I test drove the new 2016.5 Cruze yesterday (Premier trim) and just wanted to share my initial impressions:
Good:
- Solid ride, managed bumps in road very well.
- Decent acceleration (heh, compared to my 2004 Pontiac Vibe, everything has good acceleration)
The engine did not seem to labor on the highway when getting on and had plenty of pedal to spare.
- Lot's of tech, maybe too much (see below)?
- Interior finish was good (again for Premier trim, not sure about lower trim levels)
- Good interior room and much improved rear seat comfort compared to prior generation.
- The ride was quiet. It was a windy day and I thought interior noise was good even with the road noise and wind noise.
- If you buy LT or Premier trim you get a lot of service extras (2 yrs of XM radio, 2 yrs/24 GB LTE data, extended loaner car service,etc.)
Concerns / Comments:
- The stop / start technology requires a really big battery in the trunk (in fact it's the only battery for the car). How much will it cost to replace it and how hard will it be to yank it out?
- We noticed a very strong electrical burning smell when I was backing up the car (towards end of test drive). The stop / start had engaged and it seemed to happen immediately after the engine started again after beginning the backup.
- The smart screen navigation can be done via the really nice touch screen, but is also available via some really awkward behind the steering wheel buttons. Maybe you will be used to them, but not very intuitive at all.
- There is a LOT of information available on the touch screen and some of it is also available on instrument cluster. There seems to be a LOT of emphasis on being connected and having lots of tech in the car. I hope the same emphasis and more was put into overall reliability.
- As far as looks, I think the new design is sporty; it does remind me of the prior generation Honda civic though. I think its new look could become "dated" quickly. This is a very subjective thing of course.
- The new engine is really packed in under the hood (even with the battery now located in the trunk). I noticed that the oil filter is no longer accessible from under the hood, it's under the car. It points straight down, and should not be too hard to get to, but definitely not as accessible as the prior generation.
I am still trying out other cars in the same class, but the new Cruze is a contender.
Good:
- Solid ride, managed bumps in road very well.
- Decent acceleration (heh, compared to my 2004 Pontiac Vibe, everything has good acceleration)
- Lot's of tech, maybe too much (see below)?
- Interior finish was good (again for Premier trim, not sure about lower trim levels)
- Good interior room and much improved rear seat comfort compared to prior generation.
- The ride was quiet. It was a windy day and I thought interior noise was good even with the road noise and wind noise.
- If you buy LT or Premier trim you get a lot of service extras (2 yrs of XM radio, 2 yrs/24 GB LTE data, extended loaner car service,etc.)
Concerns / Comments:
- The stop / start technology requires a really big battery in the trunk (in fact it's the only battery for the car). How much will it cost to replace it and how hard will it be to yank it out?
- We noticed a very strong electrical burning smell when I was backing up the car (towards end of test drive). The stop / start had engaged and it seemed to happen immediately after the engine started again after beginning the backup.
- The smart screen navigation can be done via the really nice touch screen, but is also available via some really awkward behind the steering wheel buttons. Maybe you will be used to them, but not very intuitive at all.
- There is a LOT of information available on the touch screen and some of it is also available on instrument cluster. There seems to be a LOT of emphasis on being connected and having lots of tech in the car. I hope the same emphasis and more was put into overall reliability.
- As far as looks, I think the new design is sporty; it does remind me of the prior generation Honda civic though. I think its new look could become "dated" quickly. This is a very subjective thing of course.
- The new engine is really packed in under the hood (even with the battery now located in the trunk). I noticed that the oil filter is no longer accessible from under the hood, it's under the car. It points straight down, and should not be too hard to get to, but definitely not as accessible as the prior generation.
I am still trying out other cars in the same class, but the new Cruze is a contender.