1.6 Diesel MT - Drive Test Impressions

2853 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by EricSmit, Apr 22, 2017

CRUISE-CRUZE

Discussion Starter · Apr 22, 2017

Hello guys, let me share my impressions after drive testing the Cuze diesel, 1.6 with MT. I drove the car in the city (80%) and on highway for a couple hours. I plan(ed) to get this car so I paid attention to details. Below are my impressions:
The good:
- Cruise control stays engaged even if you shift (MT), if you don’t keep the clutch pressed longer than 2 sec I think. I drove many cars with this feature in Europe and I really enjoy it. Good job! :th_salute:
- Quiet engine, regardless of RPMs.
- START button and no need to put the key fob in any special place, just keep it in your pocket.
- Good MPG, the average for 2 hours, 80% city, at low speed, stops, etc, was 38.4! I’m impressed! :bowdown:
- Nice combination of the colors for the electronic display: black background with white text, numbers. It is relaxing for eyes.
- Felt very stable on highway, even on HIGH speed! I still had pedal left but I didn’t want to get a ticket.
- Nice display with rear camera and a lot of “toys” that I didn’t have enough time to play with.
- Button for opening the trunk inside. Remember that the initial Cruze generations don’t have it, so you open the trunk with the key fob or from the button on the trunk.
- Third gear has a LOT of power, you can use it in many situations.

The not so good (bad):
- The 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear is… weird! A lot of RPMs and the car barely moves with 5MPH! I tested it and I could start the car with the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] gear “normal”, without any problem. I think the ratio is like that to help starting on the hill and get more torque but I didn’t like it at all. :jump:
- Handbrake lever is… flimsy! Not properly guided into the console so you feel it moving left and right when you engage the brake. No eBrake yet? Shame on you GM! :th_down:
- Wipers move in the opposite directions, I personally like better the “classic” movement in parallel.
- The dash was rattling on different RPM, unacceptable for a new car in my opinion.
- The knob for adjusting the side mirrors is on the door, perpendicular on it, so you have to use your hand in a strange position to adjust the mirrors.
- The button to open the trunk is inside now but… still doesn’t work if the engine is idling. So if you are picking up somebody with some luggage, you have to stop the engine, open the trunk and restart the car. :th_down: Lucky there is the start button now!
- Brakes were a little “weak” for hard braking, but let’s say because they were new.
- The arm rest lid gets a new design but the same issue as the original model: it will slip back all the time when you keep your elbow on it and keep shifting the gears.
- The information on the screen could be better, you have on info at the time instead of combinations like: average MPG and instant MPG, etc. You will play a lot with the displays..
- No garage opener integrated into the car.

Loaded, with all the gizmo on it, the car goes up to $30k! I have to think about that for a while and see what other options with MT I would have (diesel or not) available by the end of the year. I like the Subaru Legacy but the MT is available just for Canadians.. Mazda 6 maybe... I have enough time to think about it. :smile:

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MP81

· #2 · Apr 22, 2017

Thanks for the review!

Just a couple notes on your cons:

-The automatic cars get an electronic parking brake, but the manuals have a manual one - likely to assist with starting on a hill if you do it that way. I'd assume there was a hill-hold feature, though?
-Wipers moving the opposite direction is a little weird at first, but once you're used to it, it's far better at clearing the windshield quickly without having the wipers blocking your view as long. My Volt has them as well - yesterday the drive home was through rain that made it almost impossible to see the road in broad daylight (which then, of course, transitioned into hail), and I really was happy I have that style of wipers. Also, the longer the windshield gets, the more it makes sense to get proper coverage.
-Most cars don't let you open the trunk while the vehicle is on. I'm not sure if any new cars do anymore.
-Integrated garage openers are going away - especially with "connected" openers becoming more widespread. Would it be handy if I had one in the Volt? Sure. But I have my actual opener, so its not too big of a deal.

Good to hear that the manual doesn't suck as bad as it does on the gassers, though it still seems that based on the mag reviews as they trickle out, the auto is far and above the preferred choice, surprisingly.

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CRUISE-CRUZE

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 22, 2017

Other "good to have" features for a 2018 car:
Starting on a hill (MT) is not a problem for people with experience but an eBrake to assist beginners would be nice.
Lane departure warning (lane assist) and Lane change assist (side assist) would be great to have as options for this car. Auto dimming mirrors, inside and outside would be nice too. But if I'll continue to add then the car price will be too high for the market..

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neile300c

· #4 · Apr 22, 2017

On my LT Automatic, gas version, you can open the trunk with the car running, you just need it in park. Might want to try putting the emergency brake on and see if you can

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CRUISE-CRUZE

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 22, 2017

neile300c said:
On my LT Automatic, gas version, you can open the trunk with the car running, you just need it in park. Might want to try putting the emergency brake on and see if you can

I tested it when the car was parked but I don't recall if I kept my foot on the brake, or the parking brake was engaged. If yours work like that, then I hope they did the same thing for the MT. Maybe somebody can check this?

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dhpnet

· #6 · Apr 22, 2017

CRUISE-CRUZE said:
- Handbrake lever is… flimsy! Not properly guided into the console so you feel it moving left and right when you engage the brake. No eBrake yet? Shame on you GM! :th_down:

I prefer a handbrake over an electronic brake. If your battery is dead, your ebrake is stuck. Some things like the parking brake, trunk latch, steering, etc. should all have manual ways to use them if the battery dies. A big one for me is the trunk latch. It's a little hard to get the jumper cables out when the battery dies.

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CRUISE-CRUZE

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 22, 2017

dhpnet said:
I prefer a handbrake over an electronic brake. If your battery is dead, your ebrake is stuck. Some things like the parking brake, trunk latch, steering, etc. should all have manual ways to use them if the battery dies. A big one for me is the trunk latch. It's a little hard to get the jumper cables out when the battery dies.

The steering always works manual. I completely agree with having a backup for all the electric features! I don't think it will ever happen

Instead of classic jumper cables I saw new ones connected to the car's lighter plug. I'm curious how these works.

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dhpnet

· #8 · Apr 22, 2017

CRUISE-CRUZE said:
The steering always works manual. I completely agree with having a backup for all the electric features! I don't think it will ever happen

Probably not. Electric features are a lot cheaper for the manufacturers, and most customers seem to prefer them right now. Maybe some day luxury cars will have manual parking brakes and key locks. LOL.

CRUISE-CRUZE said:
Instead of classic jumper cables I saw new ones connected to the car's lighter plug. I'm curious how these works.

I think these are only good when the battery is just a little low and just needs a bit of assistance. I can't imagine these would work if the battery was almost dead. Too much current for those small wires to handle.