It's at least as good or better than our 2009 Corolla.Welcome to the forum.
I have a little over 4000 miles on mine with the manual transmission. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for...
I've logged a lot of miles on a lot of manual transmissions, but nothing high performance or at the grand touring level. If you're expecting an experience like that of a Camaro or BMW, you're probably going to find issues with it. It's way better than the 1981 Chevette I learned on.
I think it's easy to drive, easy to shift, and has pretty good ratios for the diesel. First seems a little low. I sometimes miss 6th and find 4th, but I've never had a 6-speed before and what it's doing makes perfect sense because I'd rather it fall into 4th for a downshift and require intent to go to 6th -- so if I'm lazy going to 6th I get 4th.
It's pretty tough to stall. I've only stalled it twice. Once when I tried to pull my driveway in second after nearly stopping and the engine noped. The other time was starting at an intersection and changing my mind about how hard I wanted to launch in the middle of doing it -- left foot got ahead of right foot when I decided I wanted to gun it.
Is there something specific you'd like to know?
Welcome to the forum! I have not driven the second gen manual. But I can tell you the first gen manual is one of the worst manual transmissions I've ever encountered, but it's still better than the best auto I've driven.
Welcome, fellow VW refugee. My '09 Jetta went back to its maker March 3rd. My Jetta was my favorite car of all I've owned in 30 years or so. I only had it 4 years, but we put almost 100k miles on it in that time. I wanted a manual, but we originally got it for my wife, so it was a DSG. I really came to respect and like the DSG, but owing money on the car and concerns about upcoming maintenance and potential repairs made selling it back a good financial move IMO.Thanksfor the perspective. I am curious to know, Johnmo, if you ordered yours(and if so, had you test driven the manual before?) or if you bought it off thelot.
I own a '13 Jetta TDI 6spd manual right now, so I am certainly not looking for Camero performance. Just weighing my options due to the VW buyback program. What I am looking for, however, is an easy clutch and tight shifting with a solid feel. Also, from what I’ve read, sounds like 6[SUP]th[/SUP]gear is a pretty tall gear to take advantage of the diesel torque.
What are your RPMs at 60 mph, in 6[SUP]th[/SUP] gear?
Is it a pleasant progression through the gears as you increase speed? Does it “make sense”? I would also be curious to know what your feel is for the min. speed at which you can stay in 6[SUP]th[/SUP]gear (assuming you are just maintaining constant speed)
Have you calculated any fuel economy numbers? Do you have a feel for what you have been getting on the freeway?
Any other insight?
Thanks!
Great insight, thanks again! Very impressive fuel economy, as well. I would be curious to know where your RPMs are @ 60 mph, if you happen to remember to look. It will be difficult to part ways with my Jetta. It has been a great car, but like yours, it is nearing its part of its life where there will be some heavy maintenance items coming up. Makes somewhat financial sense to take advantage of the buy back. However, I will only do it if there is a viable alternative (aka diesel with manual transmission), and it seems like the Cruze is the only one. If anyone else has any insight, please feel free to share.Welcome, fellow VW refugee. My '09 Jetta went back to its maker March 3rd. My Jetta was my favorite car of all I've owned in 30 years or so. I only had it 4 years, but we put almost 100k miles on it in that time. I wanted a manual, but we originally got it for my wife, so it was a DSG. I really came to respect and like the DSG, but owing money on the car and concerns about upcoming maintenance and potential repairs made selling it back a good financial move IMO.
I drove both a stick and an automatic diesel Cruze. The one I bought was brought in from another dealer's lot. I didn't like the color of the manual on the dealer lot.
I think the clutch is very easy. The travel is shorter than what I was used to in my Corolla. I have an old F-150 and I hopped out of it and into the Cruze over the weekend and it was a dramatic difference because... truck. I don't think the shifter feels tight, but I don't have any problem knowing where I am with it except the aforementioned lazy shift to 6th. I'm still getting back into the swing driving a stick. My daily drivers have all been automatics for about 4 years now.
I haven't noticed the RPMs specifically @ 60 MPH, but I'll try to remember to look tomorrow. There's an upshift indicator on the dash that will put the RPMs at about 1,500 in the next gear on each shift if you follow the computer's advice. 1500 RPM seems to be near the bottom end of "happy" for each gear. It does make sense. There aren't any ridiculous gaps in the ratios. I can shift in a slow rhythm like it's a truck and each gear gets about the same duration. Punching it on an on-ramp can find you topping 60 MPH in 3rd gear and just dropping it into 6th unless you're going to accelerate on up to 80 MPH or something. The diesel torque I was used to with the VW TDI is there in the Cruze TD.
See my fuelly log in my sig for all of my economy numbers. I'm averaging around 55 MPG and have already easily gone 700 miles on a single fill-up -- something I only achieved once in the Jetta with great effort. The Cruze fuel computer shows you a current rolling average for the last 25, 50, and 450 miles and also remembers your best average for those distances. My best 25-mile average is 70 MPG, best 50 is around 65 MPG and my best 450 is about 56 MPG. If fuel economy is your thing, the Cruze is killing the Jetta.
Compared to the Jetta, I lost style (I love the MkV) and handling. The Cruze doesn't love the curves the way the Jetta did. The Cruze is competent in curves, but the tires squeal sooner. The Jetta had 17" and low profile tires and I think the 16" tires on the Cruze are probably low-resistance. If handling is important, the Cruze can probably be improved with aftermarket bits. The Cruze is better on fuel economy. It's comfortable. I picked up Android Auto/Apple Car Play and keyless ignition with the Cruze. I have to admit I'm getting a little spoiled by the keyless ignition thing. Automatic headlights are nice too. It always bugged me the Jetta didn't have those. I miss having the overhead bin for my sunglasses. The Cruze is kind of no-frills on cubbies and storage. The door pocket is huge, but awkward to reach into.
I avoided having a VW for a while because the nearest dealer is an hour away from home. There are Chevy dealers all over the place, so that's a plus for me, though I hope to see the Chevy dealer about as often or less than I saw the VW dealer. The Chevy diesel engine has been out in Europe for a few years and seems to have a good track record. The US emissions paraphernalia... not so much.
Overall I'm really happy with the Cruze so far.
Its funny, I think my transmission feels great. The throws are crisp and there isn't a lot of "play" in the stick. Clutch engagement is nice too.
The transmission in my brother's car is a pile of steaming hot garbage. Vague, loose, long throws. It's terrible, and the clutch engages really early in the pedal travel without much linearity.
I don't know if they made significant changes between model years (mine is '12 his is '14) or trim levels (ECO vs LT), but they feel like completely different transmissions
Worth noting, I had the 16" wheels stock and swapped them for 18's with ultra high performance summer tires and the handling is next level.Welcome, fellow VW refugee. My '09 Jetta went back to its maker March 3rd. My Jetta was my favorite car of all I've owned in 30 years or so. I only had it 4 years, but we put almost 100k miles on it in that time. I wanted a manual, but we originally got it for my wife, so it was a DSG. I really came to respect and like the DSG, but owing money on the car and concerns about upcoming maintenance and potential repairs made selling it back a good financial move IMO.
I drove both a stick and an automatic diesel Cruze. The one I bought was brought in from another dealer's lot. I didn't like the color of the manual on the dealer lot.
I think the clutch is very easy. The travel is shorter than what I was used to in my Corolla. I have an old F-150 and I hopped out of it and into the Cruze over the weekend and it was a dramatic difference because... truck. I don't think the shifter feels tight, but I don't have any problem knowing where I am with it except the aforementioned lazy shift to 6th. I'm still getting back into the swing driving a stick. My daily drivers have all been automatics for about 4 years now.
I haven't noticed the RPMs specifically @ 60 MPH, but I'll try to remember to look tomorrow. There's an upshift indicator on the dash that will put the RPMs at about 1,500 in the next gear on each shift if you follow the computer's advice. 1500 RPM seems to be near the bottom end of "happy" for each gear. It does make sense. There aren't any ridiculous gaps in the ratios. I can shift in a slow rhythm like it's a truck and each gear gets about the same duration. Punching it on an on-ramp can find you topping 60 MPH in 3rd gear and just dropping it into 6th unless you're going to accelerate on up to 80 MPH or something. The diesel torque I was used to with the VW TDI is there in the Cruze TD.
See my fuelly log in my sig for all of my economy numbers. I'm averaging around 55 MPG and have already easily gone 700 miles on a single fill-up -- something I only achieved once in the Jetta with great effort. The Cruze fuel computer shows you a current rolling average for the last 25, 50, and 450 miles and also remembers your best average for those distances. My best 25-mile average is 70 MPG, best 50 is around 65 MPG and my best 450 is about 56 MPG. If fuel economy is your thing, the Cruze is killing the Jetta.
Compared to the Jetta, I lost style (I love the MkV) and handling. The Cruze doesn't love the curves the way the Jetta did. The Cruze is competent in curves, but the tires squeal sooner. The Jetta had 17" and low profile tires and I think the 16" tires on the Cruze are probably low-resistance. If handling is important, the Cruze can probably be improved with aftermarket bits. The Cruze is better on fuel economy. It's comfortable. I picked up Android Auto/Apple Car Play and keyless ignition with the Cruze. I have to admit I'm getting a little spoiled by the keyless ignition thing. Automatic headlights are nice too. It always bugged me the Jetta didn't have those. I miss having the overhead bin for my sunglasses. The Cruze is kind of no-frills on cubbies and storage. The door pocket is huge, but awkward to reach into.
I avoided having a VW for a while because the nearest dealer is an hour away from home. There are Chevy dealers all over the place, so that's a plus for me, though I hope to see the Chevy dealer about as often or less than I saw the VW dealer. The Chevy diesel engine has been out in Europe for a few years and seems to have a good track record. The US emissions paraphernalia... not so much.
Overall I'm really happy with the Cruze so far.
Thank you for this insight. That's pretty neat!It turns about 1800 RPM @ 60 MPH and about 2200 RPM @ 70 MPH.
A couple of other interesting observations about the clutch. It has a feature where you can shift with the cruise control engaged. I guess you'd call that auto-resume.
I've also noticed that the computer juices the engine a little for you as you start to release the clutch. It's handy for maneuvering in 1st and reverse.
Yeah Gen 1 Cruze if you touched the clutch the CC is gone as if you tapped the brakes. In my Accord it's like as you described where you pretty much hold speed with higher revs if you downshifted.It turns about 1800 RPM @ 60 MPH and about 2200 RPM @ 70 MPH.
A couple of other interesting observations about the clutch. It has a feature where you can shift with the cruise control engaged. I guess you'd call that auto-resume.
I've also noticed that the computer juices the engine a little for you as you start to release the clutch. It's handy for maneuvering in 1st and reverse.
I'm not a fan of the ECM juicing when the clutch comes out. I can understand the admiration though for sure.It turns about 1800 RPM @ 60 MPH and about 2200 RPM @ 70 MPH.
A couple of other interesting observations about the clutch. It has a feature where you can shift with the cruise control engaged. I guess you'd call that auto-resume.
I've also noticed that the computer juices the engine a little for you as you start to release the clutch. It's handy for maneuvering in 1st and reverse.
I'm not really a fan either -- I know how to drive a stick. I first noticed it because the engine speed picked up when I released the clutch in neutral, which is a complete waste because it's guessing wrong at that point. Once you know it's there, though, it is kinda handy for low-speed maneuvering.I'm not a fan of the ECM juicing when the clutch comes out. I can understand the admiration though for sure.
It's kinda helpful in stop and go traffic when you're just creeping forward over and over again. Not that you probably really need the bump with the diesel, but it was helpful with the 1.4, and I was often lazy enough to just do that and not touch the gas.I'm not really a fan either -- I know how to drive a stick. I first noticed it because the engine speed picked up when I released the clutch in neutral, which is a complete waste because it's guessing wrong at that point. Once you know it's there, though, it is kinda handy for low-speed maneuvering.
Forgot to mention the brake-assist thing too. I'm kind of mixed on it as well. I've had at least a couple of occasions where it didn't let go quickly enough and I was fighting it to let me move. But, if you're on a severe incline and not proficient with the clutch, it's handy. I just wish they'd put in a button to trigger it so it only engages when I want it to. I think that used to be called "the parking brake."
