Joined
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17,964 Posts
Before I bought my Cruze, the Golf TDI (2011? 12?) was my favorite car I'd test driven. Fantastic powertrain, very torquey, surprisingly quiet for a diesel, fun to drive, and IT CAME IN A MANUAL.
But it came in somewhere around $26-27K without too many options. More than I wanted to pay for a small car - I could get a reasonably equipped midsizer for that. I hated the 2.5-liter (gas) engine, and didn't want to step up to a GTI because the ride was extremely firm and I've heard of nothing but problems with them. The Jetta was so cheap looking on the inside that I didn't even bother to drive one.
The 2012 Cruze came in 2nd place for a good all-rounder with a great price tag. Had it not come in a manual, I wouldn't own one. And of course the diesel didn't exist at the time.
Did drive a diesel Cruze when they came out, and while I didn't care much for the automatic (it's not bad, but it's just not programmed as well as other autos I've had), the engine pulls like a freight train compared to the VW. Does have lots more lag when you pull off, though - I am not sure whether that's programmed to keep from roasting the tires, or actual turbo lag.
But it came in somewhere around $26-27K without too many options. More than I wanted to pay for a small car - I could get a reasonably equipped midsizer for that. I hated the 2.5-liter (gas) engine, and didn't want to step up to a GTI because the ride was extremely firm and I've heard of nothing but problems with them. The Jetta was so cheap looking on the inside that I didn't even bother to drive one.
The 2012 Cruze came in 2nd place for a good all-rounder with a great price tag. Had it not come in a manual, I wouldn't own one. And of course the diesel didn't exist at the time.
Did drive a diesel Cruze when they came out, and while I didn't care much for the automatic (it's not bad, but it's just not programmed as well as other autos I've had), the engine pulls like a freight train compared to the VW. Does have lots more lag when you pull off, though - I am not sure whether that's programmed to keep from roasting the tires, or actual turbo lag.
