Originally Posted By: JustinH
Mom just bought a 15 cruze. I was amazed they don't spec premium fuel for this vehicle.
They must be doing a lot with the tuning to keep the motor alive (or maybe not) on 87 octane.
The port-injected 1.4T will run pretty poorly on regular, made worse in hot weather and moreso if the A/C is on. The engine has a very pronounced power curve and has to he coaxed to really move the car, but it can. Every time I put regular fuel in mine (maybe 5 times its whole life?) I regret it - some swear by premium but I find 89 octane to be the best compromise.
Chevy had a batch of bad pistons in the '11 (and maybe '12) Cruze 1.4T, but I believe that was a manufacturing defect rather than design.
I'm glad I bought my '13 when I did - I can trust a turbo, to a point, but currently DI is just more than I care to be responsible for maintaining/fixing over the long haul.