[dtgoodwin]

Hi all

I have been looking into owning a Cruze diesel - first gen used. I've owned an '81 Rabbit diesel, an '84 Jetta turbo diesel, and an '02 Jetta TDI. My experience with them has been mostly very positive, but only because of diesel characteristics. I've never gotten over the wonderful torque curve, especially of modern turbo diesels. My wife and I currently have a 2002 TrailBlazer with 200K miles, and worn out ball joints, bushings, and transmission. I only drive it when we need to be in two different places. "Her" car is a 2008 Toyota Prius. We bought it a couple years ago as it was price competitive with non-hybrids of similar size and age, and I had personal familial experience with high-mileage 2nd gens, and this one is living up to our expectations. We love the economy which is currently averaging 44.8 MPG, but I really have grown tired of the overall powertrain performance. When the hybrid battery is on the low side, the gas engine has to work very hard to keep the vehicle moving, and especially hard to get the car moving from a stop. You also have to be very careful and plan ahead for power needs. It can take an honest 2 seconds for it to determine how to give you the power you need when you give it heavy throttle while already moving. It's like the worst turbo lag you've ever experienced. We drive to the Dallas Texas area from Utah two times per year, and the frequent revving, not tied to ground speed due to the CVT, is so very tiring to drive. Up any hill, the engine is revved high, or right at red line, and it's sound is anything but pleasant. Not to mention that any long hill will have you out of battery after the first mile, and the 74 horsepower of the gas engine struggling to maintain speed. I made the mistake of going the route of I-70 east to Denver. We spent the majority of the climb at 40 MPH with the throttle wide-open. It was NOT a pleasant ride for anyone in the car.

Onto the diesel. I really think that the Cruze behavior would be about as opposite to the Prius experience as I can get. My 02 TDI only needed to downshift from 5th to 4th if I lost a lot of speed, or if I wasn't traveling fast enough to be in 5th. I don't know how the Cruze is, but I imagine that it only downshifts for some of the steepest hills when at freeway speed. Do any of you own the 1.4T? How much different is it? I know that is has a fair amount of torque as well. It's certainly easier to find, almost as good on fuel, and parts and general know how would certainly be easier on it. Still, it's a gasoline engine, and even being turbo, I imagine still likes to rev to get much usable power from it. I have considered a Volt as our trips are typically within 20 miles, and about 200 total per week, we could drive on electric for the most part. Long trips, I'm thinking, would behave very similar to the Prius - with an engine frequently running at high RPM to keep up with energy requirements.

I'm really partial to GM after having relatively good experiences with them. I've owned 1 Nissan, 1 Mazda, 2 Toyotas, and the 3 VWs mentioned. I've owned 2 Saturns, a '96 S10, the '02 TrailBlazer, and an '08 GMC Acadia. They haven't all been reliable, especially the '08 Acadia, but I've liked them more than most of the imports. My '02 TrailBlazer is my favorite vehicle I've owned, it just isn't practical for most trips due to it's poor economy.

How do you feel about your ownership? Would you buy it again? I am seeing 2014 with mid-20K miles for around 15-16K. It's a little more than we normally spend on vehicles, but we aren't typically buying this new either.

My '02 Jetta left such a bad taste in my mouth for VW reliability, that even if there had been no emissions issue, I don't think I could buy one. My Jetta came with a faulty instrument cluster, had a bad injection pump that after 10, yes 10, dealership visits, misfiring, and very difficult to start, finally replaced the pump, and then at 55K the turbo shaft broke. These repairs would have cost me more than $6K. It's not just the cost, but the amount of time it spent at the dealership that really irritated me.

 

[2014Oilburner]

I have a 2014 CTD and I love this car....without a doubt the best and most enjoyable everyday car to drive that I've owned...the best things I like about this car is the power or torque the engine has along with it's fuel mileage.... and the car feels so relaxed and quiet at speed. My drive to work is 37 miles one way mostly on the interstate and then with local driving...get around 43 mpg most weeks in warm weather and around 39 or so in the winter...got over 51 mpg overall on a trip and that included riding around in the town for a bit. Diesels really excel on the highway...local driving the mpg is about the same as the Honda Civic that I owned...I've had no issues with my 2014 CTD.... if you want a car that gets great mpg with a nice driving experience the CTD is a pretty good choice IMO

 

[PanJet]

I don't know how the Cruze is, but I imagine that it only downshifts for some of the steepest hills when at freeway speed.

The Cruze diesel has superb torque, and due to the low-revving, it is actually better at freeway speed, around 70 mph, than it is slower, around 55 or so. It falls right into it's best torque curve at 70-80 mph. I've charged up some fairly long-steep mountain passes at 70 mph and it didn't even shift down out of 6th gear humming along at a smooth 2,000 rpm the whole way up.

Do any of you own the 1.4T? How much different is it?

I do not now, but I did. I owned a 2011 1.4T auto Cruze before I owned the diesel. Also, I've driven a 1.4T auto in every year of the model lineup except 2015 (including the 2016 Limited) as rentals. The 1.4T is a great car for what it is, but it is not a diesel. For city driving, the 1.4T has just a tad more response at the line. The diesel has a well-known lag from the get-go, nothing major, but noticeable compared to the gas car. However, once the diesel finally grabs, it just pulls and keeps on pulling where the 1.4T starts to struggle comparatively. The 1.4T has nice low-end torque compared to most small cars, and it's great for getting around town, but it does need a little more flogging than the to get the same performance as the diesel, especially on the highway. I would have a hard time going back to a gasoline Cruze after owning the diesel for over two years now.

Don't get me wrong, the 1.4T is a great car, and if you're doing primarily lots of stop-an-go city driving, it's probably the better option from an operational perspective (newer diesel emissions systems work much better when the engine is working harder for long periods of time). However, I've done primarily city driving with my diesel for the last two years with no major issues.

I have considered a Volt as our trips are typically within 20 miles, and about 200 total per week, we could drive on electric for the most part. Long trips, I'm thinking, would behave very similar to the Prius - with an engine frequently running at high RPM to keep up with energy requirements.

I've driven both a Gen 3 Prius as well both a Gen 1 and a Gen 2 Volt. There is no comparison. From a pure driving perspective, the Volt is a vastly superior driving experience to the Prius, especially the Gen 2 Volt. Yes, you do get a little bit of revving when pushing it hard when the battery is not charged, but I would say it's much more pleasant than the Prius. While I've only driven it around town, the Gen 2 Volt is even quieter and more responsive. No, it's not a sports car, but it's a great car. For a commuting situation with occasional highway driving, honestly if I were buying car right now, I'd probably lean towards a Volt over a diesel Cruze. As much as I love my diesel Cruze, the Volt is much more designed around short-distance daily commuting. The diesel is a superb highway car, and while it works just fine as a short-distance commuter, it looses a little bit of it's advantage in the short-distance commuting environment given that the city milage isn't a whole lot better (if any) than many gasoline cars, and the emissions systems are better suited for lots of highway driving.

 

[GlennGlenn]

My 2015 model year CTD is great on fuel on highway. I am seeing a minimum of 50-55 and at times 60 mpg if I go to cruise control. City mileage is meh, about , about 35-38 on average. But highway mileage is awesome.

 

[putercents]

I just purchased a brand new CTD loaded with nav ect. The discounts are HUGE making the difference in purchase price between new and used very close. If i take $16000 USD and convert to Canadian dollars, I only paid 2000 more than the used. Look around to see if any dealers have new stock. they are blowing them out the door here in Canada

 

[IndyDiesel]

I have a 15 CTD I bout in January with 3700 miles, now at almost 9000, very happy with the way this car performs. I average about 42 mpg and that is on winter diesel and not broken in yet. It's a fun car to drive and I had a 14 ECO. 6 speed before this one it was a very nice car as well, but prefer the diesel. I had zero issues with the ECO. Never had my diesel in the Rockies yet but it would do very well in the mountains, prolly be passing a Prius and trucks I would guess.

 

[spaycace]

Owning a 2013 Volt, and driving 60 miles one way each day to work ... I can tell you that even though I'm at 58 mpg average lifetime, I'd rather have the CTD for my daily commute. Since you drive mostly in town 20 miles or less, the Volt (Gen 2 superior to Gen1, I've driven both) is a great car for that! The Gen2 Volt is much quieter when the gas engine is pulling harder to get power to the batteries, and still to this day, I can't figure out WHY on Earth GM hasn't adapted a diesel engine to the Volt, because it's in essence a fancy, driving generator. Diesel engines are great for that purpose, but I'm sure it will never happen, as most people that own Volt's aren't driving them 120+ miles per day like me. As for buying a used CTD, you might as well spend a few extra dollars and buy a New '15 or even '14 (yes, there are still some NEW, unsold 2014's out there) for the same price as used. Now the thing to remember with the Volt as well ... is the fact that if GM hasn't sold 200,000 yet, you'll still get that $7,500 tax credit at the end of the year, and some states also offer an additional state tax credit. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[diesel]

Welcome to the forum, @dtgoodwin - I have a 2014 diesel Cruze with 163K miles on it. in short, it's a fantastic car. It has really long legs on the highway and the low rpm high torque means pretty much no downshifting, even up the steepest grades.

Here are more details of my experience:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-diesel-general-discussion/151073-150k-miles-2014-cruze-diesel.html

 

[MP81]

pretty much no downshifting, even up the steepest grades.

This - driving through the mountains of West Virginia/Virginia on our way to North Carolina, the car never needs to downshift (in comparison to the 1.4T we took through the same route - where it needed to drop a few gears to tackle some of the upward portions).

Love our diesel - I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to buy a second one if I found a used diesel for a great price.

 

[spacedout]

Used? no way. Had the option to get one used a few weeks back for $14K with 30,000 miles on it. opted for a used sonic with 15,000 miles for less money instead. The reason? I did not want to deal with possible diesel emissions issues and with as low of miles as the car had, there is a reason the previous owner traded.

 

[diesel]

Used? no way. Had the option to get one used a few weeks back for $14K with 30,000 miles on it. opted for a used sonic with 15,000 miles for less money instead. The reason? I did not want to deal with possible diesel emissions issues and with as low of miles as the car had, there is a reason the previous owner traded.

Not necessarily. I trade in and out of cars all the time because i get bored with them. Could be something like that with any used car. My '16 Honda Pilot with 8K miles on it will soon be up for sale (but most likely traded) and not a thing wrong with it. I just want something different.

 

[oldestof11]

New, recent owner of a used Cruze diesel. Bought it on March 16th, so I am a month into owning it.

I bought my 2014 for $16k and it had 22,200 miles. It had a clean carfax with the only thing not scheduled maintenance was an alignment when the dealer took it in on trade. It now has 25,600 miles and I have ran 5 tanks through it. My drive to work can either be 70 miles by county 2 lane highway with a 5 mile stint on the toll way or it can be all tollway and 76 miles.

I drove each for 1 tank. The tollway I set the cruise at 72 MPH and the back roads I set at 62 MPH. They were 41mpg and 43mpg. So since I didn't have to pay $10/day round trip and it was a shorter route, I take the county highway. So I was averaging 43-45mpg. Then the last tank I lowered the cruise control to 57mph. The first 250 miles on that tank was running 80 MPH with a head wind to visit a friend for 125 mile and running back it was a downpour and 75mph. The DIC showed an average of 38 MPG. Lowering the cruise control to 57 MPH on that tank netted me 49.5 MP. This tank I continued the trend of 57mph with the short stint on the tollway 70mph. This tank I am seeing an estimated 760 miles to this tank, or around 52 MPG.

This route I take also has 7 miles of stop and go traffic, a red light every block or every other block.

I hope this helps your decision.

 

[2014Oilburner]

Used? no way. Had the option to get one used a few weeks back for $14K with 30,000 miles on it. opted for a used sonic with 15,000 miles for less money instead. The reason? I did not want to deal with possible diesel emissions issues and with as low of miles as the car had, there is a reason the previous owner traded.

I've traded cars off with only 5000 miles on the odometer...I took the hit simply because I wanted something else. I've went through quite a few new cars...nothing was wrong with the cars it just that I wanted something different...but this CTD is a keeper and I expect to get 150K miles out of this car...really like the diesel

 

[Cruzator]

dtgoodwin,

I have a 2014 CTD with over 30K on the clock. The car has been fantastic. My daily commute is from Denver west, over the Continental divide. I too have driven a few hybrids with the CVT and I don't car for the constant revving either. My cruze will easily pull all of the passes on I-70 in 6th gear without a problem. If you drop down to 55, it will have to drop to 5th on the steeper hills to gain speed. If you run 65-70, it has enough torque to gain speed on the steepest hills - all while running under 2000 RPM. Fuel economy is lower to mid 40's, with a little of in town running around. Easily above 45 in the summer. I had an opportunity to drive a gas cruze (1.4 turbo) for about a week. I had no complaints on how the car ran, but it had to drop two to three gears on the steep hills. I wasn't going for fuel economy and was messing around with it quite a bit, but the DIC said I was only getting around 33 MPG (again, I was driving it hard at times). As others have mentioned, some people have had issue with sensors and emissions equipment. So far mine has been trouble free (except for a bad PCM before I got it off the lot). Welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great information here. diesel has the most miles on his CTD and is a great source if info.

 

[diesel]

I've traded cars off with only 5000 miles on the odometer...I took the hit simply because I wanted something else. I've went through quite a few new cars...nothing was wrong with the cars it just that I wanted something different...but this CTD is a keeper and I expect to get 150K miles out of this car...really like the diesel

You and me both! Only difference I am already well past 150K on the Cruze and shooting for 200K at least.

 

[dtgoodwin]

Wow, thank you all your feedback! Sounds like the Cruze would provide just what I'm looking for. Decent economy and relaxed highway driving.

In response to the purchase used versus new, I wish I had started looking while there were still some available for purchase. All the dealerships near me have been cleared of diesels, and only 3 2015's remain.

 

[Chris Tobin]

Wow, thank you all your feedback! Sounds like the Cruze would provide just what I'm looking for. Decent economy and relaxed highway driving.

In response to the purchase used versus new, I wish I had started looking while there were still some available for purchase. All the dealerships near me have been cleared of diesels, and only 3 2015's remain.

Search autotrader.com if you are looking for a new one. There are still several out there, some seriously discounted and some still at MSRP... If you want new, traveling to pick it up and drive it home shouldn't be too big of a deal. That's what I will probably be doing but for a CPO versus a new one...

 

[Mrcarpenter]

Seeing that this is an older thread, I am curious to know what people are thinking now about the gen. 1 Cruze. I am considering buying a used Cruze,(seen some nice 2014 and 2015 models out there.) What I am curious about, is how will a 1.4t with manual trans. Compare to Diesel models in regards to fuel economy and maintenance/repair costs.
There are enough diesels on the market here that there is not too much of a price difference to purchase vs gas models.
I drive about 1200-1400 km/week, about 95% at 100 km/h. highway driving. Also curious about how the diesel cars do in the cold (I'm in Manitoba).
I have owned both 1.8 mt and eco mt Cruze, but not for long due to accidents.☹
Feedback would be valued, thanks.

 

[Rivergoer]

Love my ‘14 Diesel.

Comparing cost per kilometer (including fuel/DEF/maintenance) I’m not sure the diesel will beat the Eco. However, if you ever have a chance to test-drive a CTD, especially after having both the 1.4T and 1.8 models, you’ll appreciate the additional torque ‘fun’-factor.

With your longer commute the diesel should be a good fit. At 100 kph you can expect about 21 kpl (50 mpg)...if I’ve done my MPG to KPL calculation correctly.

I don’t have any personal experience with cold weather but several on this site have reported no Winter issues, one member in particular... @boraz ...is up in colder northern Canada and no cold start problems.

Good luck with your search.

 

[boraz]

Seeing that this is an older thread, I am curious to know what people are thinking now about the gen. 1 Cruze. I am considering buying a used Cruze,(seen some nice 2014 and 2015 models out there.) What I am curious about, is how will a 1.4t with manual trans. Compare to Diesel models in regards to fuel economy and maintenance/repair costs.
There are enough diesels on the market here that there is not too much of a price difference to purchase vs gas models.
I drive about 1200-1400 km/week, about 95% at 100 km/h. highway driving. Also curious about how the diesel cars do in the cold (I'm in Manitoba).
I have owned both 1.8 mt and eco mt Cruze, but not for long due to accidents.☹
Feedback would be valued, thanks.

i test drove the 1.4 eco vs the diesel before i bought.

the 1.4 shifts nice, but is a whiney car....and the ac cuts off in the summer heat cuz the cars tiny engine cant deal with it...the diesel just goes, drives awesome---yes there is some turbo/trans tuning lag after you press the accel, but you get used to it....

the diesel was $3000 more

rear discs, sunroof, leather, better suspension...you get more car for the money......the car rides the highway like a big crown vic, but easy to drive and park in the city

the first year i had it, the oil pan heater cord was on recall cuz of fire hazard, so i stopped plugging in until i could get that fixed....car started perfect in -51 not plugged in.

its just an oilpan heater afterall....a normal block heater/coolant heater installed after the fact messes with the computer and throws codes, car doesnt understand the high coolant temp and the low ambient at startup

you have to work at getting the posted mpg with the 1.4 eco, the diesel just does it....i have roof rack on yr round, studded tires 6 mos of the year, winter fuel is sposed to eat at mpg...

i get the same mpg regardless...i drive 870 km from home to work, then 870 km from work to home....fuel up at same start and end stations....same mpg...ive tried the extra tire psi, ive tried the goin extra slow, ive tried as much cruise as possible, same mpg....the more cruise you use, the better mpg i find though.

diesel is most of the time cheaper than regular gas at the places i fuel.....like 30 cents cheaper.....the rest of the time its same price or maybe 20 cents more expensive....so yr round avg, diesel is cheaper than regular....your location might be different

good luck using regular in the 1.4...most get better performance and mpg with mid or prem.....both are much costlier than diesel.

fuel filter, oil change, timing belt is gonna eat away at the fuel savings....maybe not erase them, but eat away at them.

if youre finding used prices are similar between the two AND you are goin to delete the emissions....get the diesel.

not gonna delete the emissions? i cant vouch for the car.

the emission repair costs will kill you.

heck the blind spot sensors killed my touch screen, im too cheap to go to the dealer, trying to fix it myself, cuz the sensors are unprotected in the rear wheel wells and get soaked then shorted out....GM came out with a revised part and a shield, but only for those with super low miles....i had too many

srsly at used volts....i dont know what prices youre seeing for used diesels, but used volts are cheap af.

similar hwy mpg, killer city mpg, less issues than the diesel

if you delete, the accel lag goes away....can chirp the tires, lol....the car is so much better