 2010, 16:07   #26
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My Cruze Drive Experience

I am use to the sturdiness of European cars, as my Father had the petrol and the diesel UNO when I was in College and then since 2002 I have been driving the Skoda Octavia. I do a lot of highway driving and I prefer sturdy cars. Not a fan of Japanese vehicles. Now my brother uses a Fiat Linea MJD and I have extensively driven that car too. I am impressed with its solid feel and road grip. In March 2009 my Father in law picked up a Volkswagen Jetta 1.9Tdi 6 speed DSG with Paddle shift. I did 3 long drives in that, 1st to Bangalore 2nd to Thekkady and Munnar and the 3rd to Goa from Chennai. This car is tank like built and very very sturdy on the road.In the steep ghats of Munnar I was able to turn the car at speeds of 100KMPH and the Jetta was fixed to the road. In the Octy I did a top speed of 190KMPH twice. Once very recently after the car had clocked 125000kms on the Odo. This will give you an idea how well maintained the Octy was with me. In the Jetta I did a top speed of 199KMPH on the Chitradurga-Tumkur stretch. Missed 200 by a whisker as I encountered traffic. The surprising fact is the Top speed of Jetta published in the website is 186KMPH whereas I was able to do 199KMPH. Certainly the Jetta hits a road block after 185KMPH and it takes a long time to reach 190KMPH and beyond. At these high speeds both the Octavia and Jetta were very sturdy on the road and confidence inspiring. In the Linea I have clocked 160KMPH, again impressed with this car at high speeds. Just wanted to give a back ground of my experience with European cars and what my expectations are from my new Chevy Cruze.

Highway Driving

The Chevy Cruze is a ROCKET. It beats the above mentioned cars by a margin in terms of speed. The only competition to this brute of a machine will come from the 2.4V6 Accord or the Audi A4. Its 148BHP engine throws out amazing amount of power that it just cruises on the Highway. Top speed 210KMPH without any effort! I regularly do 200KMPH whenever I get an empty stretch of road. This car just attains amazing amount of speeds once past 2000RPM.I always wanted to own a fast car and the Cruze satisfies my desire. My first drag on the Cruze was with the new accord on NH 46. The Accord was ahead in the initial pick up. But once on the straight roads Cruze caught up with the Accord and went ahead by a margin in speeds in excess of 180KMPH.

The in gear roll on time is a drawback in the Cruze as one needs to downshift the gears immediately once the RPM's come down. Once in 2nd or 3rd the Cruze picks up fine. I stretched the Cruze in 2nd Gear upto 80KMPH in 3rd upto 120KMPH and in 4th 160KMPH. Awesome power and it leaves all the cars behind.

Now coming to the sturdiness of the Cruze. When compared to the Octavia Jetta and Linea the Cruze is NOT as sturdy as these cars. On straight stretches in high speeds the Cruze is fine. But in sharp turns the Cruze is not confidence inspiring in high speeds. The road grip is good but could have been better for such a fast vehicle. The Linea is not a fast car but it beats the Cruze on the solid road grip factor. I was turning the Cruze at about 140KMPH on a flyover in NH46 and felt a wobble. At 120KMPH its fine. Speeds in excess of that in sharp turns the Cruze is not good. On straight roads even at 210KMPH the Cruze was amazing and the road grip was great. At these high speeds I get a FE of 12KMPL.

City Driving

I read in a lot of reviews about the Turbo lag and its a pain in bumper to bumper traffic. Frankly speaking I DO NOT have any problem with this. I find the Cruze fine in city traffic. Infact all the reviews I had read mentioned about this, but suprisingly I havent felt any problem of this sort. I am happy with the city driving and I get good FE of 12KMPL.

The noise levels of the engine are very low as well for a diesel motor. The sound insulation into the cabin is very minimal.

After upsizing the tires to 225/45 R17 and the Alloys I felt a slight wobble/vibration in the steering between 140KMPH-150KMPH. Consulted the tire guy and he said there is air passing thro the centre of the Alloys as there is a gap in the centre diameter where the Alloys fits to the wheel of the car,as this alloy is universal for all cars and not exclusive for Cruze. Hence he suggested me to put centering rings which will reduce the wobbling. I got it fitted and the wobble is reduced though not completely gone like it was in the OE drive. Once past 150KMPH the car is smooth without any wobble or vibrations even at 210KMPH.

The low profile tires which I have fixed have considerably reduced the ride quality. This is common to all low profile tires. The comfort level has come down from what it was in the 16" OE. I can feel the pot holes now. Though the suspension is top class in the Cruze the low profile tires are a bit spoiling the ride. But I am fortunate enough to drive my Cruze only in the GQ roads as I stay in Chennai and frequent Bangalore and my native place which are connected by the GQ. Hence in smooth roads the low profile tires are good. I am willing to compromise since the car looks out of this world in these tires and alloys and I get head turns all around the town.

The GC is good. In the OE tires it was very fine. In low profile tires it has come down a bit and when there is a big speed braker the bottom scrapes. This was not the case in the OE tires.

To be frank with all the readers when I replace the tires after about 25000KMS(thats the life of low profile tires as told by the shop owner where I got them fitted) I will go for 215/55 R16 tires as they will be perfect for the Cruze and the ride quality will also be not compromised.

Attaching some pix. Will continue more about my experience later.

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00177.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00167.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00181.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00194.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00286.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00287.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-dsc00288.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0393.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0451.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0467.jpg
This an emergency exit lock in the boot. By pulling it from inside the boot opens. This can be useful in an event of an accident and when all the doors and windows are jammed, the passenger can enter the boot by sliding the rear seats and can get out of the car by pulling this lock.

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0426.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0427.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0454.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0455.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0456.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0464.jpg

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ - Ownership Report EDIT: SOLD after 115000 km!-img_0465.jpg

Last edited by sameer sultan : 16th January 2010 at 16:12.
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Old 16th January 2010, 16:29   #27
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Man, those alloys are killer looking. Total drool stuff

The car looks more aggressive with the alloys, and in black, it can't get any better.
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Old 16th January 2010, 16:35   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sachinj12 View Post
Man, those alloys are killer looking. Total drool stuff

The car looks more aggressive with the alloys, and in black, it can't get any better.
thanks sachin. yeah i m now used to the "alloys" compliments. The alloys have over shadowed the muscular looks of the Cruze
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Old 16th January 2010, 17:29   #29
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I did the second service at 5000KMS. It costed Rs.335/- as half a litre of engine oil was topped up and some steering wheel oil was also topped up.
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Old 16th January 2010, 17:42   #30
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My first drive was to Bangalore on NH4/46/7 on day 2 of my Cruze ie Dec 5 2009. It was a pleasure to drive on the highway as it reached speeds in excess of 180KMPH in no time.
You shouldn't have done this during the run-in period. I know we can't control it but it's strictly not advised.

Awesome car. One question though. When you praised so many features, did you look at Laura L&K which has more features but is a bit more expensive.
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