I just returned from a much anticipated and highly coveted 9 day road trip from Portland OR to Scottsbluff NE and Spearfish SD. On the way East through Montana it was almost all Interstate driving with some nasty storms but from then on it was all good weather and a mix of highways and interstate.
My 2014 Diesel Cruze now has almost 14K miles and my lifetime MPG is 40. The trip was more like 42 MPG which was good considering how many miles were on delightfully empty 80 MPH speed limited WY and ID freeways.
Unlike some others, I haven't found the seats to be tiring even on long days. I do wish they were more generously proportioned but overall my 210 pound butt had no issues racking up a lot of time in them and my smaller partner had no complaints either. Though I like my 2010 Malibu's premium audio better than the 2014 Cruze Pioneer system, both are really very satisfying in terms of audio quality. The Pioneer system in the Cruze isn't very flexible in that it only sounds full and good from the front seats and if you adjust the fader much you loose a lot of volume but taken at close to factory fader levels and accepting that it is mostly there for front seat passengers, the sound quality, bass and volume available far exceeded anything I would use.
My Link is a frequent source of frustration though mostly minor things. Sometimes navigation lady voice says turn left when the on screen indicator and reality are to turn right... One time during this trip I brought up a point of interest in a list but couldn't get it selected. It would highlight the entry when I selected it via touch or select button but wouldn't go to the next screen to allow me to start guidance etc. I ended up starting over and looking the same POI up via a different method (by name instead of category etc) and then it worked. Nav was used many times on the trip and for the most part it worked well and wasn't annoying. I especially like the settings menu where you can customize how much to fade out your audio when the prompts come on. I set mine to only moderately fade out the music and it seems less jarring and smoother to my ears.
Driving performance wise the car never disappointed. When I bought the vehicle I was really concerned about the Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires but between my own experiences and reading about other experiences on the internet I have come to appreciate these long lasting fuel saving tires. I cringe every time I have to drive on gravel since there is no spare tire but on this trip I probably drove 25 miles of well maintained gravel and had no issues. Amongst my friends I have a reputation for being a curvy road enthusiast and the Cruze is able and willing to cling nicely around all manner of curves though I don't think the steering communicates much back to the driver. Over long hours on the freeway, the Cruze CTD's extra quiet ride was a blessing. Though not discussed often, the CTD transmission definitely works to help with engine braking on down grades. Time and time again I could feel and see (tach) the transmission choosing 5th or even 4th on long downhill grades. I tend to like manually shifting on long hills but for the most part I wasn't accomplishing much different than what the car would do anyway except that the transmission seems to downshift when braking whereas I will engage a lower gear prior to needing the brakes. Bottom line, I expect a lot of CTD drivers will see unusually long brake pad life, especially for those who otherwise would never manually intervene in their transmission shifting.
One feature didn't work a few times (but worked a few times also) and that is the remote start. Similar to my Malibu, it seems like the list of parameters that have to be just right is substantial and overall the remote start seems a little moody.
Overall, this was the right vehicle for me and 1 passenger who wanted to cover some truly vast distances in comfort and at minimal fuel cost. Also, anybody who hasn't had a (preferably shoulder season) trip to the Black Hills should really consider it as an amazing road trip destination. Beautiful scenery, amazing geology, great hiking, fun fast and polite driving, inexpensive and very American wide open spaces make the Black Hills of SD and WY a repeat destination for me.
My 2014 Diesel Cruze now has almost 14K miles and my lifetime MPG is 40. The trip was more like 42 MPG which was good considering how many miles were on delightfully empty 80 MPH speed limited WY and ID freeways.
Unlike some others, I haven't found the seats to be tiring even on long days. I do wish they were more generously proportioned but overall my 210 pound butt had no issues racking up a lot of time in them and my smaller partner had no complaints either. Though I like my 2010 Malibu's premium audio better than the 2014 Cruze Pioneer system, both are really very satisfying in terms of audio quality. The Pioneer system in the Cruze isn't very flexible in that it only sounds full and good from the front seats and if you adjust the fader much you loose a lot of volume but taken at close to factory fader levels and accepting that it is mostly there for front seat passengers, the sound quality, bass and volume available far exceeded anything I would use.
My Link is a frequent source of frustration though mostly minor things. Sometimes navigation lady voice says turn left when the on screen indicator and reality are to turn right... One time during this trip I brought up a point of interest in a list but couldn't get it selected. It would highlight the entry when I selected it via touch or select button but wouldn't go to the next screen to allow me to start guidance etc. I ended up starting over and looking the same POI up via a different method (by name instead of category etc) and then it worked. Nav was used many times on the trip and for the most part it worked well and wasn't annoying. I especially like the settings menu where you can customize how much to fade out your audio when the prompts come on. I set mine to only moderately fade out the music and it seems less jarring and smoother to my ears.
Driving performance wise the car never disappointed. When I bought the vehicle I was really concerned about the Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires but between my own experiences and reading about other experiences on the internet I have come to appreciate these long lasting fuel saving tires. I cringe every time I have to drive on gravel since there is no spare tire but on this trip I probably drove 25 miles of well maintained gravel and had no issues. Amongst my friends I have a reputation for being a curvy road enthusiast and the Cruze is able and willing to cling nicely around all manner of curves though I don't think the steering communicates much back to the driver. Over long hours on the freeway, the Cruze CTD's extra quiet ride was a blessing. Though not discussed often, the CTD transmission definitely works to help with engine braking on down grades. Time and time again I could feel and see (tach) the transmission choosing 5th or even 4th on long downhill grades. I tend to like manually shifting on long hills but for the most part I wasn't accomplishing much different than what the car would do anyway except that the transmission seems to downshift when braking whereas I will engage a lower gear prior to needing the brakes. Bottom line, I expect a lot of CTD drivers will see unusually long brake pad life, especially for those who otherwise would never manually intervene in their transmission shifting.
One feature didn't work a few times (but worked a few times also) and that is the remote start. Similar to my Malibu, it seems like the list of parameters that have to be just right is substantial and overall the remote start seems a little moody.
Overall, this was the right vehicle for me and 1 passenger who wanted to cover some truly vast distances in comfort and at minimal fuel cost. Also, anybody who hasn't had a (preferably shoulder season) trip to the Black Hills should really consider it as an amazing road trip destination. Beautiful scenery, amazing geology, great hiking, fun fast and polite driving, inexpensive and very American wide open spaces make the Black Hills of SD and WY a repeat destination for me.