well i have a diesel.. i sell new cruzes ext... man the gen 2 has got a bland interior.. pro of the gen 2.they moved ac fan control higher and off of my knee when it rest on center console. i like the cup holders are better placed then gen 1. i like gen 2 ac vents better since you can blow air more on point vs just your hands like gen 1.the gen 2 steering wheel is marginally better then my LS spark lol. the gen 2 speedometer is cleaner but to large of a gap per 20mph.. takes a second look to see if doing 25 or 35.. i like every 10 mph with hash marks in between. i like the lt has cooled seats vs heated.. not needed in Florida really... im super jealous of the gen 2 lt and up key fobs. easier to use trunk and remote start ... im also wishing the gen 1 had projector lights.. i would have paid an extra 500$ for factory projector HId lights ... any one elses thoughts?
I actually REALLY like the interior of the new cruze, as long as it has whatever package gives it the screen with more buttons under it to fill in all that blank space. The materials are heaps better, the color choices much classier, the gauge cluster MUCH more modern and interactive, not being dot matrix crap like the gen1 is, I don't really love the steering wheel, but I wouldn't say it's worse than the gen1 wheel. The interior is really what is the best on the gen2, I think if we could get that interior and the Korean Cruze gen2 exterior (projector led strip headlamps and facelifted rear end), it would be AWESOME.
I should have clarified. in gen 2 im talking the lt since its kinda close to the diesel. now the premier is leaps and bounds better materials feel. i love the Kalahari and black leather combo. seems like in the gen 2 they give you improvements but shine way more in premier so much so that it makes you want to step up. in gen 1 the ltz and lt seemed right on par with one another. i like the looks but feel more value in gen 1 then 2.
I just got the Gen 2 and it leaps and bounds better than my 2011 cruze ltz. I bought premier and its very nice. The Kalahari interior is just awesome looking. Look at that one or the atmosphere interior color which I think is actually gray and you can see the difference. The black interior is sharp too but got tired of how hot it gets. My 2011 was black leather, never again.
now a big big big win for the gen 2......THE AWESOME SEATS!!!!!!!. i sat in the premier and its sooo comfortable, it has some give yet supportive. im gonna call parts dep and see if same part # frame and seat track if so just buy extra seat and swap. down side for gen 2 is auto start stop with only 60k power train so hope that turbo doesn't get starved. also the center stack is way better lay out.