"A better Cruze? | 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VDCi AT"

**ghosthunter** · April 2nd, 2012 04:10 PM

A better Cruze? | 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VDCi AT
Words by Andre Palma | Photos by Niky Tamayo and Christopher Kho

Much has been said about the Chevrolet Cruze. Not surprising, owing to the fact that this is a car that has to live up to every inch of its plural, ‘world car’ status. Built to respond to the needs of every market, this is a car that finally brought Chevy out of the dark ages of solely relying on rebranding to get products to fill out gaps in its automotive line-up. The current Cruze is now built on a global platform designed by GM, branded and kitted to regional and country-specific needs - a surer formula for market acceptance. And now that there's a diesel version thrown in the mix, can it really make a better Cruze?

Questioning Strategies

Initial entry into the local market was met by mixed reviews from industry pundits. Some questioned the WTCC branding that was being used to sell the Cruze, especially since the car displayed lackluster road going demeanor at best. Others asked if the market needed another compact sedan in an age where the subcompact car and compact SUV segments are clearly dominant. Most just eagerly awaited the car that was supposed to turn Chevy’s local fortunes around.

A bigger question loomed as well. Would it be possible for the Cruze to cement itself as a legitimate option, if not prove itself as a superior product, to long standing vanilla compact sedan standards like the Corolla, Lancer, and Civic? And could it meet the challenge of the other global American in its segment, the Ford Focus?.....

LINK FOR MORE: A better Cruze? | 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VDCi AT

SOURCE: A better Cruze? | 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VDCi AT

**niky** · April 3rd, 2012 02:29 PM

If only the 6AT were programmed better, the Cruze would be perfect. As it is, it's just very good.

**renzo_d10** · April 3rd, 2012 02:42 PM

Interesting write up.

I wonder how would it compare with the Ford Focus TDCi ?

**ghosthunter** · April 3rd, 2012 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by renzo_d10

Interesting write up.

I wonder how would it compare with the Ford Focus TDCi ?

The Focus is much better in terms of acceleration and performance.

Styling-wise, personally I still prefer the Focus but that is my personal choice. My reason is the Cruze's styling feels dated to me just a year after it's original launch while the Focus still feels fresh as it nears to be replaced later this year.

**niky** · April 3rd, 2012 03:19 PM

The Cruze is likely a better family car. Much bigger and more comfortable rear seat, smoother (slower) acceleration, more elbow room.

But for keen drivers, the Focus still takes the cake over all other cars in the class.

**tagalnasaabroad** · May 20th, 2012 05:01 PM

*niky, between TOTL gas & diesel variants pricing, there's a ridiculous P200k gap (P1.3m vs P1.1m) with only the engine type difference. Is there something else a buyer gets his money's worth? Refer to below specs link. Granting one averages 3000 ltrs a year that's about P24k savings for P8 a li cheaper at the pump. After 8 years d pa nauubos yong savings while enjoying lesser maintenance cost of a gas-fed engine..Lalangawin nga itong VDCi nila..IMO,they must go over their pricing strategies asap..ganda pa nman ng video clip on their Thai website..magkano na puntang pera don which must be recovered coming from fairly arrived SRP tags on their units..

Chevrolet Philippines - Features & Specs

**niky** · May 20th, 2012 06:41 PM

Hard to leverage good pricing on low volume units. That's the same problem they are having with the Traverse.

The performance is much better overall than the gas car... The price premium for diesel is hardly ever worth it merely for the economy... It's really the convenience and performance... And it's up to the buyer to put their own price tag on that.

Personally... Best deal for Cruze is the manual variant 1.8...

**tagalnasaabroad** · May 21st, 2012 01:36 AM

Personally... Best deal for Cruze is the manual variant 1.8...

Or a LS M/T then budget an extra P200k for an upgrade to TOTL gas variant hoping Chevy has done away with head scratching on slow acceleration challenges. Have they thought about originally using a larger displacement 2.0 gas engine finally deciding 1.8 will suffice for small-built Asians..? Well too late for that and for heavier AT variants I guess..
It surely affects a lot of potential buyers though acceleration issues the least of my concerns personally..Ganda talaga ng high end features..no wonder naging COTY ang Cruze..isip isip isip..

**ghosthunter** · May 21st, 2012 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by tagalnasaabroad

Or a LS M/T then budget an extra P200k for an upgrade to TOTL gas variant hoping Chevy has done away with head scratching on slow acceleration challenges. Have they thought about originally using a larger displacement 2.0 gas engine finally deciding 1.8 will suffice for small-built Asians..? Well too late for that and for heavier AT variants I guess..
It surely affects a lot of potential buyers though acceleration issues the least of my concerns personally..Ganda talaga ng high end features..no wonder naging COTY ang Cruze..isip isip isip..

The problem with the slow acceleration of the Cruze is not the engine but with the automatic transmission. There are other cars that are comparable with the Cruze's specs (horsepower, weight) yet have faster acceleration. Even the Cruze diesel A/T suffers the same slow acceleration when we tested it's performance during last year's COTY evaluations.

**tagalnasaabroad** · May 21st, 2012 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by niky

Hard to leverage good pricing on low volume units. That's the same problem they are having with the Traverse.

The performance is much better overall than the gas car... The price premium for diesel is hardly ever worth it merely for the economy... It's really the convenience and performance... And it's up to the buyer to put their own price tag on that.

Personally... Best deal for Cruze is the manual variant 1.8...

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

The problem with the slow acceleration of the Cruze is not the engine but with the automatic transmission. There are other cars that are comparable with the Cruze's specs (horsepower, weight) yet have faster acceleration. Even the Cruze diesel A/T suffers the same slow acceleration when we tested it's performance during last year's COTY evaluations.

*niky & GH appreciate greatly your sensible insights..been through several manufacturers' websites..on paper, only Cruze specs / features stands out as best bang be it MT or AT..better (bitter.?) diesel variant remains too premium to be desired IMO..only gripe I have is that grime-prone, hard to clean fabric surface adornment on the dash and doors..will spend more time at the nearest dealer soon..