I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ

ajay mathew · 14th March 2010, 10:31

After a lot of looking and Advices, I finally decided to go for the Chevy Cruze. I previously drove a Cedia, and wanted to upgrade. Before I start I would like to Thank Tsk1979 & sameer sultan for their excellent reviews on the Car, which did help me choose the Cruze.

Exterior
Well the main reason for my buying this car was the looks. The front has a very in your face look. The Chevy logo adds to the look too. The rear kind of looks like the civic from some angles, in the night from a distance the lights do end up looking like the civic. The build quality of the exterior is pretty good. And in white the car looks stunning.

Interiors
The Seats are very comfortable, But the knobs used to adjust the seats are if very poor plastic quality. The rear seats are comfortable too. But the leg and head room is a problem if there are quiet a few tall people in the car. The AC requires a special mention, its got 6 blow speeds and the climate control works like a charm. It’s also got a feature called AQS (Air Quality System) which purifies the air from the outside before letting it into the cabin. The only negative about the interior is the Plastic quality, it looks pretty cheap, The car is designed so good, but the plastics spoil it. May be this was a way of controlling costs. But on a 13L+ car it doesn’t end up making sense.
Features
This car is loaded with features, Its got a 6 cd changer. Parking Sensors, Electric Windows with Electric Fold option. A sun roof with two modes (Full open and Tilt), The steering wheel has Tilt and Telescopic adjustments. And it has cruze control on the steering wheel. The speed of the car can be increased on the steering wheel itself. Rear Park Assist. Aux support for the 6 CD Changer. Auto Rain sensing Wipers.

Performance
Well this car is all about performance, It’s a car that’s saying give me a chance to run wild. The torque is pretty good and the pulling is awesome as well. Coming to the Turbo lag I personally didn’t have much of a problem with it, having driven a Laura L&K and experiencing it’s turbo lag I am pretty used to it. The key is to be in the correct gear. A lot of people have also been complaining about the Clutch and the Kick back. Now honestly after reading all of those it looked to me as tho the car was impossible to drive in the city, Yesterday alone I clocked about 150 Km’s and most of it was in bumper to bumper traffic and I felt it’s fine in bumper to bumper traffic, Also I didn’t have a problem with the clutch and the kick back was not present at all. I am getting an average mileage of 11 KMPL.

Overall
In all the car has been upto my expectations, Execept for the plastics and the rear leg room I think the car is pretty good. It’s the most VFM car out on the road right now.

Dealer Experience.
I booked my car with Kropex. I booked my car on the 6th of march and was informed that a White Cruze was in transit and that I could expect the delivery on the 12th. Surely enough I did get the delivery on time

. From start till delivery the Kropex team was actively involved in giving me updates on the car and were quiet responsive. They were also very supportive of the PDI and cleared a lot of my question during the PDI. On the day of the delivery the sales consultant there did a wonderful job of explaining the entire car and its features to me. Starting from how to adjust the seats to opening the boot. Surprisingly the keys to my car was handed over to me by the VP of Kropex and only once he did the final inspection was I allowed to go. Customer services is definitely a thumbs up for them. Chevy needs more of such dealers.

Pics
A few of them now, will upload more later.

I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ-dsc_0323.jpg

I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ-dsc_0337.jpg

I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ-dsc_0339.jpg

I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ-dsc_0347.jpg

aman9393 · 14th March 2010, 16:41

Hey congratulations!
Good writeup too.
Now just a few more better pictures!

Bubby · 14th March 2010, 16:46

Congratulations !!!

Great car and good choice of colour.

CRUZE is one of my favourite car and is currently on my hit list

FlyingSpur · 14th March 2010, 19:14

Hearty congratulations !! The Cruze looks best in white.

Wait till you get open roads, that 11 kmpl will come crashing down

ranjitkodali · 14th March 2010, 19:26

Wonderful choice, enjoy the new ride. Is it an auto?

prateekm · 14th March 2010, 19:28

Nice review. Do agree with you that it's VFM. What's the on-road price? What were the other cars you have in your mind?

theragingbull · 14th March 2010, 22:19

Congrats on the Cruze! I see more of these everyday in Mumbai. And it looks best in white!
Happy Cruzing!

bnzjon · 14th March 2010, 23:53

Congrats on choosing to cruze. Happy miles ahead.
Enjoy the beauty.

recshenoy · 15th March 2010, 11:09

Congratulations Ajay. I had been to check out beat at Kropex at Hosur road. Sales men were pretty good. I checked out the Cruze also. Looks very hot!

How is the gear shift of cruze? the gear shift of vehicle on display was not good (compared to POLO)

The OEM alloys look little plane, they could have been better!

narendra_urs · 15th March 2010, 19:10

Congrats on your Cruze, Ajay. My opinion on the car is almost same as that of yours. The only difference is that I found Turbo-lag highly irritating and decided to go with an Automatic version (Misty lake colour).

However, my experience with the Kropex sales team is pathetic to say the least. I test drove the AT version on 30-Jan and booked the car on 1-Feb. I was told that I'll get the delivery on or before 22-Feb which was later revised to end of Feb. When I followed up with the Sales rep (Mr. Gangadhar) on 25-Feb he told me that he is yet to get an update from GM. I immediately escalated to his manager (Mr. Prabhu) who told me that I'm most likely to get the delivery by mid-March. Again I called Prabhu on 5-March to check if things are on track and to my dismay he told me that he has no clue when they'll get the car from GM. After this I spoke to Mr. Sharath (Sales head) who told me that GM will send Cruze AT cars to Bangalore only in April. By the time I get the delivery of my car, the prices would've gone up by at least 65 k. I've already paid INR 13.5 lakhs and am keeping my fingers crossed about the delivery.

I also contacted GMI through the email id provided on their portal & got connected to Mr. Manish Rathore (Regional Sales Head, South). Even though I've sent him 3 emails in the last couple of weeks, he hasn't bothered to respond. I've spared all these bunch of jokers & not given my peace of mind only because I love the car too much.

ajay mathew · 16th March 2010, 10:30

@aman9393, @Bubby, @theragingbull, @bnzjon: Thank you for the well wishes. Will keep you all updated, will be heading out to Nandhi hills for a drive this weekend and will do a photoshoot as well , Will post more pics after that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranjitkodali

Wonderful choice, enjoy the new ride. Is it an auto?

Its a MT. Personally i love Manual Transmission, because it gets you very involved with the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Hearty congratulations !! The Cruze looks best in white.

Wait till you get open roads, that 11 kmpl will come crashing down

Ha ha, yes i await for the run in period to get over, and then i want to see what this beauty can do. As for the performance from what i have seen its a raging bull.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prateekm

Nice review. Do agree with you that it's VFM. What's the on-road price? What were the other cars you have in your mind?

I dont remember the exact figure, but it was 15L something. I was looking at the New laura, but then again we already have the old laura and the new Superb, so didnt want to buy another skoda and open up a skoda showroom in front of my house

. the other option was the Sonata, but i didnt quiet like the exterior styling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by recshenoy

Congratulations Ajay. I had been to check out beat at Kropex at Hosur road. Sales men were pretty good. I checked out the Cruze also. Looks very hot!

How is the gear shift of cruze? the gear shift of vehicle on display was not good (compared to POLO)

The OEM alloys look little plane, they could have been better!

Well i have to be honest the gear box is a bit notchy, needs a bit more refinement. The hardest is locking it into 2nd gear. Its not very smooth. I felt overall its a very small thing, and once you start driving you would not notice it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by narendra_urs

Congrats on your Cruze, Ajay. My opinion on the car is almost same as that of yours. The only difference is that I found Turbo-lag highly irritating and decided to go with an Automatic version (Misty lake colour).

However, my experience with the Kropex sales team is pathetic to say the least. I test drove the AT version on 30-Jan and booked the car on 1-Feb. I was told that I'll get the delivery on or before 22-Feb which was later revised to end of Feb. When I followed up with the Sales rep (Mr. Gangadhar) on 25-Feb he told me that he is yet to get an update from GM. I immediately escalated to his manager (Mr. Prabhu) who told me that I'm most likely to get the delivery by mid-March. Again I called Prabhu on 5-March to check if things are on track and to my dismay he told me that he has no clue when they'll get the car from GM. After this I spoke to Mr. Sharath (Sales head) who told me that GM will send Cruze AT cars to Bangalore only in April. By the time I get the delivery of my car, the prices would've gone up by at least 65 k. I've already paid INR 13.5 lakhs and am keeping my fingers crossed about the delivery.

I also contacted GMI through the email id provided on their portal & got connected to Mr. Manish Rathore (Regional Sales Head, South). Even though I've sent him 3 emails in the last couple of weeks, he hasn't bothered to respond. I've spared all these bunch of jokers & not given my peace of mind only because I love the car too much.

I think i did hear your story from the sales guys there. And i was lucky they had a car in transit. Honestly i couldn't take the wait even tho it was so small. The problem with GM is they have an awesome product and when they are finally building up the demand. Their plants dont have enough Production Capacity which is what is killing them. I also heard quiet a few people have cancelled the orders due to the long waiting periods. I hope GM is listening and does something about it. There is another thread from by Sameer Sultan, who also faced some issues with the delivery schedule and he was able to sort it out with the GM guys, may be he could help, you can find the thread here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...t-5000-km.html

Ramsagar · 17th March 2010, 09:52

Congrats on the buy. Have TD recently. The torque after 2K rpm is very addictive, but we need to wait till then. I also found the rear leg room more cramped than Optra. But the features are amazing for the price you pay. Should say a VFM buy.

I personally feel the CIVIC is more roomier and viewing angle is very clear than Cruze. And also its claustrophobic. My two cents.

prince_pervez · 17th March 2010, 09:55

Congrats Ajay! Even though the pictures are good, the real thing on the road is an experience. Great! Enjoy her. Ride safe.

lionell · 17th March 2010, 10:29

Congratuations Ajay. The Cruze is a great choice. Looks good in white and you are right the clutch doesn't feel heavy. I think once you get used to it, its good to go. The turbo lag though is irritating to first time drivers and you need to work your way around the gears for that.

Overall, a great choice and happy cruising.

kartho · 17th March 2010, 16:45

Congratulations Ajay, its a beautiful car, the front is indeed like a raging bull, very masculine and energetic !

Since you have already clocked 150 kms in BLR city, just wanted to ask you if ground clearance is sufficient in this car or you had to be extremely careful to avoid scraping this beauty's belly

Regarding the cheap plastic look, will polishing not help ?

Enjoy your car and drive safe !

14th March 2010, 10:31	#1
ajay mathew BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 25 Thanked: 0 Times	I chose to Cruze, with a white Cruze LTZ After a lot of looking and Advices, I finally decided to go for the Chevy Cruze. I previously drove a Cedia, and wanted to upgrade. Before I start I would like to Thank Tsk1979 & sameer sultan for their excellent reviews on the Car, which did help me choose the Cruze. Exterior Well the main reason for my buying this car was the looks. The front has a very in your face look. The Chevy logo adds to the look too. The rear kind of looks like the civic from some angles, in the night from a distance the lights do end up looking like the civic. The build quality of the exterior is pretty good. And in white the car looks stunning. Interiors The Seats are very comfortable, But the knobs used to adjust the seats are if very poor plastic quality. The rear seats are comfortable too. But the leg and head room is a problem if there are quiet a few tall people in the car. The AC requires a special mention, its got 6 blow speeds and the climate control works like a charm. It’s also got a feature called AQS (Air Quality System) which purifies the air from the outside before letting it into the cabin. The only negative about the interior is the Plastic quality, it looks pretty cheap, The car is designed so good, but the plastics spoil it. May be this was a way of controlling costs. But on a 13L+ car it doesn’t end up making sense. Features This car is loaded with features, Its got a 6 cd changer. Parking Sensors, Electric Windows with Electric Fold option. A sun roof with two modes (Full open and Tilt), The steering wheel has Tilt and Telescopic adjustments. And it has cruze control on the steering wheel. The speed of the car can be increased on the steering wheel itself. Rear Park Assist. Aux support for the 6 CD Changer. Auto Rain sensing Wipers. Performance Well this car is all about performance, It’s a car that’s saying give me a chance to run wild. The torque is pretty good and the pulling is awesome as well. Coming to the Turbo lag I personally didn’t have much of a problem with it, having driven a Laura L&K and experiencing it’s turbo lag I am pretty used to it. The key is to be in the correct gear. A lot of people have also been complaining about the Clutch and the Kick back. Now honestly after reading all of those it looked to me as tho the car was impossible to drive in the city, Yesterday alone I clocked about 150 Km’s and most of it was in bumper to bumper traffic and I felt it’s fine in bumper to bumper traffic, Also I didn’t have a problem with the clutch and the kick back was not present at all. I am getting an average mileage of 11 KMPL. Overall In all the car has been upto my expectations, Execept for the plastics and the rear leg room I think the car is pretty good. It’s the most VFM car out on the road right now. Dealer Experience. I booked my car with Kropex. I booked my car on the 6th of march and was informed that a White Cruze was in transit and that I could expect the delivery on the 12th. Surely enough I did get the delivery on time . From start till delivery the Kropex team was actively involved in giving me updates on the car and were quiet responsive. They were also very supportive of the PDI and cleared a lot of my question during the PDI. On the day of the delivery the sales consultant there did a wonderful job of explaining the entire car and its features to me. Starting from how to adjust the seats to opening the boot. Surprisingly the keys to my car was handed over to me by the VP of Kropex and only once he did the final inspection was I allowed to go. Customer services is definitely a thumbs up for them. Chevy needs more of such dealers. Pics A few of them now, will upload more later.
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 16:41	#2
aman9393 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 427 Thanked: 150 Times	Hey congratulations! Good writeup too. Now just a few more better pictures!
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 16:46	#3
Bubby BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 503 Thanked: 168 Times	Congratulations !!! Great car and good choice of colour. CRUZE is one of my favourite car and is currently on my hit list
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 19:14	#4
FlyingSpur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,934 Thanked: 1,422 Times View My Garage	Hearty congratulations !! The Cruze looks best in white. Wait till you get open roads, that 11 kmpl will come crashing down
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 19:26	#5
ranjitkodali BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 46 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Wonderful choice, enjoy the new ride. Is it an auto?
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 19:28	#6
prateekm BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mumbai & BLR Posts: 790 Thanked: 553 Times	Nice review. Do agree with you that it's VFM. What's the on-road price? What were the other cars you have in your mind?
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 22:19	#7
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 646 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the Cruze! I see more of these everyday in Mumbai. And it looks best in white! Happy Cruzing!
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 23:53	#8
bnzjon BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dubai Posts: 836 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	Congrats on choosing to cruze. Happy miles ahead. Enjoy the beauty.
	() Thanks

15th March 2010, 11:09	#9
recshenoy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mangalore / Bangalore Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 254 Times	Congratulations Ajay. I had been to check out beat at Kropex at Hosur road. Sales men were pretty good. I checked out the Cruze also. Looks very hot! How is the gear shift of cruze? the gear shift of vehicle on display was not good (compared to POLO) The OEM alloys look little plane, they could have been better!
	() Thanks

15th March 2010, 19:10	#10
narendra_urs BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 108 Thanked: 46 Times	Congrats on your Cruze, Ajay. My opinion on the car is almost same as that of yours. The only difference is that I found Turbo-lag highly irritating and decided to go with an Automatic version (Misty lake colour). However, my experience with the Kropex sales team is pathetic to say the least. I test drove the AT version on 30-Jan and booked the car on 1-Feb. I was told that I'll get the delivery on or before 22-Feb which was later revised to end of Feb. When I followed up with the Sales rep (Mr. Gangadhar) on 25-Feb he told me that he is yet to get an update from GM. I immediately escalated to his manager (Mr. Prabhu) who told me that I'm most likely to get the delivery by mid-March. Again I called Prabhu on 5-March to check if things are on track and to my dismay he told me that he has no clue when they'll get the car from GM. After this I spoke to Mr. Sharath (Sales head) who told me that GM will send Cruze AT cars to Bangalore only in April. By the time I get the delivery of my car, the prices would've gone up by at least 65 k. I've already paid INR 13.5 lakhs and am keeping my fingers crossed about the delivery. I also contacted GMI through the email id provided on their portal & got connected to Mr. Manish Rathore (Regional Sales Head, South). Even though I've sent him 3 emails in the last couple of weeks, he hasn't bothered to respond. I've spared all these bunch of jokers & not given my peace of mind only because I love the car too much.
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 09:52	#12
Ramsagar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BLR_Nellore(AP) Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the buy. Have TD recently. The torque after 2K rpm is very addictive, but we need to wait till then. I also found the rear leg room more cramped than Optra. But the features are amazing for the price you pay. Should say a VFM buy. I personally feel the CIVIC is more roomier and viewing angle is very clear than Cruze. And also its claustrophobic. My two cents.
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 09:55	#13
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	Congrats Ajay! Even though the pictures are good, the real thing on the road is an experience. Great! Enjoy her. Ride safe.
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 10:29	#14
lionell BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Goa Posts: 387 Thanked: 621 Times	Congratuations Ajay. The Cruze is a great choice. Looks good in white and you are right the clutch doesn't feel heavy. I think once you get used to it, its good to go. The turbo lag though is irritating to first time drivers and you need to work your way around the gears for that. Overall, a great choice and happy cruising.
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 16:45	#15
kartho BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 132 Thanked: 2 Times	Congratulations Ajay, its a beautiful car, the front is indeed like a raging bull, very masculine and energetic ! Since you have already clocked 150 kms in BLR city, just wanted to ask you if ground clearance is sufficient in this car or you had to be extremely careful to avoid scraping this beauty's belly Regarding the cheap plastic look, will polishing not help ? Enjoy your car and drive safe !
	() Thanks