I got a $50 test drive coupon from Chevy, so I decided to take an extended test drive in a diesel. Car is MBM with leather package, 35 miles on the odometer. I'll skip over the "common to all Cruze's" and focus on what's unique to the diesel.
1) Quiet diesel is correct, especially after the engine warms up.
2) Nine speed auto shifts quickly and smoothly.
3) Acceleration is zesty - even the 70-80 test had some punch.
4) Tires - I'll mention this because the car has the low rolling resistance Goodyear Assurance tires than Volt owners hate so much. Actually they work better on the much lighter Cruze. I went around some entrance ramps way above posted speeds and the tires stuck fine without complaining. Note - one of the main complaints about the Assurance is the thin sidewalls leading to high incidence of flats. Unlike the Volt, the Cruze has a spare tire rather than a goop machine.
5) Mileage - 50F day with a light winds. Downwind leg, off ramp, over a bridge, on ramp, then a longer leg into the wind. Average speed 75 mph with cruise control, at the end the reading stabilized at 45 mpg. Mix in the earlier city traffic and I think 40 mpg overall is a no-brainer in this car. With a broken in car and a warmer day don't see why 50 mpg wouldn't be possible at 75 mph. Speed limits are going up on this expressway come November - 80+ mph speeds will be routine then.
1) Quiet diesel is correct, especially after the engine warms up.
2) Nine speed auto shifts quickly and smoothly.
3) Acceleration is zesty - even the 70-80 test had some punch.
4) Tires - I'll mention this because the car has the low rolling resistance Goodyear Assurance tires than Volt owners hate so much. Actually they work better on the much lighter Cruze. I went around some entrance ramps way above posted speeds and the tires stuck fine without complaining. Note - one of the main complaints about the Assurance is the thin sidewalls leading to high incidence of flats. Unlike the Volt, the Cruze has a spare tire rather than a goop machine.
5) Mileage - 50F day with a light winds. Downwind leg, off ramp, over a bridge, on ramp, then a longer leg into the wind. Average speed 75 mph with cruise control, at the end the reading stabilized at 45 mpg. Mix in the earlier city traffic and I think 40 mpg overall is a no-brainer in this car. With a broken in car and a warmer day don't see why 50 mpg wouldn't be possible at 75 mph. Speed limits are going up on this expressway come November - 80+ mph speeds will be routine then.