Originally Posted By: c502cid
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Not a bad little Sonic hatch on stilts. The 1.4T will feel underpowered in that application.
Good assumption but I assure you it is not. The A/T is amazing in shift points and feel. It climbs Eisenhower and Vail Pass at 75 all day long. Can merge onto I-25 or I-70 with no problems like most cars can now a-days.
I have the same engine under the hood of my Cruze. It's a nice little engine, just a bit of a slug at times. Like getting off the line during the summertime with the A/C on, and when there's a stiff headwind. 87 octane fuel doesn't help matters much. I run premium in the summer which helps a lot with the gutlessness caused by the A/C and warm temperatures.
GM has improved the shift programming of the automatic. When I bought my 1.4T/manual transmission Cruze in 2011, the AT was a mess. It would needlessly redline the engine, which put it out of its powerband. Around town it couldn't decide what gear it wanted to be in. The 2014 Cruze rental I had for a few days was much better behaved, and likely by 2017 it's been refined more.
I wonder what drive gears are in your Cruze vs the Trax. I've never once thought the Trax was under powered but then again, I live at altitude where turbos like to play. Don't get me wrong, its not a torque motor, but never once I've felt the need for more.
Mine's also a manual, which doesn't do the engine any favors. The automatic can always unlock the torque converter. Plus the auto can keep the turbo spooled in between gears for more consistent power.
At 75 mph in either car this engine is bouncing in and out of boost. That's 2300 RPM in my car, which is well past the 1800 RPM point where the turbo fully spools up. It should feel just fine in top gear at that speed. Lower speeds like 50 mph will need a shift out of top gear to get the RPM's past 1800.