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Old 2nd June 2010, 01:26   #1
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My Blue Beast....I meant my new Chevrolet Cruze Automatic

Hi friends I have written my booking experience and intial ownership review below:-
(I know its long but it is intersting according to me )
July 2008:-I get my first car(Maruti Swift) on my 18th birthdday as a gift from my parents and they told me that I have to use it for a minimum of the coming 3 years out of the 5 years of my college life.
I happily agree and am very happy!!!
Things went well for over an year and except for small inevitable scratches in Delhi traffic ; the car was in good shape overall.

September 2009:-I was sitting in Gurgaon with 2 friends when suddenly it struck me that I had to reach home in an hour as I had to go somewhere urgently because which I asked my friend to give me his car as I had gone there with another friend.
He agreed and for the first time I drove the all new honda city automatic and that too for a distance of almost 40 kilometers till my home in South Delhi.
I had driven the first 2 generation Honda Citys as well as my parents owned them.

I straight away fell in love with the all new honda city automatic and I knew I wanted one badly.I already owned a honda accord automatic and Honda Civiv automatic so you know I was a die hard automatic fan and so I really enjoyed the ANHC automatic.
I started asking my parents for one but they did not agree at that time and I continued my battle of convincing them for 3 months uptill January but they did not agree as they said that my Swift was not even 1.5 years old.
I knew they were right but I wanted one madly.

In the mean time Chevrolet had launched the Cruze and I never paid any attention to it as I never thought of buying a Chevy but as a friend of mine was also at the same time planning to buy a car and he was madly in love with the Cruze but destiny had the ANHC in store for him (and the Cruze in store for me:-please read the remaining story)

January 2010:-I decided to have a look on the Cruze in January and though impressed by the brouchure image about the Cruze was equally put off after seeing the Test drive vehicle as they did not have a car for display and the test drive condition was in a pathetic state to say the least.It was dirty both in and out and the plastics were screaming poor quality especially as I am used to Honda.
But the feature list and the VFM factor attracted me towards itself like hell.I enquired about the prices and was sad to know that at that time no automaic variant was available and so the decision was put off but something else was in store for me; in 2 weekstime I got a call from the dealer that the automatic variant has been introduced and I straight away asked them for a
test drive and they told me that they will arrange one for me as soon as they have a test drive car.

They called me in the first week of February that they have a car for test drive and I go for one and come back loving the drive which was comparable if not better than my Civic automatic
BUT during all this time my parents were unaware of the fact that I was seriously thinking about the cruze and when I told them the same and they saw me reading reviews of it all day long they realized how badly I wanted one but they felt that it is a bit expensive for a college going student.

March 2010:-They asked me to either buy the City in June 2010 or Cruze in January 2011 and after thinking for long periods decided to buy the CRuze in january 2011 as I did not want to create a situation in which I feel after a few months of buying the Honda City that I should have waited a little.
They were happy with my decision but as days passed I started getting more and more impatient and wanted one.

After weeks of convincing and various promises they finally agreed to get me the Cruze automatic in May after my papers.I was very happy and over the moon.

25th April 2010:-
I book a chevrolet cruze automatic (diamond white colour) with Regent motors Delhi as I was told that there is a waiting of 30 days and so I booked it on the 25th of April so that Icould get delivery in May.
On the 30th of April I recieve a call from the sales man at the showroom that another customer's loan was not approved so had a free car of my colour and transmission choice and asked me if I wanted immediate delivery.
As my exams were going on we decided against it at that time and told him that we will take the car which will for our booking only.

On the 12th of May I call the salesman to enquire about my car's status and he tells me that Chevrolet is giving every dealer only 2 automatic cruze per month and that they have recieved 2 automatic cruze of different colour in May and so my car would be delivered in June.
I started calling him once in every 3-4 days to try and see if something is working out and I always used to hear the same reply :-" Sir pehli gaadi aap kee hee hoegi"

On the the 24th of May the Delhi Government decided to increase taxes from the 1st of june and cruze's prices were to go up by about Rupees One lakh so I called him again if anything could be done and if I could get the car by the 31st of MAy and he used to say no and everytime
say "Sir pehli gaadi aapki hee aa rahi hain" and he told me that I will have to pay the extra tax (approximately Rs.90,000) which was no issue for me so I easily agreed as i thought its the Government that is increasing the taxes and not Chevrolet.

On the 28th of May I ask myself that shall I buy a manual at 13.8 Lacs on road and as it is I have two automatic cars??and my mind says "Why not?"

I decide to go to the showroom to have a look at the colours readily available in the manual variant and when I went to the showroom I was shocked to see a diamond white Cruze automatic getting ready for delivery and I presumed it was for me as every person at the dealership had been telling me that the next cruze in the same colour and transmission will be for me.
I went inside the showroom and met my salesman and he was shocked to see me!!When asked about the car he told me that it was not for me and was for someone else.I got very angry and asked him to only show me the booking form of the person to whom the car is being delivered and if his booking date is prior to that of mine then I will not say anything and take my car
in june at the hiked prices without any fuss but he did not show me the form and instead spoke in a rude manner with me and my mom and said it is there decision to whomsoever the give the car first.This frustrated me and I gave him a good piece of my mind.In the manner in which he spoke was enough for me to cancel my booking and to speak to him in the same rude tone.
After arguing with them they spelled out the truth :-My car is being delivered to the transport commissioner , after hearing this I knew now nothing could be done and I came back home after 2 hours of argument and I saw that person take away my car in front of me and I have promised to myself that I will not spare that dealer.

The only reason why I have cancelled my delivery and will be taking action against him is the way in which he spoke and what he spoke "Hamari marzi hain hum kisko gadi pehle denge"

On the 30th of May I call up all Chevrolet dealers in Delhi and only one (Metro CHevrolet) has one automatic cruze while all had manual Cruze's readily avaible.I asked him about the colour and he told me Atlantis Blue and I never liked this colour but my dad and all my friends liked it ; I enquired about the Diamond white colour and he told me that it is available in the manual transmission.

Now I had to decide between 2 things as to what is my priority Automatic car in Atlantis blue colour or Manual Car in Diamond white as I dod not have patience to book a diamond white automatic with another dealer and wait for another 2 months.

I decided to go for the Atlantis blue manual as for me Automatic was the main criteria and most of the other people liked this colour and this was also the most advertised colour by Chevrolet in all car magazines so I though that it Cant be that bad
infact it must be good.So there it was decided that I want the Automatic Cruze.As it was a Saturaday I did not book the car on thatday and instead paid the booking amount on Sunday (30th May) and booked the car.
On the 31st of May I go to the bank at 9am and get the Demand drafts ready in favour if the dealership and reach the dealer by 11am.
I pay the remaining balance and was promised delivery at 5pm.
I intentionally left my home at 5 and reached the dealership by 545 so that the car must be ready but it was not as there was alot of rush as alot of deliveries were taking place at that time.
They then cleaned my car properly for half n hour amd we were ready to go.Suprisingly the owner of the shoroom himself briefed me about the car and its features.
We leave the showroom by 630 with good wishes and lucks from all and reach our colony temple at 730 for the customary pooja.

I read a few people complaining about the rear speat space and le me tell you that I am 6 "1 and my parents are 5"5 so when they were sitting at the front I had not problem whatsoever at the rear and obviously in any car be it civic or laura when you the front sseat all the way back for a tall drivier like my there is always very little legroom left.
It is as spacious as anyother car in its segment but appears to have less space as it has grey interiors and not the traditonal beige which give it an airy feel.
I have driven the car 60kilometers till now and it has been a real pleasure till now and the first question I have is that why did autocar rate this transmission to be slow and lazy , I did not find any problem and infact quite liked it though absence of Sports mode is bad.

I had one problem with the car that the car was going towards the left and took it to the showroom and they interchanged the front two tyres and it stopped ;there was no more sideways movenment.

After that I straight away went to the tyre dealer and got my JK tyres replaced by Contipremiumcontact2 of the same size (205 60 R16) as I did not want to void my suspension warranty.

I have not driven the car much till now but can surely tell other prospective buyers that dont hesitate just buy it.

I am adding to photos for now
1st is my first car the Swift and the second one is my latest acquisition the Cruze.
I will add more photos by tomorrow.
Attached Thumbnails
My Blue Beast....I meant my new Chevrolet Cruze Automatic-swift.jpg  

My Blue Beast....I meant my new Chevrolet Cruze Automatic-cruze.jpg  


Last edited by Eddy : 2nd June 2010 at 18:27. Reason: Please refer to the PM that I sent you.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 09:04   #2
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Congrats NP23 on buying the Cruze. I own a Cruze with the same color, just that its on Manual Transmission.
The Oomph factor you get with the Manual Transmission is so great.

Enjoy your ride.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 09:23   #3
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Thank you very much Pradeep2612.
I know the oomph factor you get with the manual version is out of this world but brother even the automatic is right up there and the best part is the absence of turbo lag or very minimal lag which is such a relief considering the traffic conditions in our major cities like Delhi ,Bangalore and Mumbai.etc

Just tell me one thing please;I know its a little stupid question to ask:-
The test drive cars and the cars of very first few batches appear to have poorer interior plastic quality as compared to the newer cruzes.
Is it true or am I just presuming this as I was very disappointed by the interior quality of the earlier cruzes and maybe mine is new now thats why...
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:20   #4
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Congratulations !

So finally you did take a quick decision based on your priorities. Well done.


Quote:
Originally Posted by np23 View Post
The test drive cars and the cars of very first few batches appear to have poorer interior plastic quality as compared to the newer cruzes.
The TD car I drove here, also did not seem to have good interiors. The leather on the steering wheel was scuffed and scarred. It surely did put me off. The new cars looked good though.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:26   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
Congratulations !

So finally you did take a quick decision based on your priorities. Well done.



The TD car I drove here, also did not seem to have good interiors. The leather on the steering wheel was scuffed and scarred. It surely did put me off. The new cars looked good though.
Thank you sir
So finally no more comments on the cruze on your civic thread (Sorry I own both and love both and thats why got a bit carried away

I felt exactly the same way while test driving it and even the plastic cover on the dash which has thee front passenger airbag looked very cheap;its fine in mine though!!
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:30   #6
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Nice write and Great Car to have in your garage.
One of My neighbours got Diamond white Cruze Yesterday and it was looking really good so i can guess your urge for a diamond white, but the blue colour you opted looks equally good as well

Enjoy your ride and drive safely.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:35   #7
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I liked reading your review and decision making

The Cruze is a stunner and a mean looking car with oodles of power. I have not driven one yet BUT I am so eager to buy one.

Looking forward to your photos.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:37   #8
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Congrats for the new car my friend.Hope you have a nice and safe experience with it.do keep us posted with your experience with the car as well as its servicing, it would be helpful for all of us users.

Have a safe journey with it.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 10:52   #9
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Driving smartly,vkochar and archita:-Thank you all very much for your wishes and I am happy that you liked my thread.
I will keep updating my experience and more picture but please ask me any and as many questions or queries you have and I shall try and revert back to all of them
Thanks again
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Old 2nd June 2010, 13:38   #10
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Congrats on the car. Cruze auto is a great choice.

Last edited by Eddy : 2nd June 2010 at 18:28. Reason: Please use the report post in case you find a rule being violated. Thanks
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Old 2nd June 2010, 13:40   #11
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HANDS OFF!

Ok, the blue one looks really mean, awesome road presence. Congrats on the great buy. Keep us posted with more HQ pics please!
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Old 2nd June 2010, 14:00   #12
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Wow, that was a interesting story infact and nice write up also .
Good job dude.
Opps ..forgot to congratulate you, sorry my bad. CONGRATS !
Post loads of pictures of your new baby along with driving experience
And yes , what happens to your swift now ?
cheers
and drive safe.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 15:37   #13
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@Sachin,Quadmaniac and Schoudhury:-
Thanks to you all
@Sachinj12:-DOnt worry I am not getting fined ; the only offence for which you can be fined in the cruze os for overspeeding!!!

Today I drove over 50 kilmoters with my new tyres & boy o boy the steering feels to have totally transformed.It weighs very well with increasing speed now (Dont know how tyres can change that but they have).
I couldnt find any fault with the OEM JK Vectras but now I can make out a prominent difference.

What is the run period and recommended revs?
I touched 110kmph today with a light foot on the pedal and the rpm was at 1500 only which was a pleasent surprise!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Schoudhury View Post
Wow, that was a interesting story infact and nice write up also .
Good job dude.
Opps ..forgot to congratulate you, sorry my bad. CONGRATS !
Post loads of pictures of your new baby along with driving experience
And yes , what happens to your swift now ?
cheers
and drive safe.
I am keeping my swift also as I need it for the drive to nearby market for grocery and all.My driver will take it to do all work for home and my sister's tuition.etc

Last edited by Eddy : 2nd June 2010 at 18:29. Reason: Back to back posts.
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Old 2nd June 2010, 19:19   #14
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Hi,

Quote:
Originally Posted by np23 View Post
I touched 110kmph today with a light foot on the pedal and the rpm was at 1500 only which was a pleasent surprise!!
Could you check and confirm that? That RPM figure appears too low!

Isn't it a 5 speed automatic?
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Old 2nd June 2010, 20:22   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trrk View Post
Hi,



Could you check and confirm that? That RPM figure appears too low!

Isn't it a 5 speed automatic?
Sir I am sure about that as I crosschecked that and it is a 6 speed gearbox Sir and not a 5 speed gear box.
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