2016+ Chevrolet Cruze

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Do any members care to share experiences with the newer model chevrolet cruze? Reliability, problems, personal ownership experiences? They seem like a nice commuter car for a good price, so I'm interested.


Thanks in advance.
 
I'll send you a PM to keep this about the Cruze.
smile.gif
 
Any owners on here willing to chime in? I've seen that it's CR recommended and read the reviews, somewhat looking for an owner's view or maybe a technician that has seen them.

To be clear I'm not interested in Corolla or Civic. (One is uncompetitive and the other is relatively pricy)
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Although the 2016 Cruze has 101 TSBs which seems like a lot. I punched in a 2016 competitor for comparisons sake and that car has 9 TSBs.


GM publishes a lot of what they call "Informational" TSBs that get applied to all vehicles. Things like:

#99-09-40-005H: Seat Belt Extender Availability
#00-03-10-006M: Information on Tire Radial Force Variation (RFV)
#15-NA-069: Information on the Reuse of Fasteners and the Proper Reading of Torque Specifications

They have nothing to do with any particular issue on the vehicle, just service in general.
 
I'd stay away from the diesel. The 2nd gen diesel seems to be much improved from the 1st gen (which 1st gen owners now admit was just a big test to see which parts of the emission system needed beefed up for a large scale diesel rollout), but there are still a few problems. People reporting 70 mpg is tempting, but EGR is a ticking timebomb and the particulate filter regen cycle has some weird quirks on the 2nd gen.

The 1.4 is a brand new engine vs the 1.4 in the 1st gen, and in my opinion that's a good thing. I know the whole "Small Gasoline Engine" family (the 1.4 in the Cruze and the 1.5 in the Malibu) had some early issues with the pistons, but the engines overall appear to be a solid design. No sign that it will be plagued with the PCV issues that the old Family 0 1.4t is cursed with (100% of 1st gen Cruze's will eventually have a major PCV problem - it's that bad of a design).

Not sure if you care about such things, but I wouldn't buy a hatch model because they are built in Mexico while the Ohio factory that builds the sedan has plenty of excess capacity that could have been used on the hatch.

The lease deals on them are really good right now. Lots of good financing options too. I'd pull the trigger on one myself if I was ready for something new. Do not, I repeat, do not, pay sticker or close to sticker. You should be able to get a good deal, but don't let them try to upsell you into a Trax or Equinox.
 
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Thanks for the response. Yeah, the attractive OTD prices available are what's got my interest. I also wouldn't be opposed to a one year old low mileage example, but 95% of the cheap ones seem to be ex-rentals.
 
If you are just looking for a decent commuter, I'd see if your dealer has an ex-courtesy car for sale. Dealer maintained, typically low mileage, not too abused. LT or Premier only, IMO, the base models are a little too stripped down for my taste. On the other hand, you can definitely get a great deal on a brand new one. You can probably weigh your options either way.
 
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Agreed on the trims, I'd rather keep what I have indefinitely than to drive a car with hubcaps. Shame about the hatch, I prefer them.
 
We had a rental 2017 Cruze over the weekend. SE model. It was OK. It drove fine, a little lacking in power.
The only thing I did NOT like was the auto stop feature. I had the fan on high, came to a stop and the car shut off. So did the fan. It went to low. I was like the car died. Totally disliked that.
Other than that it's an OK car for the purpose we used it for.
 
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I see you've got a Camry in your signature, when you say it feels down on power - do you think more so than a 4cyl Camry? I only ask because I've driven one of those so I have a basis for comparison.

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: lawrencerd
I see you've got a Camry in your signature, when you say it feels down on power - do you think more so than a 4cyl Camry? I only ask because I've driven one of those so I have a basis for comparison.

Thanks!


I've driven both a 2.5 Camry and 1.4t Cruze. The Cruze is better out of the gate IMO but the turbo is so small it's producing max boost at like 1500 RPM or something like that. So you can imagine that flooring it on the freeway when you are already going 60 isn't going to pin you back. I think the Camry engine is more balanced but the Cruze is a better drive. Camry steering feels so dead to me.
 
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Mine has been fine … in mid 90k’s now … changed the valve cover/gasket and some tubing recently … think that is par since the PCV is part of the composite valve cover ~ $100 for them …

Rent them often too …
 
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Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1
We had a rental 2017 Cruze over the weekend. SE model. It was OK. It drove fine, a little lacking in power.
The only thing I did NOT like was the auto stop feature. I had the fan on high, came to a stop and the car shut off. So did the fan. It went to low. I was like the car died. Totally disliked that.
Other than that it's an OK car for the purpose we used it for.




My wife drives a 2017 Ford Escape 2.0t AWD- she also hates the auto stop feature and turns it off every time. its the only complaint she has, otherwise she loves it. When I drive it I tend to leave it on. The auto-stop feature works quite well, but it can be unnerving if you do not understand how it works. Avg 23 in suburban driving, 27 highway towing a Waverunner, and 30-31 mpg in pure highway at 70 mph.
 
I have been happy with my 2014 Cruze other than the seats are a little too restricting on the sides of my thighs, so if I have something in my pocket, it pokes me in the leg. Not normally a problem but I've had a 2016 Cruze hatch as a loaner from the dealer and found the seats to be more comfortable, I really liked them. I also found the 2016 to have better fuel economy when cold or in town compared to my 2014. The loaner was a hatch but the hatch area seemed incredibly small, not sure how it compares to the competition however as I have not shopped for hatches. It got close the the fuel economy of my 2014 Eco MT, but with an automatic and it wasn't an Eco model (which they don't make anymore). The Malibu with the 1.5T is just about as fuel efficient as the latest Cruze however.
 
The wife has a 2017 Cruze. It's not bad, the interior seems solid. I don't like driving it because I hate the turbo lag, but it has decent power if you rev it up. We've had no problems at all with it.
 
My neighbours girl friend has a 2017 and seems to be happy with it.

I think the Cruz is quite refined over the [censored] Cavaliers and Cobalts from a few years back.
 
Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1
We had a rental 2017 Cruze over the weekend. SE model. It was OK. It drove fine, a little lacking in power.
The only thing I did NOT like was the auto stop feature. I had the fan on high, came to a stop and the car shut off. So did the fan. It went to low. I was like the car died. Totally disliked that.
Other than that it's an OK car for the purpose we used it for.



Can't you turn that feature off? This sounds awful, especially when you're driving in the city on a busy day
 
According to the reviews you can't disable the feature. But I've also seen some of the videos and it looks pretty quick and seamless to start back up and set off. I'm sure it is something to get used to though
 
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